Causes of hunger

In the heart of the global economic system:

the protection of intellectual property rights

The explosion of legal instruments for the protection of intellectual property rights, at the end of the 20th century, occurred along with a growing economic and financial importance of intangible assets (information, technological knowhow, data and other information-intensive products).

The protection of intellectual property, because of its monopolistic nature, made possible the emergence of dominating megafirms concentrating and economic, technoscientific and political power that had never been seen before in history.

The radical transformation of the economy that resulted from this - including in food systems - has had impacts, some of which are a source of serious concern. This is why it has become urgent to revisit the matter of intellectual property so that innovation effectively contributes to a transition towards a more sustainable, less inegalitarian and more environment-friendly economy.

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