International Contracts on Transnational Land Cultivation with Emphasis on Food Security and Public Health

In recent years, with the rapid growth of the global population and the increasing scarcity of food resources —especially in countries with limited natural resources, particularly water — policymakers have turned to solutions such as overseas farming to ensure food security. In this regard, Iran has also introduced a regulatory framework through the “Bylaw on Overseas Farming” enacted in ۲۰۱۶, aimed at encouraging domestic investors to engage in agricultural activities in host countries. At the international level, documents such as the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (RAI Principles, ۲۰۱۴) adopted by the UN Committee on World Food Security, and the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT, ۲۰۱۲), emphasize that overseas farming contracts must serve to promote food security, public health, human rights, and environmental sustainability. This study, using a descriptive-analytical approach and focusing on the concepts of the right to health and the right to food, examines the legal challenges and capacities of overseas farming contracts within the framework of existing international instruments. The findings show that disregard for food security, the rights of local communities, and the environmental and health-related consequences —coupled with prioritizing the interests of investors — not only contradict the above-mentioned principles but also violate the Charter of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and established standards on the right to health. It is therefore recommended that the international community take effective steps to regulate overseas farming contracts by developing binding legal mechanisms centered on the right to food and the right to health.

کلیدواژه ها:

Overseas farming ، Right to health ، Food security ، Right to food ، International contracts