Water and ethics in food production and provision—How to ensure water and food security and equity into the 21st century?

ABSTRACT: Water and ethics, especially its relation to food production and food security, is a relatively new topic that deserves more attention than hitherto given. For over a generation now, mankind has been struggling to feed the world’s population. Though overall we have managed to keep apacewith the rising demand, production increases are still needed and distribution distortions persist. This chapter contributes to the ethical debate on how to address the on-going quest for safe and adequate food production and provision, especially in the developing and emerging economies of the South, from a critical perspective of the North. The key message is that responsibility for ensuring food security in these countries, while not undermining the natural and environmental basis for it, has to be shared among multiple stakeholders and partners. Developed countries continue to have a huge influence on the conditions for water allocation, agricultural development, and food production and trade, through development assistance, international agro-and food business corporations, international food trade agreements, food consumption patterns, etc. All these areas should be governed by very high professional and ethical standards, so that developed countries become role models for less developed countries and thus pave the way for a just and sustainable world.