ABSTRACT
The notion of governance in food security matters is a complex one and one that has tendrils going back centuries. Governance can be thought of as responsibility, guidance and oversight. In this sense, modern notions of governance have evolved from an eclectic mix of social accountability, political ideology, economic development paradigms as well as the many more subtle moral and ethical in¡uences. This was highlighted in Part Two with a look at the many multifarious trains of thought and their indelible criss-crossing paths that culminated in many international agreements and instruments of peace and social rights. In Part Three, the notion of multilateral governance properly evolved and with the advent of World War One, food was seen as a right in many quarters. This was further entrenched with the advent of the League of Nations where the idea of food security took on a global remit. However, the League ultimately dwindled in in¡uence and was eventually replaced after World War Two with the creation of the United Nations. This period saw three UN agencies the FAO, WHO and UNICEF given the mandates to tackle the growing problem of hunger and malnutrition. Initially though it was a difficult time politically, in so much as sovereign nations seemed uncomfortable with the notion of an international organisation beyond the control of national governments. Yet despite such circumspection, prudence reigned and the UN eventually received wide acceptance (Williams 2005). The FAO itself was born out the conference at Hot Springs in 1943 and on creation, it held its first session in Quebec City, which finally cemented the organisation as a specialised United Nations agency headed by Sir John Boyd Orr in 1945 (FAO 1946; Phillips 1981; FAO 2010). Since then the FAO has had more to do with the in¡uence of the food security debate than any other agency or government (Shaw 2007).
