Food Security and Scientific Innovation in International Law Striking a Balance between Patent Rights on Plant Resources and Human Rights Protection

Innovation in the field of food security represents a key element in improving the availability and accessibility of food, particularly for the most vulnerable individuals and groups. However, the employment of innovation poses several legal challenges. At the international level, conflicts may arise between human rights norms, which advocate for economic and technological cooperation among States, and intellectual property rights norms (IPR), which impose limits on the use of inventions. This paper argues that the time is ripe to integrate food concerns into the field of IPR, to reconcile innovation and human rights in the fight against food insecurity.