UN Experts Warn of Corporate Domination Threatening Global Food Security

In a stark warning to the international community, United Nations human rights experts have sounded the alarm over the growing concentration of corporate power in global food and agriculture, warning that a handful of transnational corporations now control vast segments of the world's agricultural production, input markets, and food supply chains. This unprecedented consolidation, they said, is undermining the autonomy of small-scale farmers, deepening inequality, and eroding the ecological foundations of global food systems.

The warning came in reports presented to the UN General Assembly by the Working Group on Peasants and Rural Workers and the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, both of whom cautioned that the dominance of industrial agribusiness poses a direct threat to food security, human rights, and rural livelihoods worldwide.

A Concentration of Power Undermining Food Sovereignty

The experts described a troubling reality in which corporate agribusiness and global investors are reshaping the world's food systems through the monopolisation of land, seeds, and agricultural inputs, as well as control over global trade and pricing mechanisms.

"Peasants and small-scale farmers feed the majority of the world's population with healthy and diverse food, yet they are increasingly marginalised and dispossessed by the expansion of corporate-driven food systems," the experts stated. "The current model of agribusiness, supported by powerful States, prioritises profit over people and the planet — this must change."

According to their findings, large-scale land acquisitions, the privatisation of seed banks, speculation in food commodities, and exploitative contract farming have entrenched systems of dependence that deprive rural producers of fair returns and decision-making power.

The experts also expressed concern about the corporate capture of global and national food policy spaces, noting that many decision-making platforms intended for peasant participation are now heavily influenced or dominated by agribusiness interests. This shift, they said, marginalises rural voices and undermines democratic governance in food systems.

The Digital Frontier: New Tools of Corporate Control

A growing area of concern, the experts said, is the digitalisation of agriculture — once hailed as a pathway to efficiency and sustainability but increasingly used to extend corporate control through the capture and commodification of agricultural data.

The use of digital platforms, precision technologies, and data-driven services often locks farmers into proprietary ecosystems, where multinational companies control access to digital tools, data analytics, and even crop information. This trend, combined with the climate crisis, has further jeopardised food sovereignty and the right to food for millions of rural people.

"Data governance must protect farmers' rights, knowledge, and autonomy," the experts urged. "Without equitable access and control over agricultural data, digitalisation risks becoming another tool for exploitation."

Implementing UNDROP: From Commitments to Accountability

The experts reaffirmed that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) provides a crucial legal foundation to redress systemic injustices faced by peasants, pastoralists, fisherfolk, and rural workers.

They emphasized that States have a binding obligation to regulate corporate activity, prevent human rights abuses, and ensure victims' access to justice. However, most countries have relied on voluntary commitments and corporate self-regulation, which have consistently failed to prevent land grabs, environmental degradation, and labour exploitation.

"Voluntary commitments are not enough," the experts said. "The rights enshrined in UNDROP — including those to land, seeds, biodiversity, and participation — must be implemented through binding legislation and robust accountability mechanisms."

Despite repeated reports of corporate misconduct, including toxic exposure, wage theft, and forced evictions, peasants and rural workers continue to face significant barriers in seeking justice or redress.

A Call for a Binding Treaty to End Corporate Impunity

In a decisive appeal ahead of the next session of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights, the experts called on UN Member States to accelerate the negotiation of a legally binding treaty to regulate corporate behaviour and close the global accountability gap.

"A binding treaty is essential to rebalance power in our food systems," they said. "Without enforceable obligations, corporate impunity will continue to erode human rights and the planet's capacity to feed itself sustainably."

The proposed treaty would establish clear mechanisms for corporate accountability, victim compensation, and cross-border cooperation to address abuses linked to global agribusiness and supply chains. It would also strengthen the capacity of States — especially in the Global South — to protect small-scale producers from exploitative foreign investments.

Putting Small Farmers and Workers at the Center

The UN experts urged all governments, private sector actors, and international organizations to reorient food policies around small-scale farmers, fisherfolk, pastoralists, and rural workers, emphasizing their indispensable role in sustaining biodiversity, cultural heritage, and food security.

"Food is not a commodity — it is a human right," they said. "We must act now to ensure that those who feed the world can live and work with dignity, free from exploitation and fear."

They further called for redistributive policies that secure land tenure, protect indigenous knowledge, support agroecology, and ensure equitable access to finance and markets.

A Turning Point for Global Food Governance

The reports underscore a pivotal moment for global food systems governance. As the climate crisis intensifies and rural poverty persists, experts say the world faces a choice: continue down a path dominated by corporate monopolies and ecological collapse, or build democratic, resilient, and equitable food systems rooted in human rights and environmental justice.

If States heed the UN's call for binding regulation, the outcome could reshape the global food economy — placing power back in the hands of the communities that have nourished humanity for generations.