Food Security and Sustainability in India
Food Security and Sustainability in India
Food Security and Sustainability in India
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1. Introduction
An alarming problem in India today is food inflation amidst growing demands. 1 Production of
food is growing in case of few items and in case of others the growth has stagnated. The National
Development Council (NDC) in its 53 meeting recently adopted a resolution to enhance the
production of rice, wheat and pulses by 10, 8 and 2 MT respectively by 2011. The country
should reach these targets soon and the operationalisation of the proposed National Food
Security Mission (NFSM) is expected to deliver the goods. Two things are significant in the
context of food security: ensuring availability, affordability and accessibility of adequate food to
people throughout the country; and promoting entrepreneurship for sustainable food production
and supply. This paper is an attempt to look at the food security problem with emphasis on the
aspects of poverty and sustainability. Part II of the paper deals with the dimensions of food
security. In part III we discuss the strategies of food security. Part IV is the conclusion of the
paper.
Food security happens when all people at all times have access to enough food that...
is affordable, safe and healthy
is culturally acceptable
meets specific dietary needs
is obtained in a dignified manner for all
is produced in ways that are environmentally sound and socially just
Food security is a set of security, system and sovereignty. The food system includes...
everyone who grows or catches food (farmers, fishers, and hunters
earth, air, water, energy (the physical environment)
food processors, packagers, distributors, marketers, and advertisers (food industry?)
food wholesalers and the warehouses where food is stored
the transportation system: trucks, planes, boats, trains
places that sell food: grocery stores, markets, bakeries, farm stands, co-ops, restaurants
places where food is served: hospitals, nursing homes
governments, policies, taxes (the political and economic environment)
the health care system, the workforce, schools, technology (the social, educational and
cultural environment)
everyone who eats!
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India faces ironies as extreme as its diversities. For a paradox in food front see, C.H. Hanumantha Rao,
Agriculture, Food Security, Poverty and Environment, Oxford University Press, 2006.
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The food sovereignty is …
the right of people and communities to safe, nutritious, culturally appropriate food, to
food-producing resources, and to the ability to sustain themselves
the right of peoples and communities to define their own agricultural, labour, fishing,
food and land policies which are ecologically, socially, economically and culturally
appropriate to their unique circumstances.
We may now juxtapose food security and insecurity:
They get fair and stable income for their Their work and income levels are volatile
efforts
Food is produced in a way that is Health of the farmers and the consumers is at
safe/healthy for the people and environment stake (pollution, adulteration etc)
Food and nutrition are in-built to the system Unhealthy (junk) food has become a fashion
(passion?) – bad food vs. good food ala
Gresham‟s Law
Food distribution network is strong There are no farms or grocery stores nearby;
Local, regional and community food our food travels long distance to reach us
production is supported and coordinated
Social justice and inclusion are priorities Disparities and deprivation
Availability-Accessibility-Affordability Healthy foods cost more than the unhealthy
foods (food inflation)
All people are empowered to work together Food economy is under developed.
to create positive change in the food system Empowerment is wanting
and our communities
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Food grains stock is around 62 MT, annual requirement is about 20 MT, but over 200
million people are underfed
Food insecurity is also with disparity Calorie consumption of the bottom 30% of
population has remained low (1626 kilocalories); top 30% consumes 2400 kcal
More than 50% of children below 6 years and more than 30% of women are
malnourished
Growth rate in agriculture has fallen from about 6% in 1992-93 to less than 3% in 2006-
07. Last year it was 0.2%
Investment in agriculture fell from about 2% in 1990-91 to 1.7% in 2004-05
Annual employment growth rate in rural areas declined from 2.07% in 1987-1994 to
0.66% in 1993-2000 (a period of liberalisation!)
Fifty per cent of the food is lost between the farm and the table
Obesity is problem in India too – junk food, food-nutrition food-exercise imbalance etc
Climate change is a serious threat: agriculture is not only a victim but also a contributor
Famine, desertification are also threats
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Agri-entrepreneurship should be developed as a subset of social entrepreneurship
(e.g. collaborative farming), with environment-enterprise nexus that generates and
manages natural, material social capital, well
Economic and political actions should be pro-farmer, pro-nature, and pro-democratic
Synchronising technological reforms (e. cleaner and affordable technologies) with
institutional reforms
Hundred per cent financial inclusion should achieved: remove agrarian distress and
help risk mitigation – on farm and off farm, including graduating from micro
financing to macro financing – with emphasis on accessibility of intermediation
The country needs healthy doses of de-bureaucratisation and de-politicisation
Good Governance for food management, with increasing interest/initiatives by the
Civil Society for better production, management, delivery and research
Combination of gene revolution-gram (village)-revolution-green revolution
Scoping financial inclusion to capture accessibility meaningfully – solving poverty to
solve insecurity, finding new areas of operation for the Self Help groups (SHGs)
Developing comprehensive indices of food security and livelihood security (the latter
ranging from production to procurement to entitlement).
Understanding that developmental policy-making is can never be independent and
isolated – theoretically and practically. It is inter disciplinary and inter-related with
various social, ecological and developmental variables that are relevant and
sustainable for the economy in general and food security in particular.
V. Conclusion
Food security should be achieved at the individual, household, district, national and global
levels. India needs an Integrated Farming System (IFS) approach to take Indian agriculture to the
next orbit. There challenges other than environmental to tackle: Agri-infrastructure, Revitalising
PDS, MSP Policy, Subsidy Issue, SEZs, Packaged (processed?) food versus productive (healthy)
food, Ethnic Influences, etc. The average Indian farmer should be empowered – be able to
„decide‟, „develop‟ and „determine‟ options, plans and strategies like any other entrepreneur,
without of course any gender bias. Dignity of the farmer should not be compromised in any
strategy of food security. Government‟s proposed food security bill is getting delayed. Private-
Public Partnership is being initiated in some places as a viable model. All the stakeholders in
food security must have their task cut out – define goals, establish coordination.
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