According to World Bank Report, Approximately 9.2% of the world’s population faced hunger in 2022, compared with 7.9% in 2019.
Moderate or severe food insecurity affected 29.6% of the global polulation in 2022, with 11.3% being severely food insecure.
News jungal desk: Food security has been a long standing concern for India, given it;s large population and limited resources.India’s vulnerability to climate change, it’s dependence on food imports and the growing threat of food related conflicts have raised alarm bells about country’s food security.
A lack of food security can contribute to a variety of threats to national security, such as civil unrest,political instability and conflicts.In this context it becomes crucial to exlpore the connection between food security and national security in India.
Some of the Causes of Food Insecurity:
Russia-Ukraine War: Russia-Ukraine War has disrupted the global food supply chain.The global food crisis has been partially made worse by increasing food trade restrictions imposed by countries with a motive of increasing domestic supply and reducing prices.
Domestic Inflation: Domestic food inflation in many countries have aggravated food insecurity crisis in the world, such as India has imposed a ban on wheat and rice export to support it’s domestic population.
Climate and Weather Extremes: Climate change has affected the availabilty and quality of water, land and biodiversity, which are essential for food production.
It has also altered weather patterns and intensity of pests, diseases and natural disasters, which has reduced crop yield and livestock productivity.
Climate change has also increased the volatility of food prices and reduced the purchasing power of vulnerable households.
Economic Slowdowns and Downturns: They have reduced the income and employment opportunities of poor and maginalized people, who have spent large share of their income on food.
Economic shocks have also affected the supply and demand of food, leading to higher food prices and lower food quality.
Economic crises have also undermined the provision of public services and social protection, which are cricial for food security and nutrition.
Why is the Food Security Crucial?
Health and Nutrition: Food security improves the health and well being of individuals by preventing malnutrition and associated health problems, such as stunting, wasting, cognitive impairment.
Malnutrition is responsible for the death of 3.1 million children a year, nearly half of all deaths in children under age 5.
Economic Stability: Food security enhances the economic stability of the individuals and nations by enabling them to be more productive, generate income and participate in trade activities, on the other hand food insecurity can reduce productivity and cause economic instability.
Reduced Poverty: Food security contributes to poverty reduction by allowing people to afford and access healthy and nutritious food and invest in other essential needs, such as education and health care.It enables them to escape the poverty cycle.
World Bank Report estimated that the global cost of undernutrition in terms of lost productivity and human capital was $3.5 trillion per year.
Social Stability: Food security promotes social stability by preventing food related conflicts, violence and migrations.
Food insecurity can spark social unrest and instability due to food shortages, price hikes and unequal access.
United Nations Report found that food insecurity was a key factor in 58% of the conflicts that occured between 2017 and 2019.
Environment Sustainability: Food security supports environmental sustainability by encouraging the climate resilient agricultural practices that conserve natural resources, protect biodiversity and mitigate climate change. Unsustainable agricultural practices can damage the environment and threaten food security.
National Security: Food security strengthens national security by ensuring a reliable food supply that is not dependent on external factors,such as global food prices or supply chain disruptions.
Food insecurity can make nations vulnerable to these factors and compromise their sovereignty.
Human Dignity and Equity: Food security respects human dignity and equity by recognizing food as a basic human right that should be accessible to all people regardless of their socioeconomic status or geographical location.
Food insecurity can violate this human right and create disparities among people.
Resilience to crises: Food security builds resilience to various crises, such as natural disasters, economic downturns and pandemicsby providing adequate food reserves and distribution systems that can cope with these challenges.
Food insecurity can exacerbate the impact of these crises and hinder recovery.
Distribution of free food grains to poor and vulnerable during Covid-19 lockdowns is an excellent example of it.
Sustainable Development: Food security advances sustainable goal no.2 Zeo Hunger and also supports other realted goals such as, poverty reduction, better gealth, gender equality and environmental sustainability.These goals are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.
Government Measures that have been taken to Ensure Food Security:
National Food Security Act 2013: It ensures access to affordable and good quality food by subsidizing food grains to those below the poverty line.
e-NAM(National Agriculture Market) platform: It is an online market place for farmers to trade their products without geographical boundaries.
National Food Processing MIssion: It promotes agri-based industries for efficient use of farm produce and reduce post harvest losses.
Other Policies:
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana(PMFBY)
National Horticulture Mission
What should be the Way Forward?
Prioritizing Agricultural Development: The government should prioritize agricultural development by investing in improved market infrastructure, efficient transporatation networks and better storage facilities for food products.
The government should develop adequate storage facilities to prevent post harvest losses and ensure the availability of food throughout the year.
The government should invest in transportation networks for timely distribution of food product across the country.
Increase Investment: India spends only .48% of Agri GDP on agricultural research and development.This needs to be doubled.
Encouraging research in biofortification and disseminating information on fortified crop varieties to farmer is a key in achieving nutritional security.
ICAR scientists have demonstrated that even basic staple crops , such as wheat, rice, maize and millet can be bio-fortified with enhanced iron,zinc and anti-oxidants.
Re-designing Agri-policies: India needs to re-design its agri policies to be more environmentally sustainable that preserve soil health and reduce the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers and align with nutrutious food system.
Current policies of open ended and assured procurement with MSP(minimum support price) for paddy, wheat, coupled with massive subsidies on fertilizers, power and irrigation have caused damage to our natural resources, especially air, water, soil and biodiversity.
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