iess204

Food Security Overview

Definition of Food Security:
- Food availability, accessibility, and affordability for all people at all times.
- Critical for vulnerable households during production or distribution issues.
Dimensions of Food Security:
- Availability: Includes domestic production, imports, and stored stock.
- Accessibility: Food should be reachable to every person.
- Affordability: Individuals must have enough income to buy sufficient nutritious food.
Conditions for Ensuring Food Security:
1. Sufficient food availability.
2. Capacity to purchase quality food.
3. Unrestricted access to food.

The poorest may experience chronic food insecurity, while those above poverty line can face it during national disasters.
Effects of Calamities:
- Natural disasters like droughts reduce production, leading to shortages and higher prices.
- Widespread calamities can result in famine characterized by starvation deaths.

1970s understanding of food security focused on availability of basic foodstuffs (UN, 1975).
Amartya Sen's concept of 'entitlements' introduced the importance of access to food through production and trade.
1995 World Food Summit redefined food security to include physical and economic access to safe and nutritious food.
Poverty eradication recognized as essential for improving access to food.

The Bengal Famine (1943) caused an estimated 3 million deaths, affecting particularly agricultural workers.
Food Availability Table (1938-1943): Notable decline in rice production correlated with famine conditions.
Epidemics from contaminated resources and starvation exacerbated the situation.

Famine-like conditions still exist in parts of India, with difficulties heightened during pandemics.
Food Insecure Populations:
- Landless individuals, unskilled laborers, and urban families in low-paying jobs are most affected.
- High rates of malnutrition among women and children under 5 years of age.
Regions at Risk: Economically backward states like Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, and Maharashtra show high food insecurity.

Chronic Hunger: Result of consistently inadequate diets due to poverty.
Seasonal Hunger: Related to agricultural cycles and often affects casual laborers.
Overall progress observed in reducing both types of hunger since the 1980s.

Green Revolution aimed for self-sufficiency in food grains, particularly wheat and rice.
Usage of Minimum Support Price (MSP) to incentivize production and stabilize farmers’ incomes.

Established to regulate food distribution to economically disadvantaged families.
Ration shops supply essential commodities at subsidized prices to those with ration cards.
Challenges include malpractices and irregular shop operations affecting accessibility.

Aims to provide food and nutritional security at affordable prices.
Coverage includes 75% of rural and 50% of urban populations with targeted schemes in place.
Significant features include differentiated pricing for below and above poverty line households.

Cooperatives provide essential goods at lower prices, notably in southern and western India.
Examples include Amul for dairy and Mother Dairy for vegetables.
Grassroots organizations like Academy of Development Science support food security initiatives through grain banks.

Food security signifies the intersection of availability, accessibility, and affordability of food for all individuals.
Vulnerable populations, including the poor and marginalized, disproportionately face food insecurity.
Government frameworks like the PDS and various poverty alleviation initiatives have been instituted to combat food insecurity and ensure all citizens receive adequate nutrition.