Food Security in India: Issues and Suggestions for Effectiveness

Attaining food security is a matter of prime importance for India where more than a-third of its population is estimated to be absolutely poor, and as many as one half of its children have suffered from malnourishment over the last three decades. Several important issues have emerged in the context of food security in India. These have been (a) the liberalization of the economy and its impact on agriculture and food security; (b) the establishment of the WTO and the agreement on Agriculture; (c) climate change and its impact on food production and prices; (d) the prevalence of hunger and poverty coexisting with high levels of food stocks; (e) the introduction of the targeted Public Distribution System (f) the „Right to Food? campaign; and (g) the National Food Security Bill. These important issues have posed severe challenges for food security in the country. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) states that food security emerges when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Food security has three important and closely related components, which are availability of food, access to food, and absorption of food. Food security is thus a multi-dimensional concept and extends beyond the production availability, and demand for food. There has been a definite and significant paradigm shift in the concept of food security from mere macro level availability and stability to micro level household food insecurity, and also from an assessment of energy intake to measures and indicators of malnutrition.