Food and nutrition security exists when all people at all times have physical, social and economic access to food, which is consumed in sufficient quantity and quality to meet their dietary needs and food preferences, and is supported by an environment of adequate sanitation, health services and care, allowing for a healthy and active life. The current global scenario in terms of the food and nutritional security can be called as one of the worse when compared to the past. As populations all around the globe increase, this seems to get even worse. Adding to this, climatic aberrations, natural calamities, and global pandemic of Covid-19 seem to have exacerbated the existing problem of the food and nutrition security. This issue is prevalent in developing nations such as India, South Africa, and Pakistan etc. India ranked 94 out of 107 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2020. Poverty is the principal cause of global hunger. The unequal distribution of income and lack of resources in developing countries means that millions of people simply cannot afford the land or farming supplies they need to grow, or otherwise gain access to nutritious food. Hunger is defined not only as the unavailability of food rather it incorporates incomplete nourishment in the food that one eats too. Malnourishment accounts a key role in determining hunger index, along with Child wasting, Child stunting, and Child Mortality.
The problem of accessibility of food is being addressed by governments of all the nations by either increasing employment, giving rations to the needy and in various other ways. Let’s talk about the new initiative by the Government of India.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched the National Food and Nutrition Campaign for the farmers. The campaign has been launched with the vision of modernizing agriculture and introducing farmers to new technologies. In the event, the Union Minister appreciated the progress made till now but also stressed on preparing for the challenges lying ahead. An important announcement was made by the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Kailash Choudhary that the year 2023 will be celebrated as the International Year of Millets under the leadership of India. The campaign is organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
The Union Minister said that ICAR has been working on best suited crops and seeds for rainfed and other areas. He also highlighted the efforts being made to connect farmers with the new technologies. The campaign aims to focus on managing the abundance of production along with improving expertise. Food grain storage is a major area of concern in India as storage is the major cause of post-harvest losses for all kinds of food in India. The reason is lack of infrastructural capacity and use of traditional outdated methods of storage. India suffers the ‘paradox of plenty’ where there is enough to feed but a lot gets wasted before reaching the public. The Union Minister asked for the cooperation of farmers to ensure better quality and global standard products. The campaign has been launched with the vision of attracting farmers towards costly crops and attracting educated youth towards agriculture who can help make Indian agriculture also go environment-friendly.
Appreciating India’s achievements in the field of food grains and calling it a ‘matter of pride’, the Union Minister said India can be the number one producer of almost all commodities if the farmers and scientists work together. Through the campaign, the aim is to bring farmers closer to Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Agricultural Universities and agricultural extension programs run by the government so that they get to learn about new seeds and techniques.
It also aims to extend farmer’s participation in various schemes including Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO), Agri Infra Fund, etc, to increase the area of organic farming under traditional farming. The campaign also seeks the contribution of farmers associated with KVKs to motivate other farmers for improved farming.
It has been created to enhance the farmers’ competitiveness in the emerging market opportunities and to ensure them a better income through an organization of their own. The major operations of Farmers Producer Organization (FPO) include the supply of seed, machinery, market linkages & fertilizer, training, networking, financial and technical advice.
Under the scheme, banks and financial institutions provide Rs. One Lakh Crore as loans to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), Marketing Cooperative Societies, Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs), Self Help Group (SHG), Farmers, Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs, Startups, Aggregation Infrastructure Providers and Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored Public Private Partnership Project.
The campaign is set to work under the broad celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav for 75 weeks taking advantage of the festival for the progress of the country in every region and sector. Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Kailash Choudhary highlighted that the Government has resolved to solve the problem of malnutrition and has also launched several schemes and programs in this direction.
OTHER PROGRAMS ADDRESSING THE SAME ISSUE
Here are some of the Malnutrition Eradication Programmes:
- Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme.
- National Health Mission (NHM).
- Mid Day Meal Scheme.
- Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojna (IGMSY).
- National Nutrition policy 1993.
- Poshan Abhiyaan.