Sustainbale Food system for Food security and Nutrition

         The title is the theme of recently celebrated foundation day of FAO as world food day. Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secured when its occupants do not live in fear of hunger or starvation. According to WHO there are three facet of food security :

• food availability: having sufficient quantity of food on a consistent basis.
• food access:having sufficient resource both economic and physical to obtain appropriate        nutritious diet
• food use:appropriate use of food resource based on knowledge of basic nutrition and care.

         The FAO adds the fourth facet :the stability of the first three dimension of food security over time.In fact food security is prerequisite for the economical,social and political stability of a nation. sustainable food security requires a stable supply of food with robust agricultural growth and properly functioning agricultural sector.

          India faces a unique development paradox of being in the front ranks of fast growing global economies, with 25 % of world's hungry poor.Nutrition is crucial for fulfillment of basic human rights and forms the foundation for meaningful human existence on which parapet of growth can be firmly established. Though I reserve the argument of ,which approach should be utilized to meet the all three facet of food security,but we all agree about the desired end results. India faces a sever challenge of malnutrition ,anemia among women.

          

         Agricultural growth is very imp. for for our economic development and food security.The experience from brics countries indicate that a one percentage growth in agriculture is at least two to three time more effective in reducing poverty then same growth emanating from other non agricultural sector. Over the years with concerted efforts India has emerged as a leading producer of some cereals and animal product .With the help of RKVY, NFSM , development of infrastructural facilities for production and distribution of quality seed, NHM ,Rainfed area development program ,ISOPOM, and many more ,India has bolstered the farm produce. In order to provide food and nutritional security to the people by ensuring availability of food at affordable prices,govt. has enacted national food security act with following salient feature:

• Upto 75% of the rural population and 50% of urban population will have uniform entitlement of 5kg food grains per month at highly subsidized price of RS 3,2,1for rice ,wheat coarse grains respectively.
• 81 crore people or 67 % of the population will be entitle to these service through PDS. Presently only AAY families or 32.5 crore people are entitle to this.
• poorest of the poor will be getting 35 Kg under AAY only.
• Central govt. will provide assistance in intra state transportation of grains ,handling of food grain and FPS dealer margin.Also provide funds to the state in short supply of food grains.
• For effective implementation ICT will b used at each level.
• Also provision for nutritional meal as per prescribed norms for pregnant or lactating women{addition to atleast Rs 6000 as maternity benefit}

  Hoping  that this mega project will strengthen the food security of the poor and will not have the same fate as that of other scheme or act passed in the name of social welfare program .The conundrum that lies with the schemes launched earlier or now is that all having same approach of top down vertical approach but the fact is with such demography india can not apply the approach of west in east .It has to seek solution from east itself such as narrow down approach which is successfully implemented in china. At last a food secure nation can only be economically ,socially and politically stable.