Shifting Perspectives: The Evolution of Food Security in the 1970s

In the 1970s, food security was primarily about the “availability at all times of adequate supply of basic foodstuffs.” However, Amartya Sen introduced a new dimension by emphasizing “access” to food through entitlements, which include what one can produce, exchange in the market, and state or socially-provided supplies. 

This led to a significant shift in the understanding of food security. 

Evolution of Food Security: A Revised Perspective and Dimensions

• Revised Definition of Food Security: 
  • The 1995 World Food Summit redefined food security as the condition where all individuals, households, regions, nations, and the world have both physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and preferences for an active and healthy life.
  • It also acknowledged that poverty eradication is crucial for improving access to food.
• Dimensions of Food Security: Food security encompasses several dimensions, including availability, accessibility, and affordability of food.
  • Availability: It refers to the presence of an adequate food supply within the country, including imports and government-held stock.
  • Accessibility: It means that food is within reach of every individual.
  • Affordability: It implies that individuals have enough money to purchase sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs.

Role of Food Security: Safeguarding Against Calamities, Poverty, and Famine

• Food Security and Emergency Preparedness:
  • Food security is crucial to ensure that all individuals have access to food at all times, including during calamities and disasters.
  • Natural disasters, pandemics, and economic crises can disrupt food availability, leading to price increases and food insecurity.
• Role in Poverty Eradication and Famine Prevention: 
  • Food security is vital for poverty eradication and preventing situations of famine, where widespread starvation and death occur.
  • A Famine is characterised by widespread deaths due to starvation and epidemics caused by forced use of contaminated water or decaying food and loss of body resistance due to weakening from starvation.
  • The most devastating famine that occurred in India was the Famine of Bengal in 1943. 
    • This famine killed thirty lakh people in the province of Bengal (the most affected were agricultural labourers, fishermen, transport workers, and other casual labourers).
• Pandemic Effects on Food Security: 
  • Pandemic like the COVID-19 had an adverse impact on food security. 
  • Restriction on the movement of people and goods and services impacted economic activity, hampering accessibility, availability, and affordability of food to greater extent. 

Groups at Risk: Understanding Those Facing Food Insecurity in India

• Vulnerable Groups at a Disadvantage: A large section of people suffer from food and nutrition insecurity in India, the worst affected groups are known as vulnerable groups which are at a disadvantage.
• Composition of Vulnerable Groups:
  • Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and some lower-caste groups among Other Backward Classes (OBCs) who have either poor land-base or very low land productivity are also at risk.
  • People affected by natural disasters and those who migrate in search of work are highly food insecure.
  • It includes landless people, traditional artisans, petty self-employed workers, the destitute, and those engaged in low-wage, seasonal labour.
  • In the urban areas, the food insecure families are those whose working members are generally employed in ill-paid occupations and the casual labour market.
  • Pregnant and nursing mothers, as well as children under 5 years old, face a higher risk of malnutrition (According to the National Health and Family Survey (NHFS) 1998–99, the number of such women and children is approximately 11 crore). 

Regional Disparities and Food insecurity

• Mapping Vulnerability: Certain regions of India, such as economically backward states, tribal areas, and disaster-prone regions, have a higher concentration of food-insecure individuals.
• Examples: States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra have a significant number of food insecure people.

Percentage of Households with Hunger in India

Hunger and Food Insecurity

• Relationship Between Hunger and Poverty: Hunger is both a consequence of poverty and a contributor to poverty.
• Types of Food Insecurity: 
  • Chronic: It is caused due to persistent inadequate diets  in terms of quantity and/or quality.
    • Poor people suffer from chronic hunger because of their very low income band in turn inability to buy food even for survival.
  • Seasonal:  Seasonal hunger is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting.
    • In Rural areas, it is caused due to the cyclic nature of agricultural activities.
    • In Urban areas with casual labour.
  • Refer Table to understand the percentage of Households with seasonal and chronic hunger in India.
• A Positive Trend in Reducing Hunger:  India has seen a decline in both chronic and seasonal hunger over the years.

Measures to Ensure Food Security in India

Green Revolution and Self-Sufficiency

• Quest for Food Security: India has pursued self-sufficiency in food grains since Independence.
• Sowing Success: The “Green Revolution” in agriculture, especially in wheat and rice production, has contributed significantly to food security.
  • Wheat and rice production saw substantial growth, with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh leading in production.
  • Total foodgrain production increased from 252.22 million tonnes in 2015–16 to 275.68 million tonnes in 2016–17.
  • States like West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh excelled in rice production, while wheat production was significant in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Buffer Stock in India: Stabilizing Food Security Through Procurement, MSP, and Strategic Distribution

• Ensuring Stability: Buffer Stock is a reserve of foodgrains, wheat, and rice, procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI). 
• Procurement: The FCI purchases wheat and rice from the farmers in states where there is surplus production (Refer Graph: Production of Foodgrains in India (Million Tonnes)).
• Minimum Support Price: Farmers are paid a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops, and the purchased food grains are stored in granaries. 
• Purpose of Buffer Stock and  Issue Price: The purpose of creating a buffer stock is to distribute food grains in deficit areas and among the poorer sections of society at a price lower than the market price (also known as Issue Price) during adverse conditions or calamities.

Production of Foodgrains in India (Million Tonnes)

India’s Food Security Landscape: A Historical Perspective on Rationing & Intervention Programs

• • Origin: Rationing in India dates back to the 1940s, particularly in response to the Bengal famine.
    • The rationing system was revived in the 1960s before the Green Revolution due to food shortages.
  • Food Intervention Programs: 
    • The Public Distribution System (PDS), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and Food-for-Work (FFW) were introduced in the 1970s.
    • These programmes enhance food security.
  • Poverty Alleviation Programs (PAPs): 
    • These programs have evolved and expanded over the years especially in rural areas.
    • These programmes also have explicit food components, most of the PAPs also enhance food security. 

• Example: Food-for -Work programme launched in 1975.

• Employment Programs: 
  • These programmes also contribute to food security by increasing the income of the poor.
  • Example: Rural wage employment programme and Sampurna Grameen Rojgar Yojana

Public Distribution System: Fair Price Shops and Access to Essential Commodities

• Definition: The PDS is a system through which the FCI distributes food procured from farmers among the poorer sections of society.
• Fair Price Shops: 
  • These are also known as Ration shops, are present in most localities, villages, towns, and cities, totaling about 5.5 lakh shops nationwide.
  • Ration shops sell food grains, sugar, and kerosene at prices lower than the market rate.
• Access to Essential Commodities: Families with ration cards can purchase a specified quantity of these items every month from nearby ration shops.

Current Status of the Public Distribution System

• Targeted Approaches for Food Security: 
  • PDS is a crucial government initiative for ensuring food security in India.
  • Over the years, the PDS policy has evolved to make it more efficient and targeted.
• Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS): It was introduced in 1992 to provide benefits to remote and backward areas.
• Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS): Started in  June 1997 which aimed to target the poor in all areas with a differential price policy.
• Two Special Schemes: In 2000, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Annapurna Scheme (APS), were launched to target the poorest of the poor and indigent senior citizens
• Role of PDS: 
  • The PDS has effectively stabilised prices, ensured affordable food availability, and averted hunger and famine.
  • It has contributed to increased food grain production and provided income security to farmers in certain regions.
• Refer Table to understand some important features of PDS.

Some Important Features of PDS

Challenges in Indian Food Distribution: Wastages, Environmental Shifts, and Systemic Flaws

Despite overflowing granaries, instances of hunger persist in India.

• Surplus Stock and Wastages:
  • Food Corporation of India’s godowns often have surplus grains, some of which rot or are damaged.
  • High levels of buffer stocks are deemed wasteful due to storage costs and grain quality deterioration.
• Shifts in Crop Production: The increase in MSP for food grains has led to shifts in crop production, resulting in environmental degradation and sustainability concerns.
• Decline in Consumption of Food Crops: There is a decline in per capita consumption of rice and wheat in both rural and urban India.
• Challenges and Malpractices in PDS: Public Distribution System dealers sometimes engage in malpractices, such as diverting grains to the open market, selling poor-quality grains, or irregularly opening shops.
• The introduction of different price levels for ration cards has reduced incentives for above-poverty-line (APL) families to purchase items from ration shops, as their prices are close to open market prices.

Role of Cooperatives in Food Security

• The Crucial Role of Cooperatives: Cooperatives play a significant role in ensuring food security in India, particularly in the southern and western regions.
  • Cooperative societies establish shops to provide affordable goods to low-income individuals.
  • In Tamil Nadu, approximately 94 percent of fair-price shops are operated by cooperatives.
  • Delhi’s Mother Dairy offers milk and vegetables at controlled prices determined by the Delhi government, contributing to food security.
  • Amul, a cooperative from Gujarat, has made significant strides in milk and milk product distribution, sparking the White Revolution in India.
• Innovative Solutions for Food Security: Maharashtra’s Academy of Development Science (ADS) has facilitated the establishment of grain banks through a network of NGOs.
  • ADS conducts training and capacity-building programs on food security for NGOs.
  • Grain banks are emerging in various parts of Maharashtra, thanks to ADS’s efforts.
  • The ADS Grain Bank program is recognized as a successful and innovative food security intervention.

Conclusion
India’s strides in food security, from the Green Revolution to innovative cooperatives, underscore its commitment to overcoming challenges and ensuring sustained access to nutrition for all. Despite challenges, cooperatives and innovative solutions play a vital role in ensuring sustained access to food, reinforcing the nation’s commitment to addressing hunger and malnutrition.