THE CONTEXT: 2023 theme for the World Food Day is “Water is Life. Water is Food”. In this context, it needs to be assessed how far India has progressed in achieving food security and using its water resources in agriculture.
WORLD FOOD DAY
- October 16 is observed as World Food Day to mark the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 1945.
- Its main purpose was to ensure food and nutrition security around the world in the aftermath of World War II.
STATUS OF FOOD SECURITY IN INDIA
- Food security has three dimensions: i) Availability, ii) Accessibility iii)Affordability. Thus, Food security is ensured in a country only when sufficient food is available for everyone if everyone has the means to purchase food of acceptable quality, and if there are no barriers to access.
- India has come a long way in achieving food security from a time of “ship to mouth” in mid 1960s to being top exporter of foodgrains in current times. For example, only in the last three years, 2020-21 to 2022-23, India exported 85 million tonnes (MT) of cereals, mainly rice, wheat and corn.
- From the green and white revolution, India has also now ushered in a pink (poultry) and blue (fishery) revolution to achieve food security.
CURRENT FRAMEWORK FOR FOOD SECURITY IN INDIA
- Constitutional Provisions: Right to food can be covered in fundamental right to life enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution.
- Public Distribution System and Buffer Stock: Public Distribution System has become an important part of Government’s policy for management of the food economy in the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has the responsibility of procuring the food grains at minimum support price (MSP) and maintaining buffer stock.
- National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA): It marks a paradigm shift in the approach to food security from welfare to rights based approach.
HOW IS INDIA USING ITS WATER RESOURCES IN AGRICULTURE?
- While India is home to almost 18% of the world’s population, it has only 4% of global freshwater resources. Much of this water is used in agriculture. While FAO puts this figure at 90%, the Indian Central Water Commission says it is 78%.
- Groundwater contributes about 64 per cent, canals 23 per cent, tanks 2 per cent and other sources 11 per cent to irrigation.
- Climate change is likely to increase pressure on water resources, even as the frequency and intensity of floods and droughts in the country increases.
ISSUES IN FOOD SECURITY
- Disappointing data: India ranked 111th out of 121 countries in the 2023 edition of the Global Hunger Index (GHI). According to the latest National Family Health Survey, almost 16.6% of India’s population is malnourished, 35% of its children below the age of five years are stunted and 32% are underweight. In this respect, India will not be able to achieve its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of zero hunger (including malnutrition) by 2030.
- Not enough investment: India has not succeeded in attracting private sector investments in reservoirs and canal networks. The government lacks fund to invest after food and fertilizer subsidies costing more than Rs 4 lakh crores. Under such a scenario, Indian agriculture remains a risky venture in the wake of climate change.
- Inefficiency in the use of water in agriculture: There are inefficiencies in the allocation and use of water in agriculture, which is another concern for food security.
THE WAY FORWARD
- Switching to less water intensive crops: To ensure food security with respect to climate change requires rewarding farmers to switch from irrigation-heavy crops like paddy and sugarcane to less water-intensive crops like millets, pulses and oilseeds. As there is a need of both producing more food along with saving water.
- Increase investment: There is a need to increase investment in agriculture infrastructure for sustainable practices by engaging private sector participation and ensuring political will.
- Sustainable use of water: India needs to adopt a two-pronged strategy with respect to water in agriculture. First, on the supply side, it must augment buffer stocking of water during the monsoon season in its reservoirs, and recharge groundwater through check dams and watersheds, etc. Second, it must work on the demand side to ensure more rational allocation and efficient use of water across crops.
THE CONCLUSION: To minimise the climate risk to ensure food security in India, there is a need for a paradigm shift in our thinking. For this there is a need of revamping of policies, farm practices, and products, keeping water at the centre of agriculture.
PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION
Q. In what way could replacement of price subsidy with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India? Discuss. (2015)
MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION
Q.1 Despite several measures taken by the government, there are challenges for food security in the Indian context. Suggest measures that need to be taken to tackle these challenges.
Q.2 What are the legal provisions of food security in India? How far these measures have been successful in ensuring food security in India?
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