Context: Overflowing granaries give us the smug satisfaction of having solved the food security problem but the question is how best to support farmers such that India may become nutrition self-reliant.
India’s Approach to food security
First Generation Approach to Food Security:

• Traditionally, India’s approach to food security was based on the ‘availability’ dimension of food security- looking at only the quantitative aspect. Policies and programmes were designed to ensure “self-sufficiency” in food grains.
• The Green revolution which was launched after two consecutive droughts in mid 1960s increased the production of food grains (mostly rice and wheat) by providing farmers an improved technology package consisting of high yielding seed varieties, modern farm inputs and credit, and assurance of a remunerative and fixed price
• The Green revolution though positively impacted the macro-level food security, had insignificant impact on ensuring access to food and hunger and malnutrition persisted.

Second Generation Approach to Food Security:

• Since 1980’s there was an increasing acknowledgement that physical and financial access to food had a determining role in achieving food security in the country. The approach shifted from food production to access to food and from charity to a rights-based approach.
• The enacted of National Food Security Act, 2013 marked a shift in the right to food as a legal right rather than a general entitlement.

Eight-fold steps to achieve Nutritional Self-reliance

• Firstly, it is important to forecast nutrition requirement for the year 2050.
• Secondly, agroecological zones and the changing climate should be taken into account and accordingly, the government should draw area production plans for animal husbandry and crop production.
• Thirdly, based on these area production plans, identified crops and practices should be incentivised. The government should incentivise a risk and price support strategy for such crops and the farmers should be given the freedom to what they want to grow.
• Fourthly, the farm input (fertiliser, power etc) subsidy regime that incentivises production should shift to one of payment for environmentally sustainable agriculture practices such as intercropping, rainwater harvesting etc,
• Fifthly, the government should formulate a strategy to secure farmers’ interests and not only focus on providing cheap food to consumers.
• Sixthly, the government should invest in a robust market intelligence system to deal with production and abrupt price fluctuations. The system should also provide regular farm advisories to farmers
• Seventhly, the government needs to invest more in agriculture R&D. There should be collaboration with the private sector and extensive use of digital technologies.
• Lastly, there should be a twenty-year awareness campaign across India to inculcate healthier eating habits.

Road Ahead

• The major strength of the Indian food security system has been in achieving self-sufficiency in the production of cereals and public distribution system. However, it’s high time that India focuses on a ‘third generation’ approach towards nutritional self-reliance given India’s increased vulnerability to climate change.