State of food insecurity

Context: Undernourishment has been a global challenge over the last few decades. This has been further highlighted by the state of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report released by the UN.
Key Findings of the SOFI report

• The prevalence of moderate to severe food insecurity in India rose by about 6.8 percentage points in 2018-20.
• In 2020, over 237 crore people were grappling with food insecurity globally, an increase of about 32 crores from 2019.
• In India, this happened despite the government having an unprecedented 100 million tonnes of food grains in its godown — larger than the food stocks of any country.

Estimates on food insecurity presented in the SOFI report are based on two globally-accepted indicators of food insecurity:

1. The Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU), which estimates the proportion of people suffering from chronic deficiency of calories.
2. A more recently developed an experience-based indicator called the Prevalence of Moderate and Severe Food Insecurity (PMSFI).

The PoU estimates are based on estimates of per-capita supply of food and distributional parameters estimated using the national consumption surveys

• On the other hand, PMSFI estimates are based on data collected through surveys that attempt to capture people’s experiences of food insecurity (such as eating less, modifying diet to eat cheaper food etc).

No assessment of food insecurity during a pandemic: The PMSFI estimates presented in the report are particularly important because, since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Indian government has not undertaken any official assessment of food insecurity in the country.

• Not only has the government not conducted its own consumption or food security surveys, it does not approve the publication of results based on the Gallup World Poll.
• As a result, estimates for India are not published in the SOFI reports.
• However, these can still be obtained indirectly because the data are presented for South Asia and for “South Asia (excluding India)”.

Causes of food insecurity in India

• Economic distress: The problems of hunger and food insecurity are grave in India because of widespread economic distress, high unemployment and high levels of inequality.
• Dependence on informal economy: A large proportion of the poor is dependent on the informal economy in which incomes are too low and uncertain.
• Unemployment: Unemployment rates have risen sharply over the last few years, shrinking public investment and the economic slowdown have compounded the distress among working classes and the peasantry.
• With low and uncertain incomes, families dependent on the informal economy do not have assured access to adequate and nutritious food.

Food insecurity and Women in India

• Indigenous women, who play a crucial role in eradicating hunger, suffer due to a lack of recognition of their rights and discrimination in the household.
• Women farmers are disproportionately more impacted by climate change, as stated by the IPCC report.
• Covid-19 has aggravated the crisis further due to increased poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition.
• So, gender equity is badly needed to achieve food security as highlighted by the UN in Food Systems Summit in September 2021.
• Dimitra Clubs in the rural regions of sub-Saharan Africa have been driving women’s leadership for over a decade. This can be implemented in India.

Suggestion

• Government should establish systems for regular monitoring of food security.
• Universalization of public distribution system.
• Fight malnutrition by challenging dietary taboos, mobilise resources to meet environmental challenges.
• Adopt policies that eliminate barriers to access to fundamental services, ensuring food security. For example, the right to food, shelter and health, etc.

Road Ahead

• The increasing severity of food insecurity in India points to the urgent need for measures by the government to ensure the right to food of citizens of India.