Since 1947, achieving food security has been a major goal of our country. This was because the Bengal Famine created awareness of the need for paying priority attention to the elimination of hunger. Our Food Security Act 2013 specially mentions the need for nutritional security.

This chapter briefly indicates how this can be achieved. Both food and non-food factors will have to receive concurrent attention. Some of the steps needed for this are:

1. Food to Nutrition Security:

There is a need for change in emphasis from food security to nutrition security. Nurition security is “physical, economic and social access to balanced diet, clean drinking water, sanitation and primary health care”. There has to be a food based approach to nutrition security and not a drug based one.

In the area of nutrition security, it is important to look at food adequacy, protein deficiency and deficiency of micro-nutrients like iron, iodine, zinc, vitamin-A etc., The Farming System for Nutrition (FSN) provides a methodology for achieving such symbiotic linkages. Above all, a global grid of genetic gardens of biofortified plants will be an important tool for fighting hidden hunger.

2. National Nutrition Week:

It would be worthwhile to spend National Nutrition Week and other such events in generating awareness of the implications of malnutrition particularly with reference to brain development in child. It will be useful to launch a National Grid of Genetic Garden of Bio fortified Plants. It will help to provide agricultural remedies to major nutrition problems particularly affecting the poor.

3. Making National Nutrition Mission a success:

Government has approved the National Nutrition Mission with a three year budget of 9000 crore. This is government’s response to the widespread malnutrition resulting in children with impaired cognitive abilities. The Nutrition Mission to be successful should be designed on a mission mode with symbiotic interaction among components and with a Mission Director who has the requisite authority coupled with accountability. Earlier Missions were not successful because the concept of Mission was not fully operationalized. The Nutrition Mission should have interactive components to make it a success. It should have proper monitoring tools so that the efficacy of the intervention can be judged.  

National Nutrition Mission:

On the occasion of the International Women’s Day on the 8th of March 2018, a pan India National Nutrition Mission covering all the 640 districts of the country was launched. To achieve the goals of the National Nutrition Mission, the following areas need concurrent attention.

1. Overcoming calorie deficiency through the effective use of the provisions of the National Food Security Act 2013.
2. Overcoming protein hunger through the increased production and consumption of pulses and milk and poultry products.
3. Overcoming hidden hunger caused by micro nutrient deficiency through the establishment of genetic gardens of bio fortified plants and promoting a Farming System for Nutrition programme.
4. Ensuring the availability of clean drinking water, sanitation and primary health care.
5. Developing a cadre of Community Hunger Fighters who are well versed with the art and science of malnutrition eradication.