FOOD SECURITY AND THE. WAY FORWARD BEDANGA BORDOLO! AND ETALI SARMAH. According to the World Development Report-2008 three out of every four people in developing countries live in rural areas -2.1 billion live on less than $2 a day and 880 million on less than $1 a day- and most of them depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Poor people who are largely dependant on agriculture are most vulnerable to climate change 16n we talk of food security we mean to address the easy availabilty and access of food at all times in sufficient quantity in a safe and nutritious form to meet the dietary requirements and food preferences for an active, healthy and productive life. Food security is infact the imperative prerequisite for the economic and social stability of any nation. Sustainable food security requires a stable supply of food and property functioning agricultural markets. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrates World Food Day every year (on 16 October, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.The theme for the celebration of the World Food Day for the year 2008 is World Food Security and the Challenges of climate change and bioenergy'.This theme is very much pertinentparticularly at this hour when changes in agricultural production and cultivation pattern is being observed in different parts of the world due to drastic changes in the climatic patter . Increase in demand for fuel, food, diversion of food crops to fuel, inflationary peak particularly observed in food items can have a detrimental effect on the gap between demand and supply of food products; and food security of the nations as a whole. The worst affected, under such circumstances will undoubtedly be the people residing in the developing and the underdeveloped nations of the word. According to the World Development Report 2008 three out of every four people in developing ‘countries live in rural areas -2.1 billion live on less than $2 a day and 880 million on less than $1 a day- and ‘most of them depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Poor people who are largely dependant on agriculture are most vulnerable to climate change. Increase in the instances of crop failures and livestock deaths have already resulted in huge economic losses undermining food security in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Global \warming and increase in the green house gas emissions, deforestation for urbanization, and injudicious use of -Matural resources are the major causes for climate change: and they will directly or indirectly hamper agricultural production and productivity. Ts wilin turn result in food insecurity and finally result in riots and unrest in different parts of the worid. Thus at present, the world is not even on track to achieve the 1996 World Food Summit target of reducing the number of hungry people from 800 million to 400 milion by 2015.Moreover , the wortd food prices have risen 45 Percent in the last nine months. Instances of food riots have already been reported from Egypt, Cameroon, Cote d'ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Hai ‘These reports of riots for food definitely forces us to think whether the respective ruling governments of these countries have actually developed appropriate policy measures for deterrence trom such a threatening situation or if actually policies are in place, or whether there was a problem in the implementation part .This also might raise a question in our mind that whether \we might s2e a similar situation in our own country too notwithstanding the well planned stockpile of policies that we have. We take pride inthe fact that India had long back Aachiaved selt- sufficiency in food. According to the Economic Survey 2007-08 between 1950-51 and 2006- 07, production of food grains increased at an average annual rate of 25 per cent compared tothe growth of Population which averaged 2.1 per cent during this, period. As a result, India almost became self-sufficient in food grains and there were hardly any imports during 1976-77 to 2005-06, except occasionally. But inspite of these statistics it is also a matter of concem that still half of all children under four are malnourished and (60% of women are anemic as mentioned in the World Bank report "Wasting Away - The Crisis of Malnutrition in India’ Government of India in order to ensure fooc security in the country has launched the National Food Security Mission .The NFSM scheme has beer launched by the Central Government from 2007-08 tc increase the production of rice by 10 million tones wheat by 8 million tonnes and pulses by 2 milior tonnes by the end of 11" five year plan (2011-12). The approach isto bridge the yield gap in respect of thest Crops through dissemination of improved technologie: and farm management practices was really needed ¢ this hour .NFSM = Rice, NFSM - Wheat and NFSM Pulses will be implemented in 193, 138 and 16 identified districts of afferent States, respectively. Th targets set for the mission are indeed crucial given th frequent shortall of grains in the recent years for th food security butter and welfare schemes as well ¢ for open market consumption. The mission set definitely of top priority for the government and ce play an important role to give boost to the food gra production .Non treasury mode of fund transfer speedy availabilty of funds, awards for best performit, district etc are some of the approaches in the missic plan that should be appreciated. Department of For ‘and Public cistribution is responsible for the manageme of the food economy of the country. It maintains buffer stock of food grains in order to meet a emergencies like droughtfailures of crop, as well to enable open market intervention in case of pri rise. The minimum stocks that should be available the Central Pool at the beginning of the four quarte of a year are as follows:- (With effect from April 2005) In Lakh Tonnes DATE | RICE | WHEAT | TOTAL 1eaprt | 1220 | 400 162.0 1* July | 98.0 171.0 260.0 1" Oct, | 6201 | 100 162.0 1180 | 820 200.0 : Department of Food and Put Distribution, GO! kirterra, June 208% ‘2Qe Besides this the department also runs a couple of Welfare Schemes Which includes-Mid Day meal scheme, Wheat Based Nutrition Programme, Scheme for Supply of Food Grains to SC/ST/OBC Hostels,/ Welfare Institutions,SGRY,Annapurna Scheme, National Work for Food Programme, Village Grain Bank ‘Scheme eto. Besides this it has also formed a Central Vigilance Committee on PDS to bring more and more transparency and clarity to the system. Food security etforts of Food Corporation of India can be further strengthened by encouraging States to procure and distribute food grains within the State for which it is necessary to involve States more actively in agri- marketing as they are independently managing PDS supply through their own agencies. Slates can also ‘out-source procurement, handling and distribution to private sector. Alternatively, States governments having potential of marketable surplus should ‘meet their part requirement and with the money saved, in terms of transportation, storage, preservation, can in turn strengthen the agr-marketing infrastructure of the state. Some steps in these regards have already been initiated and they are well appreciable too. Food and Agriculture Organization launched the ‘Special Programme for Food Security in the year 1994 a8 a flagship programme to boost food production with a view to decreasing the rates of hunger and malnutition The aim of the SPFS is to improve food security within oor households through National Programmes for Food Security (NPFS) and Regional Programmes for Food Security (RFSP). The countries that the SPFS assists are mostly Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries (LIFDC). Initially, the programme focused mostly on helping countries promote and disseminate simple, low-cost technologies to improve the yields and income of poor farming households. Instead of concentrating only on small pilot programmes, the focus of the SPFS started shifting towards helping countries for establishment of national level pian of food security for the food-insecure population .This happened just after the World Food Summit was held in the year 2002. Efforts to reach more farmers were complemented by policies and investments to open up markets and provide direct access to food for those who are 100 oor to produce or acquire it themselves. Til recently, around one hundred and six countries had already engaged themselves in the SPFS by the middle of 2007 and nearly half had begun moving to National Programmes (NPFS), and many more are preparing for this cause. A number of bilateral and multilateral donors provide funding, guidance and support to the approved projects on food security both atthe national and the regional levels. Countries lke italy (USS 57 million), Japan (USS 35.5 milion), Spain (USS 21.6 million) Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland Libya, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Monaco, Morocco and Republic of Korea; and international organizations like IFAD ,OPEC,UNDP,UNFIP.WFP are the major donors. Food security depends on a productive, competitive, land sustainable agricultural sector and to achieve this ‘countries have to take necessary steps and measures ‘tonot only increase the production through appropriate ‘approach and strategy but also to achieve the target achioved through the involvement of allthe stakeholders. ‘There is a need for investment in rural areas for strengthening agriculture, infrastructure development land the respective governments will have to play proactive role to preserve is valuable natural resources. This calls for private-public partnership and also aids and grants from developed nations, not by providing temporary reliefs, but by helping these countries to ‘come out of this problem permanently. An estimated 854 milion people in the world today suffer from hunger. Of those, about 820 milion live in developing countries. Governments, intemational organizations, civil society, the private sector and other actors, must ‘work together to address these challenges through appropriate strategies and responses and find out an ‘enduring solution. There are approximately an estimated 400 milion small land holders in the world, These small land holders should be encouraged to mobilize their underutilized potential, not only to improve their own ‘utrtion and incomes but to help enhance national food security and overall economic growth. This is can be done by increasing investment in agriculture and rural development. A multi pronged strategy involving facilitating easy access of Agr-inputs to the small farmers, investment in Agri-infrastructure and water control along with establishment of a an effective marketing processing and storage system of agricultural product is the need of the hour. In addition to this what is really required is that the benefits derived from these developments are universally shared, as developing and under-developed countries are often left empty handed due to various tariff and non tariff barriers along with standards and certification requirements existing in the agricuttural markets. The authors are PGPABM students at National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Govt. of India, Hyderabad) E-mail: bedangamanage07@gmail.com and etall_07@yahoo.com ‘3 iGehera, June 2008