This Diwali, Let's Think About Food Security: Why Food Grown Does Not Mean Food Secured

Recent reports indicate that India is ranked 107th out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index. This statistic is one that has been met with both conflict, and concern. Despite the politicization of these numbers, there is an undeniable link between agrarian practices and food security in the nation. This article will look at some of the factors pertinent to this relationship, and seek to understand why food being cultivated does not necessarily mean food being secure for a majority of the population.

As mentioned in previous articles, the 1960’s and 70’s saw an agricultural boom: India’s move towards independence had resulted in the realization that the soon to-be independent nation needed to secure its own means of food production to be truly independent. This “Green Revolution” resulted in India being one of the world’s top producers of crops like wheat, barley, and rice. The problems associated with rice paddy farming in North India aside, India’s global standing as far as food production goes remains in good stead. This, coupled with government subsidies for products like fertilizers and technological advancements should mean that there is enough food to feed the nation, so why isn’t it?

There are several factors contributing to the phenomenon wherein agricultural output and food security are disparate with each other. One such factor is restrictions placed on the movement of goods across state lines and even across district lines within the same state. This has been one of the major factors that has lent itself to the halting of growth in the agricultural sector. Furthermore, the public agricultural sector has been on the decline since the 1990s, owing largely to deliveries of fertilizers, seed varieties and pesticides not taking place in a timely manner, or simply not being available in several agricultural zones.

India’s standing in the Global Hunger Index could be aided by an increase in productivity which will need to be the product of mechanizing certain agricultural practices. Despite the Indian government’s subsidies for these technologies, they have not been adopted as many of them remain too expensive not only for farmers to invest in, but also for their maintenance, upkeep, and supplemental requirements. One way that this issue could be abated is through foreign investment — there is, as it stands now, a world of possibility for joint ventures between India and the US towards the ends of mechanizing agrarian practices.

In addition to the easing of transport restrictions leading to smoother supply chains, and mechanizing processes, research and development into the agricultural sector could do wonders for output. As mentioned in previous articles, techniques such as drip irrigation could not only aid in productivity but also help ease the strain currently placed on groundwater resources through practices such as rice paddy farming in North India.

Evidently, the relationship between agriculture and food security is a complex, and nuanced one with many intersecting factors. It is thus that turning this around would require reform in several arenas including, but not limited to, the social, technological, and financial domains.

Sources:

https://www.nbr.org/publication/feeding-a-billion-agriculture-and-food-security-in-india/