Institutional Arrangements for Food and Nutrition Security in India: Retrospects and Prospects

Abstract

The need for achieving food security is felt significantly in the recent years due to enormous pressure from the ever-increasing population in India. Owing to the change in preferences in crop production techniques over a period of time, several new challenges draw attention to food security. Chronic food insecurity still persists as reflected in the low energy intake and high incidences of malnutrition. The overall improvement in nutritional status being very slow, is very chronic for approximately half of the population, particularly among the vulnerable groups of children. India is one of the few countries which have experimented with a broad spectrum of programmes for improving food security. However, despite a significant reduction in the incidence of poverty, population. The government needs to supplement the provision of food security with a mix of short- and long-term policies. This will require improvements in infrastructure and time-limited targeted policies to improve rural farm and non-farm productivity. Special care should be taken in laying down the guidelines for the policies and programmes so that the money and labour expended result in durable and visible assets benefiting the whole community and ensuring food security for all. Research should be targeted to emphasize on bio fortification to ensure nutritional security in the diet. Prioritize the demand-driven and nutrient-based research programmes. Concerted efforts should be made to ensure involvement of social sciences in research prioritization, and technology development, targeting and dissemination. This paper deals with food and nutritional security status, interventions of government and the other institutions and the roles to be played by policy makers, researchers and extension agents in overcoming food and nutritional challenges in India.