GLOBAL REPORT ON FOOD CRISES 2023
1. Context
The Global Report on the Food Crises (GRFC) 2023 released recently estimated that between 691 million and 783 million people in the world suffered from hunger in 2022. While the two pandemic years did not record a growth in food insecurity, the data for 2022 shows levels far higher than prepandemic 2019. This year’s report records the historic moments that had an impact on the assessment of a pandemic and ensuing economic crisis, a war (in Ukraine), soaring prices of food, and agricultural inputs.
2. Food Security in India
- Food security is a critical issue in India, given its vast population and diverse agricultural landscape.
- The concept of food security implies that all individuals have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times, ensuring their nutritional needs are met for a healthy and active life.
- While India has made significant progress in recent decades, challenges persist and achieving complete food security remains complex.
3. Challenges to food security
- Agricultural Production and Productivity: India's economy heavily relies on agriculture, providing livelihoods for a significant portion of the population. However, the country faces various agricultural production and productivity challenges. Factors such as fragmented land holdings, outdated farming practices, lack of access to modern technologies and inputs, and inadequate irrigation facilities hinder optimal crop yields.
- Climate Change: Climate change poses a considerable threat to India's food security. Erratic weather patterns, extreme temperatures, and unpredictable monsoons can lead to crop failures, impacting both agricultural productivity and farmer incomes. Mitigating climate change impacts and adapting to changing weather patterns are essential aspects of ensuring food security.
- Storage and Distribution: Despite producing surplus food in some regions, India faces significant challenges in effectively storing and distributing food to all parts of the country. The lack of proper storage facilities leads to post-harvest losses, while inefficient distribution systems can result in uneven access to food, with some areas experiencing scarcity while others witness wastage.
- Poverty and Inequality: Poverty and income inequality play a crucial role in determining food security. Many vulnerable populations, especially in rural areas, struggle to afford adequate food due to low incomes. Social safety nets and welfare programs like the Public Distribution System (PDS) aim to address this issue, but their effectiveness can be hindered by corruption and inefficiency.
- Malnutrition and Health: Food security is not only about having enough calories but also about access to nutritious food. Malnutrition remains a significant concern in India, particularly among children and pregnant women. Lack of diverse diets, limited access to fruits and vegetables, and poor nutritional awareness contribute to this problem.
4. Food Security Measures in India
India has implemented several food security measures to address the challenges of ensuring sufficient and affordable food for its population. These measures aim to improve agricultural production, distribution, and accessibility to nutritious food for vulnerable sections of society. Some of the key food security measures in India include:
- National Food Security Act (NFSA): The NFSA, enacted in 2013, is a landmark legislation that provides a legal framework to ensure food security for the most vulnerable sections of the population. Under this act, the government provides highly subsidized food grains to eligible beneficiaries through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). The NFSA covers about two-thirds of the population and entitles them to receive rice, wheat, and coarse grains at affordable prices.
- Public Distribution System (PDS): The PDS is the cornerstone of India's food security initiatives. It is a network of fair-price shops (ration shops) that distribute essential food commodities to beneficiaries at subsidized rates. The PDS plays a crucial role in ensuring access to food for the economically weaker sections, and it is supported by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the procurement and storage of food grains.
- Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS): ICDS is a comprehensive government program that aims to improve the nutritional and health status of children aged 0-6 years and pregnant and lactating women. It provides supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-ups, and nutrition and health education to beneficiaries.
- Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS): The MDMS is a school feeding program that aims to improve the nutritional status of children and encourage school attendance. Under this scheme, nutritious cooked meals are provided to students in government and government-aided schools across the country.
- Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): This scheme targets pregnant and lactating women and provides them with cash incentives to improve their nutritional and health status. It aims to reduce maternal and child malnutrition and improve the overall health of mothers and children.
- Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): PMFBY is a crop insurance scheme that aims to protect farmers against crop losses due to natural calamities, pests, and diseases. It encourages farmers to adopt modern agricultural practices and provides financial stability during agricultural uncertainties.
5. Key findings of the report
- The Global Report states that global hunger has not worsened further but remains significantly above pre-COVID-19 levels, and progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2(Zero Hunger) is off track.
- In 2022, an estimated 2.4 billion people suffered from moderate or severe food insecurity, which is 391 million more people than in 2019.
- The prevalence of undernourishment remained relatively stable from 2021 to 2022 but affected around 9.2 % of the global population, compared to 7.9 % in 2019.
- The Prevalence of undernourishment remained relatively stable from 2021 to 2022 but affected around 9.2 % of the global population, compared to 7.9% in 2019.
- Stunting in Children under five years of age has steadily declined from 204.2 million in 2000 to 148.1 million in 2022, while child wasting decreased from 54.1 million in 2000 to 45 million in 2022.
- The number of overweight or obese children increased slightly from 5.3% (33 million) in 2000 to 5.6% (37 million) in 2022.
- Around 3.2 billion people worldwide could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, with a slight improvement in 2021. The cost of a healthy diet globally increased by 6.7% between 2019 and 2021.
- Projections indicate that nearly 600 million people will suffer from chronic undernourishment by 2030.
6. Key drivers of food insecurity
- Reasons responsible for slowing down progress in reducing food insecurity include pandemic-related disruptions in 2020 (lockdowns, economic downturns, job losses, and reduced incomes), the Ukraine war, and potentially unfavorable governmental policies.
- Increasing urbanization is driving changes in agrifood systems and contributing to food insecurity.
- The report shows that global food insecurity is lower in urban areas compared to rural and peri-urban populations.
7. Solutions Ahead
- The report aims to identify vulnerable population groups and provide evidence to inform decision-making and effective action in designing policies and programs to address food insecurity.
- Sound nutrition is crucial for achieving Sustainable Development Goals, and it must be a central focus in government policy, supported by civil society and the private sector.
- Recommendations include supporting healthier food outlets to improve access to healthy diets, and policy incentives can encourage the sale of fresh and minimally processed foods in shops.
- Street foods are consumed by approximately 2.5 billion people daily, and the report calls for addressing infrastructure and regulatory gaps to enhance their nutritional safety and quality.
- The report suggests building rural infrastructure, such as quality roads and linkages between small farms and enterprises through investments in warehousing, cold storage, electrification, digital tools, and water supply.
- Local governments play a fundamental role in leveraging multi-level and multi-stakeholder mechanisms to implement policies that make healthy diets available and affordable for all.
8. About Global Network against Food Crises (GNAFC)
- The GNAFC was founded by the European Union, Food and Agriculture Organisation, and World Food Programme in 2016.
- It is an alliance of humanitarian and development actors working together to prevent, prepare for and respond to food crises and support the Sustainable Development Goal to End Hunger (SDG 2).
- The Global Report on Food Crises is the flagship publication of the Global Network and is facilitated by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN).
- The Report is the result of consensus bases and a multi-partner analytical process involving 17 international humanitarian and development partners.
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For Prelims: Global Network against Food Crises (GNAFC), Food Security, National Food Security Act (NFSA), Public Distribution System (PDS), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
For Mains: 1. Discuss the key challenges to food security in India and analyze their impact on vulnerable populations. Suggest effective policy measures to address these challenges. (250 Words)
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Previous year Questions1. With reference to the provisions made under the National Food Security Act, 2013 consider the following statements: (UPSC 2018)
1. The families coming under the category of 'below poverty line (BPL)' only are eligible to receive subsidized food grains.
2. The eldest woman in a household, age 18 years or above, shall be the head of the household for the purpose of issuance of a ration card.
3. Pregnant women and lactating mothers are entitled to a 'take-home ration' of 1600 calories per day during pregnancy and or six months thereafter.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 and 2
B. 2 only
C. 1 and 3
D. 3 only
Answer: B
2. An objective of the National Food Security Mission is to increase the production of certain crops through area expansion and productivity enhancement in a sustainable manner in the identified districts of the country. What are those crops? (UPSC 2010)
A. Rice and wheat only
B. Rice, wheat, and pulses only
C. Rice, wheat, pulses, and oil seeds only
D. Rice, wheat, pulses, oil seeds, and vegetables
Answer: B
3. In the context of food and nutritional security of India, enhancing the 'Seed Replacement Rates' of various crops helps in achieving the food production targets of the future. But what is/are the constraint /constraints in its wider/greater implementation? (UPSC 2014)
1. There is no National Seeds Policy in place.
2. There is no participation of private sector seed companies in the supply of quality seeds of vegetables and planting materials for horticultural crops.
3. There is a demand-supply gap regarding quality seeds in the case of low-value and high-volume crops.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
A. 1 and 2
B. 3 only
C. 2 and 3
D. None
Answer: B
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Source: The Hindu
