Equitable Agrifood Systems for Food Security

Why in News?

World Food Day 2024 was observed on October 16 with the theme “Right to foods for a better life and a better future”.

What is equitable food system?

• Food system - It encompasses every stage of food production and consumption from growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consuming, and disposing.
• Stakeholders of food system - It involves farmers, processors, retailers, consumers, and even policy makers, each playing a role in influencing the flow and quality of food.
• Equitable food system - It is a framework that ensures access to safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food to all individuals while promoting fairness and justice throughout the food supply chain.

• Production - Network of farms, ranches, and fisheries that use natural resources, capital, labor, and other inputs to cultivate food
• Processing - Network of factories and facilities that transform agricultural goods into a range of food products for consumption
• Distribution - Network of aggregators and shippers responsible for transporting food products across the supply chain by land, air, and sea
• Retail - Constellation of stores of all kinds and direct-to-consumer and other operational models that transact the final sale of food products to customers and consumers
• Recovery, recycling, and waste - Network of municipalities, companies, and nonprofits that handle remainder, discarded, expired, and unused food from numerous end points along the supply chain.
• Significance of equitable food system - Addressing inequalities and empower marginalised communities by prioritising the right to food and nutrition security is essential for peaceful, prosperous communities.

How has India’s food system evolved?

• Once a food-deficient nation, India has made significant strides in food security over the past 60 years and  has transformed into a food-surplus country.
• Increase in Food Availability – Green Revolution, White Revolution, Yellow Revolution, Gold Revolution, Blue Revolution have increased the Cereal, Milk, Oil , Horticulture, Fish availability in India.
• Food Research - Agricultural research institutes that play a crucial role in advancing agricultural practices, improving crop yields, and addressing food security challenges.
  • Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi
  • Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi
  • National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, Haryana
  • Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), zatnagar, Uttar Pradesh
  • National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (NIAP), New Delhi
  • Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru, Karnataka
  • Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur, Rajasthan
  • Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR),  Kanpur
  • Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR),  Hyderabad
  • National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi
• Supply Chain -  FCI procurement , Public Distribution System (PDS), APMC Markets  are a crucial food distribution mechanism for ensuring food security.
• Food Affordability – Minimum Support Price mechanism ensure the availability food at affordable price and income security for farmers.
• Food Safety - Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulates the food quality and safety in India.
• Right to Food - A key pillar of India’s food security is the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013, which provides food entitlements to over 800 million citizens.
• Nutritional Security – India has approved the distribution of fortified rice from July 2024 to December 2028 to address nutritional deficiency especially Anaemia.
• PM POSHAN Scheme aims  to enhance the nutritional status of children in government schools.

What are the challenges in achieving equitable food system ?

• India’s agricultural sector is the cornerstone of its economy.
• Population Growth – Feeding nutritiously  the current population of about 1.4 billion and an annual growth rate of 0.9% is  a huge challenge.
• Fragmented Land Holdings - Of its 93.09 million agrarian households, approximately 82% are small and marginal farmers holding less than two hectares of land.
• Fragmented landholding limits smallholder farmers’ adoption of modern techniques, reducing productivity and income.
• Natural resource degradation - Overusing groundwater strains water tables while chemical fertilizers and monocropping harm soil and agricultural productivity.
• Market Access Limitation - Many smallholder farmers need help accessing markets effectively due to infrastructure limitations and supply chain inefficiencies.
• Poverty & Inequality –Rural poverty and inequality affects the participation and distribution of agricultural system.
• Climate change - Erratic weather patterns pose risks to agriculture productivity.
• Infrastructure - Inadequate infrastructure for storage, processing, and transportation of food affects the food supply chain system.

What lies ahead?

• Addressing food inequality and ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious food are essential steps.
• Facilitating better links between production and markets, farmers can increase their incomes and reduce food waste.
• Enhancing access to appropriate technologies is vital.
• Building resilience of farming system through sustainable agricultural practices such as water conservation and soil health restoration.

References

The Hindu | equitable agrifood systems