Why in news?

India did not sign the agriculture agreement in COP 28 as it would involve significant changes in agricultural policies and farming practice.

What are the challenges of food security?

• Population growth- Homo sapiens took over 200,000 years to reach a population of 1  billion in 1804, however the next billion was added in just 123 years by 1927.
• Climate change- It leads to extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves, which can devastate crops and livestock.
• Limited natural resource- Land degradation, water scarcity, and depletion of natural resources pose significant challenges to food production. Soil erosion, pollution, and overexploitation of water resources diminish agricultural productivity and threaten long-term food security.
• Poverty- It limits people’s access to food by constraining their purchasing power and reducing their ability to produce or purchase food.
• Income inequality - It heightens disparities in access to food, with marginalized communities often facing the greatest barriers to food security.
• Conflict- It disrupts food production, distribution, and access, leading to food shortages, displacement, and humanitarian crises.
  • Example- Gaza and Haiti on the brink of famine due to ongoing war and crisis by criminal gangs respectively
• Trade barriers-Practices such as tariffs, and subsidies distort global food markets and can hinder access to affordable and nutritious food.
• Environmental degradation- Deforestation, biodiversity loss, and pollution degrade ecosystems and reduce their capacity to support agriculture.
• Food waste- Significant amounts of food are wasted or lost throughout the supply chain, from production and processing to distribution and consumption.

What are the impact of food security policy on environment?

• Soil degradation- Heavy subsidies on chemical fertilizers, particularly urea, have led to imbalanced use of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and potash (K). which made soil deficient in organic carbon.
• Poor Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)- The optimal SOC level should be between 1.5% and 2%, but 60% of Indian soils have SOC levels below 0.5% due to excessive use of chemical pesticides.
• Loss of biodiversity- The use of HYV seeds displaced indigenous species and agricultural system that has led to loss of biodiversity and agricultural genetic resources aggravating the genetic vulnerability of many valuable gene pools.
• Groundwater depletion- Groundwater levels are falling in many Indian states, with critical conditions in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. This is attributed to free electricity for irrigation, minimum support prices, and unrestricted procurement of paddy, leading to excessive groundwater use.
• Ecological impact- The overuse of groundwater has resulted in an ecological crisis, with the water table dropping annually and paddy fields emitting about 5 tons of carbon per hectare.
• Loss of crop diversity-  Policies have caused a shift in crop patterns, particularly in Punjab where rice cultivation increased from 4.8% in 1960 to over 40% today, replacing other crops like maize, millets, pulses, and oilseeds.
• India’s status- India, with only 2.4% of the world’s geographical area, 4% of global freshwater resources, and 18%  of the world’s population, is under huge stress, be it its soils, water, air (GHG emissions) or biodiversity.

What lies ahead?

• The need of the hour is to implement policies that are beneficial to both peasant and the planet to save future generation.
• A holistic approach must be implemented to handle the climate change and extreme weather events are likely to increase causing massive damage to lives and livelihoods.
• Immediate action must be taken to create climate-resilient food systems, restore soil health, halt groundwater depletion, significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and incentivize biodiversity conservation through green credits.

References

1. Indian Express- To ensure a hunger free nation protect soil
2. IGNOU- Green Revolution