Food Governance In India

This book offers insights into the issues around food security, public health, equity and global governance. With a focus on India, it highlights the complex networks of sociopolitical, economic and agricultural challenges to ensure self-sufficiency in food production. Based on field research conducted across India and an in-depth study on government agencies and multilateral fora, this book connects and juxtaposes global, national and local narratives on food security and policy. It analyses issues ranging from climate change to gaps in the nation-wide public food distribution systems. Through interdisciplinary narratives on food insecurity and poverty, the book exposes the underlying problems within policy frameworks and offers solutions for greater accessibility and distribution of food supplies while combating climate variability and agrarian distress. The volume explores global food governance norms and India’s role in further shaping them. It will be of interest to students and researchers of public policy and governance, development studies, sociology, agriculture studies, public health and nutrition and economics.

Persistence Of Poverty, Hunger And Starvation Along With Growing Availability Of Food Has Rendered The Rationale Of Both Poverty Alleviation And Food Self-Sufficiency Policies Suspect And Created A Paradoxical Situation. There Is A Consensus Among Policy Makers, Planners And Economists That The Problems Of Poverty, Hunger And Malnutrition Have Not Been Solved Satisfactorily. It Is Also Acknowledged That The Persistence Of These Problems Has The Potential Of Undermining The Very Process Of Democratic Governance. Policies And Programmes Have Systematically Failed With A Huge Opportunity Cost.There Is Need For New Answers To These Questions. Available Solutions Have Outlived Their Utility. Time Has Come To Recast And Redefine The Agenda For Poverty And Food Insecurity Eradication. This Is Easier Said Than Done. There Is A Need For A Dispassionate Debate, Discussion And Meaningful Action. This Challenging Task Cannot Be Solved By State Intervention Alone. It Is Against This Backdrop That The Present Volume Seeks To Provide Answers To Some Of The Key Questions.The Main Objective Of The Book Is To Add Fresh Insights To The Theory And Policy Of Poverty And Food Insecurity Alleviation. How Far We Succeeded Shall Be Reflected Through The Pages Of This Book.

Sustainability and food production represent a major challenge to society, with both consumption and supply sides posing practical and ethical dilemmas. This book shows that food governance issues can occur in many ways and at many points along the food chain. The risks and impacts, particularly with the increasing globalisation of food systems, are often distributed in unequal ways. It is the role of law to form the pivot around which these issues are addressed in society in the form of food governance mechanisms. The chapters in this book address a range of issues in food governance revolving around questions of justice, fairness, equality and human rights. They identify different issues regarding inequality in access and control over food governance. Some address generic governance and institutional issues across a range of international contexts, while others present case studies, including from Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, UK and West Africa. The book offers directions for reform of the law and legal institutions to mitigate the dangers of inequality and promote greater fairness in food governance.

Modern food governance is increasingly hybrid, involving not only government, but also industry and civil society actors. This book analyzes the unfolding interplay between public and private actors in global and local food governance. How are responsibilities and risks allocated in hybrid governance arrangements, how is legitimacy ensured, and what effects do these arrangements have on industry or government practices? The expert contributors draw on law, economics, political science and sociology to discuss these questions through rich empirical cases.

"The food security of a nation is largely dependent on its ecological foundation. In India, competition for water, land, human, and financial resources, and the suitability of the existing institutional system in ensuring food security require the attention of both policy makers and planners. Food crops have to compete for water and various other needs with commercial crops. Water, the core requirement for food production, is becoming increasingly scarce in many parts of India. Land is also crucial in food production, especially with regards to soil fertility. However, lands traditionally used for growing crops are increasingly used instead for various other purposes. The balancing of the expectations of farmers in the markets, for want of better prices, with the national objective of food security is imperative in this climate. This necessitates public investment in agriculture, including seed supply, soil health initiatives, and pest control. The institutional challenges in ensuring food security in India are currently under-explored, with more discussion on entitlements and rights, in relation to food security, but less attention on the public institutions that are likely to play a critical role. Public institutions, through the use of policies, schemes and programmes, need to address the issues which impinge on the ecological foundation of food security, while the governance architecture related to this has to integrate the public distribution system properly. This book addresses these challenges and offers insights into what changes need to be made to ensure food security in India."--