Poverty And Food Security In India

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.

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.

This paper is an attempt to analyze the impact of two of India's largest food security interventions -- the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDM) -- on poverty outcomes and on nutritional intake. This paper offers a simple methodology to take into account the impact of food-based transfers by including the implicit transfers from these schemes along with generating consumption expenditure estimates consistent with the transfers. The preliminary analysis shows the significant impact of the PDS and MDM in terms of poverty reduction and calorie intake. While there are large variations across states, the analysis shows that the schemes have not only improved efficiency in the last 2 decades but have also contributed significantly to poverty reduction. Almost half of the poverty reduction in the distribution-sensitive measures such as the squared poverty gap (SPG) between 2004-2005 and 2009-2010 is explained by the improved efficiency and coverage of these schemes. There is also evidence that the functioning of these schemes, particularly the PDS, has improved in recent years. This is particularly true in states that have followed a universal or quasi-universal coverage along with low cereal prices.

This 2013 Global Food Policy Report is the third in an annual series that provides an in-depth look at major food policy developments and events. Initiated in response to resurgent interest in food and nutrition security, the series offers a yearly overview of the food policy developments that have contributed to or hindered progress in achieving food and nutrition security. It reviews what happened in food policy and why, examines key challenges and opportunities, shares new evidence and knowledge, and highlights emerging issues.

Food Security, Poverty and Nutrition Analysis provides essential insights into the evaluative techniques necessary for creating appropriate and effective policies and programs to address these worldwide issues. Food scientists and nutritionists will use this important information, presented in a conceptual framework and through case studies for exploring representative problems, identifying and implementing appropriate methods of measurement and analysis, understanding examples of policy applications, and gaining valuable insight into the multidisciplinary requirements of successful implementation. This book provides core information in a format that provides not only the concept behind the method, but real-world applications giving the reader valuable, practical knowledge. * Identify proper analysis method, apply to available data, develop appropriate policy * Demonstrates analytical techniques using real-world scenario application to illustrate approaches for accurate evaluation improving understanding of practical application development * Tests reader comprehension of the statistical and analytical understanding vital to the creation of solutions for food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty-related nutrition issues using hands-on exercises

Two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health, economic, and social disruptions caused by this global crisis continue to evolve. The impacts of the pandemic are likely to endure for years to come, with poor, marginalized, and vulnerable groups the most affected. In COVID-19 & Global Food Security: Two Years Later, the editors bring together contributions from new IFPRI research, blogs, and the CGIAR COVID-19 Hub to examine the pandemic’s effects on poverty, food security, nutrition, and health around the world. This volume presents key lessons learned on food security and food system resilience in 2020 and 2021 and assesses the effectiveness of policy responses to the crisis. Looking forward, the authors consider how the pandemic experience can inform both recovery and longer-term efforts to build more resilient food systems.