Volume : V, Issue : IV, April - 2015

Food security in India; Challenges and Suggestions for effectiveness

Siddalingareddy

Abstract :

 Production of certain cereals has increased in India and now the country is one of the largest producers of cereals like rice and wheat. However, the number of people who are struggling with hunger and 

malnutrition remains very high. India’s strategy of agricultural development and approach to food security has proved 
its resilience in the wake of recent global food crisis, which has created political and social unrest in several countries 
of the developing world. The same had earlier helped India tide over the severe food crisis of the mid–sixties within a 
period of one and half decade and had also proved its aptness in the wake of economic liberalisation and globalisation since the early nineties. Though India’s performance in terms of reducing hunger and malnutrition has not been remarkable given the political and socio–cultural milieu, the achievements have indeed been significant. Indian agriculture 
has undergone a phenomenal transformation during the past five decades. The metamorphosis was ought by not 
only technological changes such as the green revolution, but also by institutional innovations in delivering farm inputs 
and marketing of output. Contract farming is one such institutional initiative undertaken in recent years to address 
some of the problems faced by Indian farmers. The National Agricultural Policy (2000) announced by the Government 
of India, seeks to promote contract farming by involving the private sector to accelerate technology transfer, capital inflow and assured marketing of crop production. Food security both at the national and household levels has been the 
focus of agricultural development in India ever since the mid–sixties hen import dependence for cereals had gone up 
to 16 per cent and the country faced severe drought continuously for two years. The new Approach intended at maximising the production of cereals and involved building a foundation of food security on three key elements, namely, 
vision of an improved agricultural technology package for the farmers, delivery of modern farm inputs, technical knowhow and institutional credit to the farmer. For achieving these objectives, several policy instruments were used that 
influenced the production potential. This paper focused on the challenges India faces to meet its food security and 
measures to ensure food security and discussed suggestions for ensuring food security

Keywords :

Article: Download PDF   DOI : 10.36106/ijar  

Cite This Article:

Siddalingareddy Food security in India; Challenges and Suggestions for effectiveness Indian Journal of Applied Research, Vol.5, Issue : 4 April 2015


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