NCERT Book Class 9 Social Science (Economics) Chapter 4 Food Security in India

4
Chapter Food Security in India

Overview In the 1970s, food security was
• Food security means availability, understood as the “availability at all times
accessibility and affordability of food to of adequate supply of basic foodstuffs”
(UN, 1975). Amartya Sen added a new
all people at all times. The poor
dimension to food security and
households are more vulnerable to food
emphasised the “access” to food through
insecurity whenever there is a problem what he called ‘entitlements’ — a
of production or distribution of food combination of what one can produce,
crops. Food security depends on the exchange in the market alongwith state
Public Distribution System (PDS) and or other socially provided supplies.
government vigilance and action at Accordingly, there has been a substantial
times, when this security is threatened. shift in the understanding of food security.
The 1995 World Food Summit declared,
What is food security?
“Food security at the individual,
Food is as essential for living as air is for household, regional, national and global
breathing. But food security means levels exists when all people, at all times,
something more than getting two square have physical and economic access to
meals. Food security has following sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet
dimensions their dietary needs and food preferences
for an active and healthy life” (FAO, 1996,
(a) availability of food means food
p.3). The declaration further recognises
production within the country, food
that “poverty eradication is essential to
imports and the previous years stock
improve access to food”.
stored in government granaries.
(b) accessibility means food is within reach a national disaster/calamity like
of every person. earthquake, drought, flood, tsunami,
(c) affordability implies that an individual widespread failure of crops causing
has enough money to buy sufficient, famine, etc. How is food security
safe and nutritious food to meet one's affected during a calamity? Due to a
dietary needs. natural calamity, say drought, total
Thus, food security is ensured in a production of foodgrains decreases. It
country only if (1) enough food is available creates a shortage of food in the affected
for all the persons (2) all persons have areas. Due to shortage of food, the prices
the capacity to buy food of acceptable goes up. At the high prices, some people
quality and (3) there is no barrier on cannot afford to buy food. If such calamity
access to food. happens in a very wide spread area or is
stretched over a longer time period, it
Why food security? may cause a situation of starvation.
The poorest section of the society might A massive starvation might take a turn
be food insecure most of the times while of famine.
persons above the poverty line might also A Famine is characterised by wide
be food insecure when the country faces spread deaths due to starvation and
42 Economics