Konda Reddy, Ulac Demiragis, Bishow Parajuli – Food Day as Reminder to Leave No One Behind

Data Points

• Around 828 million people worldwide do not have enough to eat.
• Over 50 million people are facing severe hunger.
• Over 205 million people across 45 countries will need emergency food assistance to survive – The Hunger Hotspots Outlook (2022-23) — a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP)

Challenges to food and nutrition security:- Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, spiralling food inflation, conflict, and inequality.

Way ahead for ending hunger by 2030: –

• It is important to place a greater focus on climate adaptation and resilience building
• Collective and transformational action to strengthen agri-food systems;
• Better Production
• Better Nutrition
• Better environment
• Better life.

Better Production, Better Nutrition

• India is now one of the largest agricultural product exporters. Therefore, it is important to place a greater focus on climate adaptation and resilience building.
• By 2030, India’s population is expected to rise to 1.5 billion. Agri-food systems will need to provide for and sustainably support an increasing population.
• There is increased recognition to move away from conventional input-intensive agriculture towards more inclusive, effective, and sustainable agri-food systems that would facilitate better production.

National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 –

• NFSA anchors the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), the PM POSHAN scheme (earlier known as the Mid-Day Meals scheme), and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
• Today, India’s food safety nets collectively reach over a billion people.
• The Government continues to take various measures to improve these programmes with digitisation and measures such as rice fortification, better health, and sanitation.