ASSESSING FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SECURITY

SEMINAR TOPIC

Assessment Assessment means judgment, appraisal, estimation or

evaluation. It is a process that is used to understand a situation in

order to make decisions on whether there is a need to respond to a hazard or to a situation that can lead to a disaster if nothing is done.

The assessment must collect information that will allow a good analysis of the situation and the threats to life, human dignity, health and livelihoods of the population.

Food is an

essential

component for all

living organisms…

As air is for

breathing….

food security assessment Food security assessments are no different from general

assessments in their aim, but look more specifically at how people try to maintain a secure food environment for themselves, and whether they succeed.

The general objective of a food security assessment is to understand how severe the food insecurity is, and why this is the case.

Then the objective is to determine if there is a need to intervene to return people to a normal food security situation in the short term and/or long term.

Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) has evolved significantly during the last decades in theory and practice. This overview provides some basic information about the current understanding on FNS.

Food Security•( Evolved over time from 'freedom from hunger' in the early 1940s into broad concept ) IT MEANS • THE 4 DIMENSIONS:ACCESSIBILITY TO FOOD AVAILABILITY OF FOOD

UTILIZATION & STABILITY AFFORDABILITY

FOOD SECURITY CAN BE DEFINED AS

• A state wherein all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

• based on FAO definition (1996, 2009)

NUTRITION SECURITY•(Evolved over time from 'Multi- sectorial nutrition planning' approach in the 1970s and UNICEF conceptual framework)• WITH THE 3 DETERMINANTS:– ACCESS TO ADEQUATE FOOD CARE AND FEEDING PRACTICES–

SANITATION AND HEALTH

NUTRITION SECURITY CAN BE DEFINED AS• All people at all times have physical, social and

economic access to food, which is safe and consumed in sufficient quantity and quality to meet their dietary needs and food preferences and is supported by environment of adequate sanitation, health services and care allowing for healthy and active life

• ( COMMITTE ON WFS 2012)

45%Of all child deaths are associated with poor nutrition

ACCORDING TO CURRENT STATISTICS•1 billion in sufficient kcals and nutrients (hunger)

•2 billion sufficient kcals ,but insufficient nutrients (hidden hunger)

•3 billion sufficient kcals and nutrients (healthy)

•1.4 billion excess kcals (some with insufficient nutrients)(over weight/ obesity)

MAJOR PROBLEM TO ASSESS• Lack of quality data to assess progress, identify

actions, improve accountability

Its hard to meet nutrition goals if you don’t have data on nutrition

49%Of countries do not have enough data to assess if they are on course/off course of global targets

Global targets 2025

2012 world health assembly

Stunting

Anemia

Lbw

Childhood obesity

Breast feeding

wasting

ENSURING FOOD SECURITY• Enough food should be available for all

persons of that city, state or country• All persons should have capacity to buy

food of acceptable quality• There must be no barrier on access to

food

NEED FOR SECURITY • Poor section of society natural disasters or

calamity

widespread crop failure

HOW DROUGHT EFFECTS FOOD SECURITY ?• Drought

• Total production of food grains

• Shortage of food in affected areas

• Hike in prices

• Below poverty people cannot afford to buy food

• Food insecurity

LEADS TO• STARVATION • If such calamities happens in wide spread area or is stretched

over a longer time period, it causes situation of starvation

• FAMINEA massive starvation might take a turn of famine, it is characterized by widespread deaths and epidemics

DEATHS IN INDIA DUE TO FAMINES AND STARVATION

• Bengal famine ,1943• Killed 1.5 million-3 million• Bihar famine ,1996-7• 2,353 deaths due to starvation reported• Starvation deaths have also been reported in• 1.kalahandi and Kashipur in Orissa• 2.Baran district of Rajasthan• 3.Palamau district of Jharkhand and many

other remote areas during the recent years

STATES FACING PROBLEMS OF FOOD INSECURITY

• Uttar Pradesh(eastern and south-eastern parts)• Jharkhand• Orissa• West Bengal• Chhattisgarh• Parts of Madhya Pradesh &Maharasthra

FOOD INSECURE GROUPS• Worst affected groups • Landless people• Traditional artisans• Traditional service providers• Petty self employed workers• Homeless, beggars etc.• Families employed in ill paid occupations• Casual labourers (seasonal activities+ very low wages)• Sc’s,St’s and some sections of OBC’s having poor land base or

low land productivity • Migrants• Women and children

HUNGER, ANOTHER ASPECT OF FOOD INSECURITY

Chronic hunger

Seasonal hunger

Inadequate diet for long time

Poor people suffer from chronic hunger

Due to agricultural activities-rural regions &urban areas-casual labor

When a person is unable to get work for entire year

OTHER MAJOR ASPECT IS FOOD WASTAGE

INDIA’S ATTEMPTS AT ATTAINING FOOD SECURITY • Green revolution: Food grain production

HIGHEST GROWTH

PUNJAB & HARYANA

TAMIL NADU AND ANDHRA

PRADESH

LOW GROWTH

MAHARASHTRA, MADHYA PRADESH

BIHAR,ORISSA AND NE STATES

INDIA’S FOOD SECURITY SYSTEMBUFFER STOCK

PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY SYSTEM OF INDIA

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

SOME WAYS FOR ACHIEVING FOOD SECURITY

• Greater public investment to achieve greater production efficiency

• Investment and development should be increased • Nutritional education and awareness • Agricultural development and increase in agricultural

productivity• Comprehensive and coordinated national efforts• Need to have necessary policy initiatives to increase

supply in future

CONCLUSION• Accessibility ,availability and socio economic factor

and utilization of available foods influence most on security of food and nutrition.

• Factors that affect food security system are influenced by environmental condition, like climate ,soil , water availability etc.

• Moreover it depends on production of raw materials (foods that are consumed),and population of particular country.

• As of Indian population due more number of birth rate every day it is impossible to balance the food needs and security in both national and house hold levels. So ,many steps and programs are implemented to overcome this problem.

• Even in house hold levels the economic status of the people play important role,ie below poverty level people cannot afford for food regularly

• Food and nutritional security should be at top of our agendas

• We need solutions that bridge incredible potential from interdisciplinary research, engineering ,nutrition ,food science ,economics , agri science, social work, community development and informatics

• Advances in diagnostic technologies should provide critical data to assess progress, identify actions, improve accountability