MARCH 30, 2020
KARO-NA! Food Security
Taking a cue from my earlier writings and reported disruption in the supply chain or logistics of distribution of essential and non essential items during current pandemic; I realised how critical the “food distribution” mechanism is, especially in current situation when millions are stranded in the middle of nowhere and the Government is trying to keep them alive by feeding. Further, I draw inspiration from a mission called “The Midnight Mission” (https://www.midnightmission.org/) in which I got a chance to participate during my summer school at USC in summer of 2019.
Jeremy Erdman reported that as per available statistics there are around 800 million people who can be classified as hungry. Another two billion are expected to join them by 2050. Ironically, the food production has no connection with this angry and hungry situation. The farmers around the world produce enough food to feed close to 10 billion people, which means 1.5X of the required food quantity. Despite excess production, hunger still exists.
So where does the gap lie?
Globally, 30%-40% food is wasted in the process of transmitting food grains from the farm to consumers.Food safety or security is a basic human right which is regarded as a fundamental or natural right across the world. Humans, in spite of excess production and well meaning intent, suffer hunger. Statistics (https://www.globalpolicy.org/world-hunger.html) confirm that more than a billion people suffer from chronic malnutrition and more than 30 million people die of malnutrition and starvation every year - 100,000 every day. Now juxtaposing two situations together i.e. food production and deaths due to hunger presents a grim situation of the food distribution system. Three critical factors that will determine how hungry the world will be in the coming decades are; (a) climate, (b) food distribution system, and (c) interface of technology among (a) and (b). I am surprised to note that food production is not so much the culprit as the food distribution is. This is despite critics and agriculture experts seriously questioning the choice of land, crop, method of irrigation, and use of chemicals/fertilizers in the most productive agricultural regions of the world.
Starting with the first step i.e. taking food from the farm to market - procurement by Government and direct supplies to the market are the most inefficient and unscientific steps, which result in significant wastage of food grains. Lack of standard procurement policy results in farmer suicides across the world including India. Mind it! This is true even for the years when there is a bumper produce and per capita yield is very high. This is primarily due to inequities in public procurement policies, as Governments refuse to buy excess production at fair prices and they are not equipped to handle huge production year on year in terms of storage capabilities and taking it to consumers’ door steps.
The storage facilities are ill equipped, grossly inadequate, and illogically built in terms of geographical locations. The Food Corporation of India is the largest Government agency responsible for procuring and storage of food grains and as per sample surveys (http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810091995), losses on account of food grain is to the extent of 36% and factors responsible were moisture content, relative humidity, temperature, insects, pests, mites, rats etc. Seeing the gap in total production, inefficient food storage system and hunger in the country, The Supreme Court of India declared food safety as fundamental “Right to Life” as enshrined in Article 21 of The Indian Constitution. Thereafter, Indian Parliament legislated National Food Security Act, 2013, which is still not a complete solution to the problem. However, it has enabled a public distribution system to help the deprived section of the population i.e. malnourished children and lactating women through various self-help groups.
Bringing this writing in the context of the COVID-19 situation, the central Government and state Governments have come up with various methodologies to provide food to people stranded on highways and poor and marginalised sections of the society. In my understanding and as per guidance received by me, the distribution mechanism adopted in the current situation leaves much to be desired. Rather than fulfilling the requirements of people referred to above, the process is putting a very large section at risk of infection. I am not an expert on this issue, however, I want to highlight the seriousness of the food distribution system in every situation.