Climate change and food system sustainability

Time for India (and the world) to rethink the food systems

 Climate change and food system sustainability

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Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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• The story: India has to transform its food systems, given the pace of climate change, and ensure that an inclusive and sustainable system is created for higher farm incomes and nutrition security. The United Nation's report on the Global Food System suggested that today's food systems are heavily afflicted by power imbalances and inequality, and do not work for most women.
• Food Systems: According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), food systems encompass the entire range of actors involved in - Production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal of food products that originate from agriculture, forestry or fisheries, and parts of the broader economic, societal and natural environments in which they are embedded.
• Challenges: First, the Green Revolution. Although there has been significant progress in the country’s agricultural development due to the Green Revolution, but it led to water-logging, soil erosion, groundwater depletion and the unsustainability of agriculture. Current policies are still based on the deficit mindset of the 1960s. The procurement, subsidies and water policies are biased towards rice and wheat. Three crops (rice, wheat and sugarcane) corner 75 to 80% of irrigated water, leading to water stress.
• Malnutrition: The NFHS-5 shows that under-nutrition has not declined in many states even in 2019-20. Similarly, obesity is also rising. The cost of the EAT-Lancet dietary recommendations for rural India ranges between USD 3 and USD 5 per person per day. In contrast, actual dietary intake is around USD 1 per person per day.
• Steps to be taken: First is crop diversification. Diversification of cropping patterns towards millets, pulses, oilseeds, horticulture is needed for more equal distribution of water, sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture. Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) should help get better prices for inputs and outputs for small holders. E-Choupal is an example of technology benefiting small farmers. Women’s empowerment is important particularly for raising incomes and nutrition.
• Climate change: Estimates show that the food sector emits around 30% of the world’s greenhouse gases. Sustainability has to be achieved in production, value chains and consumption.
• Health and inclusion: The Covid-19 pandemic has uncovered the weak well being infrastructure in international locations like India, notably in rural areas and a few areas. Inclusive food systems also need strong social protection programmes. India has long experience in these programmes. Strengthening India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Public Distribution System (PDS), nutrition programmes like Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Mid-Day Meal programmes, can improve income, livelihoods and nutrition for the poor and vulnerable groups.
• Summary: The UN Secretary-General will convene the Food Systems Summit in September 2021, which aims for a transformation of global food systems in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. It is a great opportunity to boost policies for achieving SDGs. India has to seriously plan ahead now, given that climate change is an inescapable fact.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the interlinking of food system and social security. (2) What top three changes would you recommend for India's food systems, to make them sustainable and dependable, for the masses.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

#FoodSystem #Sustainable #UN #WFP

 

 

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