The Hindu : National : ‘Anti-poverty strategies must prioritise hunger’

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‘Anti-poverty strategies must prioritise hunger’

Gargi Parsai

M.S. Swaminathan calls for community food security system

M.S. Swaminathan

NEW DELHI: To meet the challenge of food demand of a growing population in developing countries, cereal yields will have to be increased by 40 per cent and net irrigation water requirements by 40-50 per cent. An additional 100-200 million hectares of land may be required to meet double the current food demand by 2050, agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan said on Friday.

He was delivering an MIPD (Management Institute of Population and Development) public lecture here on “Population stabilisation and sustainable food and livelihood security.”

Dr. Swaminathan said there were worrisome trends in global hunger, a cause of poverty. To tackle the problem, a twin-track approach — enhancement of small farm productivity and strengthening of nutrition safety nets — was needed.

Negative impact

Empirical evidence pointed to the negative impact of hunger and malnutrition on labour productivity, including health and nutrition. “The impact ultimately causes lower levels of economic growth. The anti-poverty strategies have to prioritise hunger.”

Land, he said, was a source of agri-business in industrialised countries while it was the soul of survival for the majority population in developing countries.

Instead of global partnerships on water, biodiversity, genetic resources and climate convention, what was required was a “global soil partnership for sustainable food and livelihood security.”

Reliable, affordable

Food security based on home-grown food provided livelihood security to over 60 per cent of India’s population. It was reliable and affordable.

It strengthened national sovereignty and bridged the urban-rural technological, economic and gender divides.

Dr. Swaminathan said the pathway to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal of eradicating hunger and poverty was the community food security system with emphasis on “conservation, cultivation, consumption and commerce.”

It was imperative to establish decentralised gene banks, seed banks, grain banks and water banks.

“Sustainable agriculture was integration of traditional knowledge and modern science.”

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