‘Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow’ for Food Security

UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 3- Food Security

Introduction

World Food Day, observed on 16 October, carries the 2026 theme “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow.” It draws attention to a food crisis in which an estimated 645 million people faced hunger in 2025, while one-third of the world’s population could not afford healthy diets. India has moved from food scarcity to production, but food security also depends on nutrition, climate resilience, distribution and access to food.

Current Status of Food Security: Global Challenges and India’s Progress

1. Global Hunger Amid Food Abundance: Despite sufficient agricultural output, millions cannot afford nutritious diets. In 2025, a healthy diet cost an average of $4.28 per person per day, compared with the international extreme poverty line of $3 under purchasing power parity (PPP).
2. Climate Risks, Conflict and Economic Shocks: Climate change reduces crop yields and disrupts growing seasons, while wars damage harvests, displace farmers and interrupt supply chains. Economic shocks and food-price inflation further weaken purchasing power.
3. The Double Burden of Malnutrition: Asia had 292 million people facing chronic hunger in 2025, while 35% of women of reproductive age and 65% of children aged 6–23 months lacked minimally diverse diets. Some Pacific countries face high childhood stunting alongside rising adult obesity.
4. India’s Transition from Scarcity to Surplus: India moved from dependence on foreign food assistance in the 1960s to becoming a major agricultural producer. The Green Revolution, high-yielding seed varieties, expanded irrigation and assured prices supported this transformation.
5. Growth in Agricultural Production: India’s foodgrain production reached 376.56 million tonnes in 2025–26, according to the supplied figures. India is also a leading producer of rice, milk, millets, pulses, fruits and vegetables.
6. Agricultural Exports and Global Trade: India’s agricultural exports reached a record $52.55 billion in 2025–26, up from $51.12 billion in 2024–25, strengthening its role in global agricultural trade.
7. Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods: Fruit and vegetable production increased by more than 64 million metric tonnes over the past decade, expanding agricultural output and strengthening the economic base of rural areas.

India’s Initiatives for Food Security and Nutritional Security

1. Legal Entitlement to Food: The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, provides subsidised foodgrains to up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population, covering approximately 81 crore people.
2. Free Foodgrain Distribution under PMGKAY: The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana provides free foodgrains to eligible beneficiaries. The scheme was extended from January 2024 for five years, with a stated government expenditure of ₹11.80 lakh crore.
3. Digitisation of Food Distribution: Digitised ration cards, Aadhaar seeding and One Nation One Ration Card strengthen the Targeted Public Distribution System. Migrant workers can access their foodgrain entitlements across the country.
4. Universal Rice Fortification: The government has extended the universal supply of fortified rice under central schemes until December 2028. The rice contains iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 to help address micronutrient deficiencies, including anaemia.
5. Biofortification of Crops: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has developed more than 100 varieties of biofortified crops. These varieties aim to improve nutritional quality through crop development.
6. Promotion of Millets as Shree Anna: Millets require relatively little water and can grow under difficult climatic conditions. Their promotion through processing, agri-start-ups and exports creates opportunities for climate-resilient farming and dietary diversification.
7. Self-Reliance in Pulses: The National Mission for Self-Reliance in Pulses has an allocation of ₹11,440 crore for 2025–26 to 2030–31, with the goal of achieving self-sufficiency in pulses by 2031.
8. Reducing Edible Oil Imports: India imports approximately 55–60% of its edible oil consumption. The National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm promotes cultivation in northeastern states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to increase domestic production.

Role of Innovation in Transforming India’s Agri-Food Systems

1. Digital Agriculture and AgriStack: The Digital Agriculture Mission, with an allocation of ₹2,817 crore, supports digital land records, agricultural information and technology-based farming services. These tools can improve farm management and production decisions.
2. Direct Financial Support to Farmers: PM-KISAN has transferred more than ₹3 lakh crore to over 11 crore farmers, according to the supplied figures. Direct benefit transfers help farmers meet expenses such as purchasing seeds and fertilisers.
3. Digital Advisory and Dairy Management: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) supports digital agricultural advisory services and trains extension workers. Its Clean Milk Scorecard helps dairy farmers assess cattle management, hygiene and milk production practices.
4. Reducing Food Losses: FAO measures food losses and assesses their environmental impacts. Composting, bioenergy and recycling can convert agricultural waste into useful resources while improving resource efficiency.
5. Innovative Financing and Private Investment: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) combines production support, market access, finance and small-scale infrastructure to attract investment into rural value chains. Every dollar invested by IFAD in India has leveraged more than three dollars in total investment, while its global projects with strong private-sector participation have delivered income gains of 64%.
6. Improving Food Distribution through Technology: The World Food Programme (WFP) supports Grain ATMs, supply-chain optimisation and solutions developed through IIT Delhi’s Public Services Lab. These innovations aim to improve the efficiency of India’s public food distribution system.
7. Nutrition-Sensitive Food Assistance: WFP assesses food baskets and recommends dietary diversity, including nutrient-rich millets and other nutricereals. Its work also seeks to improve food assistance for children and pregnant women.

Major Challenges to Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security

1. Affordability of Healthy Diets: High food costs push vulnerable households towards cheaper, energy-dense and highly processed alternatives. Poor-quality diets are linked to more than 12% of deaths worldwide, making affordability a major nutrition concern.
2. Climate Vulnerability and Resource Constraints: Monsoon dependence, extreme weather and changing growing seasons threaten agricultural productivity. Fragmented landholdings and limited resources make it difficult for some farmers to adopt resilient farming practices.
3. Micronutrient Deficiencies and Poor Dietary Diversity: Adequate calorie intake does not guarantee sufficient vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Anaemia, childhood stunting and inadequate dietary diversity show the need to improve nutritional outcomes alongside food production.
4. Dependence on Imported Agricultural Commodities: India’s reliance on imported pulses and edible oils exposes domestic supplies to external market conditions. Greater domestic production is necessary to reduce this vulnerability.
5. Limited Investment in Rural Value Chains: Private investment is often weak in the early stages of food systems, where risks are high and small farmers need finance and infrastructure. This restricts access to markets and opportunities to raise rural incomes.
6. Food Losses and Supply-Chain Inefficiencies: Post-harvest losses waste agricultural output and resources, reducing farmers’ earnings and the food available for consumption. Better storage, handling and distribution are necessary to address these losses.
7. Unequal Access to Nutritious Food: Fresh produce and protein remain scarce or unaffordable in some local food environments. Low purchasing power and limited market access disproportionately affect vulnerable households, women and young children.

Way Forward

1. Move from Food Sufficiency to Nutritional Security: Food policies should ensure affordable, safe and diverse diets rather than focusing only on calorie availability. Fortification, biofortified crops and nutrition-sensitive food assistance can help address hidden hunger.
2. Scale Up Climate-Resilient Agriculture: Promote water-efficient crops, climate-resilient varieties, millets and improved agricultural advisory services. These measures can help farmers manage changing weather conditions and sustain productivity.
3. Strengthen Smallholder Farmers and Women: Improve access to finance, infrastructure, technology, training and markets, especially for small farmers and women. Traditional knowledge should complement scientific advances to develop locally suitable solutions.
4. Improve Food Value Chains: Better storage, processing, supply-chain management and market access can reduce food losses and increase farmers’ earnings. Composting, bioenergy and recycling can also improve resource efficiency.
5. Make Healthy Diets More Affordable: Food assistance should consider dietary diversity and nutritional requirements, particularly for children and pregnant women. Stronger local markets, purchasing power and nutrition-sensitive social protection can improve access to healthy food.
6. Integrate Agriculture with Health and Sanitation: India’s food security programmes can benefit from stronger links with primary healthcare, clean water, sanitation and nutrition education. Community-based approaches in countries such as Indonesia show how integrated services can reduce food insecurity.
7. Promote International Cooperation: India can share agricultural technologies, digital distribution systems and financing models with developing countries. Global partnerships should help adapt innovations to local farming conditions and support progress towards SDG 2: Zero Hunger by 2030.

Conclusion

India’s progress in food production and public distribution provides a strong foundation, but food security must also ensure affordable, diverse and nutritious diets. The next step is to combine climate-resilient farming, better value chains, targeted social protection and support for smallholders and women. Innovation should make food systems more inclusive, sustainable and resilient.

Question for practice:

Examine the role of innovation in strengthening food security and nutritional security in India, highlighting the major challenges and the way forward.

Source: The Hindu