Food Security in India : Challenges of 21st Century

Contents: Preface. 1. Food security in India/Anshu. 2. Food security: issues and challenges/Ajit Kumar. 3. Food insecurity in India/Shambhu Ghatak. 4. Food security system in India/Ali Mohammad. 5. Problems of food security measurement in India/Khusro Moin. 6. Traditional crop diversity and livelihood system in Garhwal Himalayas/Mohan Singh Panwar and Sunesh Kumar Sharma. 7. Women as the key to food security/Monica Ahlawat. 8. The impact of climate change on food security in India/Pratibha Bhalla. 9. Impact of climate change on agriculture in coastal Orissa/Vaibhav Kaul. 10. Impact of SEZs on agriculture and food security in India/Surender Singh. 11. Global financial crisis and its impact on food security/Arun Tripathi. 12. Food crisis and geopolitics of food resources/Ruby Choudhary. 13. Prelude to Cancun: India's trade policy reviews under the World Trade Organization/Chris Blackden. 14. Biofuel production and utilization in Indian context/Pitam Chandra. 15. Food supply in China: lessons for India/Preiysha Jain.

"Food crisis in the 21st century is brought on by the ever increasing demand and the deteriorating environmental conditions. The last century witnessed rise in food grain prices due to poor harvests, which lasted a short time. In comparison, the recent escalations in food grain prices are trend driven. It becomes imperative therefore to reverse the trend itself. Demand side trends see the rise in number of people of earth by more than 70 million each year, which is not only increasing demands on food items but also diverting grains to production of biofuels. On the supply side the environmental conditions are steadily worsening. The loss of fertile top soil due to deforestation, fall in water table, changing temperature conditions, increase in frequency of droughts are all resulting in lower grain yields. These trends need to be reversed to fulfill the aim of providing safe and nutritious food to all in the present century.

This book is an out come of the deliberations of the two day National Workshop on 'Food Security in India: Problems and Prospects' held in 2008 at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, with financial assistance from University Grants Commission and Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Govt. of India." (jacket)