Food Security Atlas of Rural Bihar - WFP Remote Access Secure ...

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Executive Summary Executive Summary Despite India’s recent record of high rates of economic growth, it is a major concern that growth is not proportionately contributing to reduction of poverty and malnutrition. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) earlier collaborated in analysing the food insecurity situation in different states in the country. Using chosen indicators to map the relative standing of states with regard to food security, MSSRF and WFP prepared three Food Insecurity Atlases of India in 2001 (Rural), 2002 (Urban) and 2004 (Sustainability of Food Security). The atlases raised the bar in the analysis and understanding of food security across states. Following the path-breaking national-level atlases, it was decided to extend the analysis to the district level, the level at which food security interventions are implemented. As India lacks estimates of an important indicator like poverty for a district, the Institute for Human Development (IHD) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) have together undertaken an analysis of the dimensions of food security at the sub-state or district level, for eight states of India including Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. This report deals with the food security situation in Bihar based on the findings from a recent exercise with the following underlying objectives: l To identify the regions and social groups in Bihar most affected by food insecurity; l To analyse the nature and dynamics of the food security situation at the sub-state level; and l To suggest policy interventions appropriate to improving food security for those regions and social groups. The study suggests five dimensions of the Bihar economy which have a direct bearing on food security in the state which are as follows: 1. The main strength of the Bihar economy, after bifurcation in 2000, lies in its rich agricultural soil and water resources as its forest areas are mainly absorbed with Jharkhand. The flood-prone area in Northern Bihar affects agricultural yields. 2. Variability of agricultural growth rate was more than three times higher in Bihar than at the all India level. 3. In terms of its infrastructure, rural road connectivity, which, among other things is essential to support agricultural growth, is very poor. 4. The incidence of poverty in rural Bihar is one of the highest in the country though the pace of its decline during 1994-2005 was higher than at the all-India level. 5. Female literacy in Bihar (33.6%) is well below the all-India Level (54.2%). 1
The report attempts to define food security and its significance, which becomes the basis of identifying the most food insecure districts in Bihar. In order to examine food security at the district level, three contributing dimensions at the input level, namely availability of food, access to it through the market and absorption of food by the body have been considered. The issue of food security has been implicated by outcomes (child mortality and under-nutrition), improvements in which take a longer time to manifest themselves. From the policy point of view, input dimensions of food security are relatively more relevant since they are based on variables that can be influenced by the state, while outcomes are an end product of food security and availability of health facilities. Keeping this in mind, this report first examines output and outcome measures of food security and then examines the input dimensions of food security. Bihar displays one of the highest degrees of year-to-year fluctuations in the agriculture produce due to frequent floods. This has a severe negative impact on food security in the state, both at the macro as well as micro level (household and individual) access to food. Although the overall food availability in rural Bihar has improved over the years, the per capita availability of foodgrains in Bihar is among the lowest in the country. The overall per capita availability of cereals has declined over the years. Data for outcome of food security were neither available nor accessible at the district level, which led the study to consider proxies. There is abundant evidence that child-related outcome indices are very closely related to food security. There are two child-related variables for which NFHS data are available at the district level and which are fairly accurate indicators of food security outcomes. These are the child mortality rate for children below five years of age and child under-nutrition as reflected in the proportion of underweight children. Using the Range Equalisation method, these two indicators have been composited by taking their average to obtain an intermediate overall district level index of Food Security Outcome for Bihar. On the basis of this index, the districts have been classified into five groups, namely, Secure (S), Moderately Secure (MS), Moderately Insecure (MIS), Severely Insecure (SIS) and Extremely Insecure (EIS). On the basis of food security outcome index, the current 37 districts of Bihar are classified in five groups. Seven districts fall in the first group (S), and 11, 10, 7 and 2 districts fall in the second (MS), third (MIS), fourth (SIS) and fifth (EIS) groups, respectively. In case of input factors (availability of food, access to food and absorption of food), a total of eleven variables (three for availability of food, six for access to food and two for absorption of food) have been considered. The Composite Food Security Input Index (FSI) based on all the indicators has been classified into aforesaid five gradations of food security, as in the case of Food Security Outcome Index. Comparing the classification of districts by the output and the input approaches, a total of 12 food insecure districts are identified. These are Kishanganj, Araria, Jamui, Katihar, Madhepura, Purnia, Sheohar, Aurangabad, Kaimur, Sitamarhi, Lakhisarai and Banka. These have been designated ‘Special Category Districts’ (SCD). 2 FOOD SECURITY ATLAS OF RURAL BIHAR
Page 1 and 2: Food Security Atlas Of Kaimur RURAL
Page 3 and 4: Copyright © 2009 The UN World Food
Page 5 and 6: i v
Page 7 and 8: TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP Chairperso
Page 9 and 10: viii
Page 12 and 13: Acknowledgements The preparation of
Page 14 and 15: Foreword Preface Acknowledgements L
Page 16 and 17: List of Tables, Figures, Maps and B
Page 18 and 19: List of Abbreviations AAGR Average
Page 22 and 23: Having identified the twelve most f
Page 24 and 25: INTRODUCTION 1. Introduction 1. Int
Page 26 and 27: produced or wage labour) and social
Page 28 and 29: As we have seen earlier, a reasonab
Page 30 and 31: A PROFILE OF THE STATE OF BIHAR Map
Page 32 and 33: (i) Human Development We may first
Page 34 and 35: Table 2.4: Region-wise Percentage S
Page 36 and 37: country. Even in terms of rural ele
Page 38 and 39: As evident from Table 2.10, for the
Page 40 and 41: There is a very high rural populati
Page 42 and 43: Food security is an outcome of the
Page 44 and 45: ANALYSIS OF FOOD SECURITY Box 3.1:
Page 46 and 47: ANALYSIS OF FOOD SECURITY Table 3.2
Page 50 and 51: some, even substantial, impact on t
Page 52 and 53: can acquire through sale of labour
Page 54 and 55: ig problem in rural areas (Krishnan
Page 58 and 59: The extent of irrigation is found t
Page 60 and 61: FOOD AVAILABILITY Table 4.3: Propor
Page 62 and 63: FOOD AVAILABILITY Table 4.5: Percen
Page 64 and 65: FOOD AVAILABILITY Table 4.6: Enviro
Page 66 and 67: 4.5 Status of Availability Index Ta
Page 68 and 69: FOOD AVAILABILITY Map 4.5: Food Ava
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The critical significance of access
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ACCESS TO FOOD Table 5.2: Rural Cas
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5.3 Agricultural Labourers ACCESS T
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The proportion of agricultural labo
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ACCESS TO FOOD Map 5.4: Proportion
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ACCESS TO FOOD Map 5.5: Ratio of Wo
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ACCESS TO FOOD Map 5.6: Status of R
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ACCESS TO FOOD Table 5.13: Level of
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Table 5.15 Contd... Paschim Champar
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It has been estimated that in devel
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42.76 per cent in Munger and 49.42
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FOOD ABSORPTION Table 6.3: Percenta
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6.3 Status of Districts on Absorpti
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7. Addressing Food Insecurity in Bi
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ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY IN BIHAR
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Table 7.3: Region-wise Priority Dis
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ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY IN BIHAR
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Table 7.9: Special Category Distric
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Table 7.12: Intercorrelation Matrix
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In the case of casual wage rates it
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Table 7.14: District Ranks in Terms
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Table 7.15: District Ranks in Terms
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Serial District Rank In Terms of: N
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8. Specific Policy Interventions fo
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Figure 8.1: Allocation Proposed und
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the case of 25 NFSM-wheat districts
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supply, rural electrification and r
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Map 8.1: Status of Public Intervent
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Access to PDS and the Poor Table 8.
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l The conflicts between dealers and
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In Bhojpur district, the food stock
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Provided that areas are not cut off
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land reform movements in India (e.g
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Is it likely that there would be en
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3. The water source should exist wi
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Table A. Original Values of Policy
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Table C. Policy Variable-wise Prior
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CONCLUSION 9. Conclusion: Towards a
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The linking of food schemes with in
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From the point of view of policy in
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Agarwal, Bina (1994), “A Field of
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Mishra, Srijit (2007b), Agriculture
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APPENDIX I Appendix I: The Right to
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The PUCL petition also pointed to t
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Name of Variable and Description So
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here is based on two child-related
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