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

There is a very high rural population density in Bihar implying an intensive land use pattern. About 61
per cent of the reporting area is cultivated in the state as compared to 51 per cent in the country as
a whole. The area under forests has increased slightly. Marginal lands (culturable and unculturable
wasteland under village commons, rivers and tank beds) have also been brought under cultivation.
Vertical intensification is also high and cropping intensity is 143 per cent. This compares well with
189 per cent in the Punjab, which has 94 per cent gross irrigated area as against 55 per cent in
Bihar (Institute for Human Development, 2007).
Somewhat more than 61 per cent of land resources of the state are locked into crop production.
Foodgrain crops account for 87 per cent of the gross cropped area (GCA) in the state (Institute for
Human Development, 2007). On the other hand, at the country level, only about 65 per cent area is
occupied by foodgrain crops.
2.3 Health and Nutritional Status
A healthy person has a higher capacity to work. The health of an individual is directly related to his or
her economic status. Health and nutritional status can be measured through a number of indicators.
While mortality under age one (infant mortality) is an indicator of poor reproductive health facilities
and antenatal care, mortality under age five is closely linked with health and nutrition services including
A PROFILE OF THE STATE OF BIHAR
Table 2.12: Mortality and Nutritional Status of Children and Women *
Under- Infant Under- Wasted Stunted Anemic Thin
five Mortality weight Children Children Children Women
Mortality Children(%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
India 74.3 57 42.5 19.8 48.0 69.5 35.6
Uttar Pradesh 96.4 72.7 42.4 14.8 56.8 73.9 36.0
Madhya Pradesh 94.2 69.5 60.0 35.0 50.0 74.1 41.7
Jharkhand 93.0 68.7 56.5 32.3 49.8 70.3 43.0
Orissa 90.6 64.7 40.7 19.5 45.0 65.0 41.4
Chhattisgarh 90.3 70.8 47.1 19.5 52.9 71.2 43.4
Rajasthan 85.4 65.3 39.9 20.4 43.7 69.7 36.7
Assam 85.0 66.1 36.4 13.7 46.5 69.6 36.5
Bihar 84.8 61.7 55.9 27.1 55.6 78.0 45.1
Maharashtra 46.7 37.5 37.0 16.5 46.3 63.4 36.2
Best State 16.3 15.3 22.9 9.2 24.5 44.5 18.0
(Kerala) (Kerala) (Kerala) (Punjab) (Kerala) (Kerala) (Kerala)
Worst State 96.4 72.7 60 35.0 56.8 78.0 45.1
(UP) (UP) (MP) (MP) (UP) (Bihar) (Bihar)
Source: National Family Health Survey, 2005-06.
Note:* Only those states have been selected that have under-five mortality higher than 80 per thousand live births.
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