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

some, even substantial, impact on the access of children, girls and boys, to food. The performance
of these schemes depends very substantially on demand from below for provision of these services,
and also on the involvement of women in local governance. But, the entitlements that come through
special interventions have been separated in our analysis from those that provide the ‘normal’
entitlements to food. Of course, we also try to see whether there is a connection, as there ought to
be, between the food security status of a district and the public interventions in that district.
It therefore emerges that there are a number of indicators that influence food insecurity in one way
or the other. We have combined these indicators into a set of three broad food security indices:
1. Production factors (at the district level) influencing availability;
2. Household and individual access to food; and
3. Ability to absorb food.
3.3.1 Food Availability
The concern for food availability stems from production and related aspects that sustain a desired
level of food production (Box 3.2). Foodgrains are considered to be of paramount significance for
household food and nutritional security, the reason being that cereals and pulses are staple foods
and there are no perfect substitutes for them (Chand, 2007). Foodgrains are also the cheapest source
ANALYSIS OF FOOD SECURITY
Box 3.2. Agricultural Production and Food Security
It is commonly believed that agricultural production directly affects food security. However, there is more to it than a mere direct
link. Rising agricultural productivity increases rural incomes and lowers food prices, making food more accessible to the poor.
Improving irrigational facilities and growing drought-tolerant crops reduce income variability by mitigating the impact of drought.
Productivity enhancements are key to greater food security for households with limited access to food markets. Nutritionally
enriched crops give access to better diets, particularly through biofortification that substantially improves the nutrient content of
the crop.
Thus investments in agriculture are important to ensure food security. However, there is an increasing concern about global food
security in future, largely consequent upon growing resource scarcity and climate change. In the present world, many countries
have diversified their export base, and trade at large stabilizes food availability. However, food availability is still a concern in
many agriculture-based countries. Many countries have declining per capita production of food staples. Further, staple crop
production in most of these countries is rain-fed and experiences large fluctuations caused by climatic variability.
The increase or even sustenance of the present level of production is limited by a number of factors – land constraints, water
scarcity, high energy prices – along with the uncertain effects of climate change, which has been considered to be one of the
areas of greatest uncertainties for agriculture. The combined effects of higher average temperatures, greater variability of
temperature and precipitation, more frequent and intense droughts and floods and reduced availability of water for irrigation can
be devastating for agriculture, particularly in the tropical regions. It has been predicted that agricultural GDP in Sub-Saharan
Africa could contract by anywhere from 2 to 9 per cent.
Source: World Development Report, 2008.
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