Common Futures

NUTRITION
At the first India-Africa Summit in April 2008, the President of United Republic
of Tanzania and then Chairperson of the African Union, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete
said that one of the major concerns for Africa is food security and urged India
to invest in capacity building in the agricultural sector.
At the first India-Africa Summit in April 2008, the President of United
Republic of Tanzania and then Chairperson of the African Union, Jakaya
Mrisho Kikwete said that one of the major concerns for Africa is food security
and urged India to invest in capacity building in the agricultural sector. In
his closing remarks he stated that Africa’s agricultural sector was dominated
by traditional peasant agriculture and continued to suffer from low levels
of production. He asserted that, “India has the technology and the skills,
which if made available to Africa; it will help implement the African Green
Revolution.” 3
It is true that despite possessing less than 3 percent of the world’s arable
land, India made significant agricultural and technological advancements
to become self-sufficient in food grain production. Today, the country has
the world’s largest area under cultivation for wheat, rice, and cotton and
is amongst the largest producers of milk, pulses, and spices 4 . Hence its
demographic pressures notwithstanding, it is commendable that India has
made efficacious use of agriculture technologies and innovations, invested
in substantial human and capital resources, to become one of the biggest
international agricultural producers. Moreover, India’s approach to the issue
of internal food security has global implications as was evident in November
last year when the WTO acceded to India’s demand to remove constraints on
the food stockpiling issue.
Yet, it is essential to acknowledge that in the context of food security, India
itself is a paradox. While the country has seen impressive economic growth
and advances in agricultural technology, high levels of poverty, hunger, and
malnutrition persist within the country. India remains home to one-quarter of
the world’s undernourished population, over a third of the world’s underweight
children, and nearly a third of the world’s food-insecure people. 5
This evident paradox can be contextualized by understanding what the
attainment of food security entails. According to the FAO, “Food security
2 World Food Programme, India Overview, Accessed on October 8, 2015, https://www.wfp.org/
countries/wfp-innovating-with-india/overview
3 Renu Modi, “Partnering for Food Security,” India Africa – A shared Future, Accessed on October 8,
2015, http://www.indiafrica.in/FViewsRenuModi.html
4 The World Bank, “India: Issues and Priorities for Agriculture,” May 17, 2012, http://www.worldbank.
org/en/news/feature/2012/05/17/india-agriculture-issues-priorities
5 Sharad Raghavan, “MDG report: India on track in reducing poverty,” The Hindu, July 8, 2015,
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/millennium-development-goals-report-2015-india-ontrack-in-reducing-poverty/article7396544.ece?homepage=true
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