That food security is one of the prime concerns of our democratic polity is almost axiomatic. All nations, especially those which conduct elections at regular intervals in a fair and transparent manner have to ensure both food security , assured livelihoods and an entitlement approach to ensure that the right to food and work become integral to the political economy of the country. Thus over the years, in our own country, right to food and work is no longer regarded as a ‘largesse from the political leadership’, but a fundamental right , and many judicial pronouncements have brought this under the gamut of Article 21. The Agriculture Departments are busy trying to work out strategies to ensure that production of cereals, oilseeds and pulses keeps pace with rising demand of an ever burgeoning population, and increased longevity . The challenges are not just in increasing production, but in arresting the higher input prices – farm equipment, seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, insecticides, besides diesel and power for the energization of pump sets. Then there is the ecological dimension of food security ,especially with regard to the utilization of ground water, and the health of the soil. AgriMatters has already raised the issue about the alarming decline in the water table in the main paddy growing areas of Punjab, Haryana and West UP, and its long term implications on food security for the country.
What are the possible options ? Reducing the per head calorific consumption is neither possible , nor desirable . Reducing wastage through better warehousing, storage and logistics is conventional thinking, and can definitely save up to 15-20% of the produce. But one has to think beyond. And this is where we have to start looking at consumption patterns – where are the calories coming from. Fifty years ago, a fair share of calories in the typical food basket of an Indian included a large share of coarse cereals – bajra, jowar, ragi, mandua etc to name a few. These are crops which are best situated to the local agro climatic conditions, make the best use of moisture content, provide better nutrition and are the preferred cuisine. However , over the last three decades, and especially after the Green Revolution, the emphasis has been primarily on paddy and wheat. Paddy is a very water intensive crop, and its spread to areas which do not have abundant water has taken a heavy toll on the regenerative capacities of the soil. The costs of restoring soil health have never really been incorporated in any of the calculations of the CACP : in any case as these are spread over several crop cycles, the challenge of assigning costs over medium to long term is fraught with methodological problems.
However , there is a possible way out. When districts are formulating their Agricultural Plans, they should also collect empirical,(and where that is not possible) episodic details about the crops that were grown before the onset of the Green Revolution. Some of the old district gazetteers may prove helpful in this task. It should then be possible to draw alternative cropping patterns taking into account the available water and moisture. The question of finding a market for these crops remain – for an entire generation has been raised on the GR crops -and it is here that the Mid Day Meal scheme and decentralized PDS can help. Such an exercise could lead us to plan differently in the next few years. It is therefore imperative that the National Food Security Mission should extend its support beyond rice , wheat, pulses and oilseeds to include coarse cereals. Rather, it should offer a better package for coarse cereals, especially in the districts where the economic and ecological costs of drawing groundwater have touched the roof. Therefore the most water stressed areas in the country should be incentivised to shift to less water guzzling crops, and rice and sugarcane to the water abundant regions. The District Administrations and the Zilla Panchayats should also be engaged in this dialogue as they are also major stakeholders in this project, especially as the responsibility for PDS and Mid day meal scheme rests on them. Moreover this will strengthen the local economy, and ensure food security at district and sub district levels. This is a better proposition not only from the point of view of ecology and economy, but also equity.
Having said all this, the question crops up : why is it not happening ? what prevents the agricultural officers at district level to plan on these lines?
In the first instance, there is pressure from the government to achieve production targets for crops which has been decided at state HQs keeping in mind the Food security requirements on the wheat-paddy matrix. It is important to break this binary node, and make it more versatile. This is easier said than done – because the crop production system cannot be insulated from the context of the dominant political economy. Then there is the larger issue of the system not being able to pick signals from the ground , and the general reluctance of officers at the field level to think ‘out-of -the box’. With few exceptions, most of the meetings are ‘expert driven’, and the system of field inspections, village tours and overnight camps are fast disappearing. These afforded an opportunity to the officials and visiting academia to interact with those engaged in the actual task of cultivation.
However, given the general realization that the business as usual approach cannot go on forever, this is perhaps the right time to at least start talking about this change. If one looks back, the Green Revolution was also driven by a crisis – that of food security . This time the challenge is different : it is not visible in the face, but is growing exponentially beneath the soil, and unless the issues are addressed, the problems will remain underground. All the more reasons for all those enagaged in this task to take a fresh look at ways and means to ensure food, income and livelihood security.