NCERT Notes Class-9 Economics Chapter-4: Food Security in India discusses that food security is the ability of a country to produce enough food to feed its population. It is also the ability of people to access food and have the money to buy it. Food security is important because it ensures that people have enough to eat and are healthy. In India, food security is a major concern. The country has a large population and a lot of poverty. This means that there are many people who do not have enough to eat.

What is Food Security?

Food security is essential for living and involves availability, accessibility, and affordability. It involves food production, imports, and government granaries. Accessible food is accessible to everyone, and affordability ensures adequate, safe, and nutritious food for dietary needs. No barriers on food access are necessary for food security.

Why Food Security?

Food insecurity affects the poorest and those above the poverty line when a country experiences a national disaster or calamity. Natural calamities, such as drought, floods, and crop failures, cause a shortage of food, leading to increased prices and potential starvation. Famines, such as the Bengal famine in 1943, can result in widespread deaths and epidemics. Natural calamities and pandemics, like the Covid-19 pandemic, can also lead to food shortages, impacting economic activity. Therefore, food security is crucial to ensure food availability during all times.

Who are Food-Insecure?

Food and nutrition insecurity in India disproportionately affects landless individuals, traditional artisans, self-employed workers, and destitutes. Urban families often have working members in seasonal, low-wage, seasonal jobs, ensuring bare survival.

Food insecurity in India is a significant issue, with a high incidence of malnutrition among women and pregnant and nursing mothers. The population is disproportionately large in economically backward states, tribal and remote areas, and regions more prone to natural disasters. Hunger is another aspect of food insecurity, with chronic and seasonal dimensions. Chronic hunger is a result of inadequate diets and low income, while seasonal hunger is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting. The percentage of seasonal and chronic hunger has declined in India.

India has been aiming for self-sufficiency in food grains since independence, with a focus on the ‘Green Revolution’ in agriculture, particularly in wheat and rice production. The success of wheat was replicated in rice, with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh experiencing the highest growth rates. The total foodgrain production has increased significantly, with wheat production reaching 26.87 million tonnes in 2015-16 and rice production reaching 12.51 million tonnes in 2016.

Story of Ramu

Ramu works as a casual laborer in Raipur village, with his youngest son Somu working as a pali for the Sarpanch’s cattle. Ramu has three other sons and two daughters, but they are too young to work on the field. His wife Sunhari works part-time as a house cleaner and supplemented by Ramu’s earnings. Agriculture is seasonal, and Ramu is unemployed for about four months during plant consolidation and maturation. He earns enough cash and kind to buy essentials for his family.

Story of Ahmad

Ahmad, a rickshaw puller in Bangladesh, lives with his family in a jhuggi, relying on his daily earnings for survival. His income fluctuates daily, but he has a yellow PDS Card for below poverty line people, which provides him with essentials at half of the market price. He purchases his monthly stock during ration shop openings, ensuring his family’s survival.

What is Buffer Stock?

Buffer Stock is a government procurement of wheat and rice from farmers in surplus production states. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) is declared annually to incentivize farmers to increase production. The purchased foodgrains are stored in granaries, distributing them to deficit areas and poorer strata at lower prices than the market price, addressing food shortages during adverse weather conditions.

What is the Public Distribution System?

The Food and Nutrition Authority (FCI) distributes food to the poor through the Public Distribution System (PDS), which has around 5.5 lakh ration shops across India. These shops, also known as Fair Price Shops, stock foodgrains, sugar, and kerosene for cooking at lower prices. Rationing in India dates back to the 1940s and was revived in the 1960s due to food shortages. Three food intervention programs were introduced: PDS for food grains, ICDS for Integrated Child Development Services, and FFW for Food-for-Work. Poverty Alleviation Programmes (PAPs) also aim to enhance food security.

Current Status of Public the Distribution System

The Public Distribution System (PDS) is a crucial step taken by the Government of India (GoI) to ensure food security. It has been revised over the years to make it more efficient and targeted, with the introduction of the Revised Public Distribution System (RPDS) in 1992 and the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) in 1997. The system has contributed to an increase in foodgrain production and income security for farmers in certain regions. However, the PDS has faced criticism for its high buffer stocks, which can be wasteful and lead to wastage and deterioration in grain quality.

The increased food grains procurement at enhanced MSP# is due to pressure exerted by leading foodgrain producing states, such as Punjab, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh. The procurement is concentrated in a few prosperous regions, mainly of wheat and rice, which has led to environmental degradation and a fall in water levels. The per person per month consumption of rice has declined from 6.38 Kg in 2004-05 to 5.98 Kg in 2011-12.

Per capita consumption of PDS rice has doubled in rural India and increased by 66% in urban India since 2004-05. PDS dealers are sometimes found resorting to malpractices, such as diverting grains to open markets or selling poor quality grains at ration shops. The decline of the PDS is also due to the lack of a fixed quota for families, including low-income families, and the high prices for APL families.

Role of Cooperatives in Food Security

Cooperatives are crucial in India’s food security, particularly in the southern and western regions. They set up shops to sell low-priced goods to poor people, with 94% of fair price shops in Tamil Nadu being run by cooperatives. In Delhi, Mother Dairy and Amul have made significant strides in providing milk and vegetables at controlled rates. In Maharashtra, the Academy of Development Science (ADS) has facilitated the establishment of grain banks through training and capacity building programs.

Conclusion – NCERT Notes Class 9 Economics: Chapter 4: Food Security in India

In India, food security is a major concern. The country has a large population and a lot of poverty. This means that there are many people who do not have enough to eat. The government of India has taken a number of steps to try to improve food security. These steps include increasing food production, improving the distribution of food, providing food subsidies to the poor, and creating employment opportunities. The government has also created a number of programs to help people who are food insecure. These programs include the Public Distribution System (PDS), the National Food Security Act, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

Also Check:

• CBSE Class 10 Notes Economics Chapter 1: Development
• CBSE Notes Class 10 Economics Chapter 2 : Sectors of the Indian Economy
• CBSE Notes Class 10 Economics Chapter 3: Money and Credit

FAQs on NCERT Notes Class 9 Economics: Chapter 4: Food Security in India

What is the main focus of NCERT Notes Class 9 Economics Chapter 4: Food Security in India?

The chapter focuses on understanding the concept of food security, its dimensions, challenges, and government interventions in ensuring access to food for all.

How is food security defined?

Food security is defined as the condition where all individuals have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and preferences.

What are the dimensions of food security?

Food security includes availability, accessibility, affordability, and utilization of food, along with stability and sustainability of food supply.

What are the main causes of food insecurity in India?

Causes of food insecurity in India include poverty, unequal distribution of food, inadequate food production, high food prices, lack of infrastructure, and vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change.

How does the Public Distribution System (PDS) contribute to food security?

The Public Distribution System (PDS) provides subsidized food grains to vulnerable populations, ensuring access to food at affordable prices and reducing hunger and malnutrition.

What are some government schemes and programs aimed at improving food security?

Government schemes like Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Mid-Day Meal Scheme, National Food Security Act (NFSA), and National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) aim to improve food security by enhancing nutrition, employment, and social protection.

What role do agricultural policies play in ensuring food security?

Agricultural policies promote food production, productivity, diversification, and price stabilization to enhance food availability, reduce dependency on imports, and improve food security in India.