Zero Hunger – Food in Every Plate

Hunger is one of the most pressing issues confronting our country. Hunger is caused not just by a shortage of food, but also by mismanagement and waste of it.

India has slid to 101^st place out of 116 nations in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021, down from 94^th place in 2020, and is now below its neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

Global Hunger Index

• The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a method for measuring and tracking hunger at the global, regional, and country levels.
• The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), located in Washington, D.C., calculates it.
• The scores are determined annually, taking into account factors such as undernutrition, child wasting, stunting, and child mortality.

How cans motto of food on every plate can be achieved

• There is a need for more efficient integrated food processing, manufacturing, preservation, and distribution systems that can meet the nation’s food needs.
• To cut down on post-harvest losses, Cold chain systems that are linked to agricultural markets allow farmers to earn more from remunerative markets while retaining the quality of their goods.
• Effective transportation infrastructure should be built to allow food to be transported from food surplus areas to food-deficit ones.
• To boost productivity, it is also necessary to ensure social fairness, gender inclusivity, and to make agriculture less labour demanding and gender friendly.
• Private enterprises should take the initiative to develop efficient ways to reduce food waste. According to a Boston Consulting Group analysis, fixing the problem of food loss and waste represents a $700 billion potential for private firms. Companies are also better positioned since they can influence customer behaviour.
• For example, the retail company Tesco has launched the ‘Buy one get one free—later’ offer, in which consumers may purchase particular food products and then claim the free goods when they need them.
• Food waste should be made more widely known to the general public through various media outlets such as television, radio, and social media platforms.
• Activities such as upgrading rural infrastructure and teaching farmers in post-harvest procedures to reduce losses.
• The government should enact legislation that penalises corporations for wasting food within their supply chain and promotes food repurposing and recycling.
• For example, since 2016, France has fined supermarket businesses for wasting edible food. The mentality of ‘disposing of is cheaper than utilising or reusing’ should be progressively modified.
• Farmers play a significant role in the economy, and they must be supported to reach the maximum levels of output and productivity, as well as a bigger proportion of profit throughout the value chain.
• Communication and collaboration among farmers are required to guarantee that no one crop is overproduced.

References:

• https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/world/india-slips-to-101st-rank-in-global-hunger-index-2021/article37004547.ece
• https://in.one.un.org/task-teams/zero-hunger-challenge/
• https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/