Needed, more HUNGaMA over malnutrition

"The solutions to ending chronic hunger, the consequences of which are felt over generations, are not complicated."

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Needed, more HUNGaMA over malnutrition:  The solutions to ending malnutrition are not complicated. What is necessary to be done is known and has been achieved in parts of our own country. What is needed are the will and the determination to make this happen.

From food security to food justice

"A quarter of a million women in Kerala are showing us how to earn livelihoods with dignity."

The Indian elite shrieks at the prospect of formalising a universal right to food. Notwithstanding the collective moral deficit this reveals, it also shows that the millions of Indians whose food rights are so flagrantly violated are completely voiceless in the policy space. India's problem is not only to secure food, but to secure food justice. The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : From food security to food justice.

 The experiment, "Sangha Krishi" or group farming, is part of Kerala's anti-poverty programme "Kudumbashree", initiated as a means to enhance local food production. These collectives lease fallow land, rejuvenate it, farm it and then either sell the produce or use it for consumption, depending on the needs of members. It is not a mere ‘project' or a ‘programme' but a social space where marginalised women can collectively pursue their needs and aspirations.

Kudumbashree office-bearers are elected, a crucial process for its members. These elections bring women into politics. And they bring with them a different set of values that can change politics. These groups are linked to state at village level and thus ensures that local development reflects the needs and aspirations of communities, who are not reduced to mere 'executors' of government programmes.  It is transforming the socio-political space that women inhabit — who in turn transform that space in vital ways.

Is this a sustainable, replicable model of food security? It is certainly one worth serious analysis!

Niger braces itself for year of food, aid emergency

"Erratic rainfall and western financial strife mean improved crisis preparations are being stretched to the limit"

As Niger braces itself for a food emergency after late and erratic rains last year and a surge in food prices, humanitarian agencies are stepping up malnutrition screening so that children receive swift treatment to prevent permanent damage. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Niger braces itself for year of food, aid emergency. At the best of times this vast landlocked country has trouble feeding itself. This year threatens to be particularly severe.

Humanitarian organisations estimate that 1.3 million people are suffering from acute malnutrition across the Sahel, a belt of countries. Other nations must take up the baton to ensure that the international response is fast and effective. The question is whether Sahel countries will receive enough help for such measures at a time of financial crisis in the west.

World Food Programme's food-for-work scheme means families receive grain, vegetables and oil for three months in return for work designed to build up the community's ability to sustain itself. Alas, all such efforts to build resilience will fall short as long as Niger continues to have one of the world's highest population growth rates.