food & nutrition security - position paper

8/13/2019 Food & Nutrition Security - Position Paper

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Emmanuel Hospital Association

Position Paper on Food and Nutrition SecurityFinal Draft

- Abraham Dennyson, B.Tech (Agri. Eng.) Programme Manger (Food & Nutrition Security)

An introduction

more than 1 billion people are hungry, six million children die of hunger every year -- 17,000

every day UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon1(2009). Recent projections from FAO show

1.02 billion hungry people globally. That is one in six of all humanity and up to 2 billion people

lack food security (source:FAO,2010). India ranks 66th of the total 88 nations surveyed in

Global Hunger Index lower than Bangladesh and other sub-Sahara nations. More than onethird of the worlds children who are wasted live in India. Micronutrient deficiencies are

widespread in India and 43.1 % of Indias children are underweight. 48 % (i.e. 61 million

children) are stunted due to chronic undernutrition. It is a sobering picture

Article 25 (1) of UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948) and the ICESCR

(International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966) stated the right of

everyone to adequate food and specifying the fundamental right of everyone to be free from

hunger. India is an active member of the United Nations and is a state party to ICESCR.

Hence there is an obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the right to food for every citizen of

India. Article 21 of the Indian Constitution provides the fundamental right to the protection of life

and personal liberty. This article mandates the state to ensure the right to life of citizens. Article

47 of Directive Principle of State Policy specifies that the duty of the state to raise the level of

nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health. The orders of the Apex Court

of India interpret the right to food as part of the right to life, which is a fundamental right as per

the Indian Constitution. In Dec 2011 the Indian union cabinet had cleared the drat National

Food Security Bill 2011 which is yet to be tabled in the parliament.

Food security refers to a situation where all people, at all times, have physical and economic

access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences

for an active and healthy life. Food availability and stability were considered good measures of

1 http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/11/17/italy.food.summit/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAOhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAO


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Figure 1: Number of Starving people in some regions of the World

Figure 2: Starvation - Source FAO 2011 (2010 data are estimates)

"Close to 500 million small-scale farmers constitute the backbone of food production, yet often

lack the means to support themselves," says Graziano da Silva FAO Director-General to the

G20 Leaders. Of total starving population, 50% are small farmers, 20% are landless rural

dwellers, 10% are nomadic herders, or small-scale fishermen, and 10% live in urban poverty.


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Barely 5% are affected by food emergency situations arising from armed conflicts, by

exceptional climatic conditions (mainly drought or floods) or by violent economic transitions. Of

the 5 million children dying each year from hunger and the side effects of malnutrition, only 10%

are victims of armed conflict or famine3

Josu de Castro (1908-1973) a Brazilian sociologist and chairman of the executive committee of

the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), summed it up thus: Hunger is

exclusionexclusion from the land, from income, jobs, wages, life and citizenship. When a

person gets to the point of not having anything to eat, it is because all the rest has been denied.

This is a modern form of exile. It is death in life ...4

Soaring food prices affect poor consumers directly by reducing the amount of food they can

purchase. Causes of undernourishment and of death from hunger and malnutrition are

immensely complex, and cannot be simply attributed to war or natural catastrophes. They are

primarily due to social injustice, to political and economic exclusion and to discrimination.

Hundreds of millions of undernourished persons suffer from political and social exclusion while

their right to food is violated

National Food Security Act 2013:The National Food Security Act 2013 received ascent of the

President on 10 Sep 2013. However it deemed to have come in force as on 5 July 2013. This

act introduces eligible households (instead of BPL/APL) called Priority & Antyodaya

households. Each member in the priority household is entitled to 5 kgs of food grains perperson per month, and Antyodaya to 35 kgs per household per month. The combined coverage

of Priority and Antyodaya households shall extend up to 75% of the rural population and up to

50% of the urban population. The PDS issue prices are given in Schedule I: Rs 3/2/1 per kg for

rice/wheat/millets. These may be revised after three years.

This act also brings other food schemes under this act like the Integrated Child Development

Services (ICDS) Scheme (for 6 months to 3 years and 3 to 6 years age group) Mid Day Meal

Scheme (for school children) and Take Home Rations (for pregnant women and lactating

mothers). Under the name of women empowerment eldest woman, who is not less than

3 http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/007/y5650e/y5650e00.htm Ibid.

4 Right to Food Case Study: Brazil, February 2004, p. 9, FAO Documents IGWG RTFG /INF 4/APP.1:

www.fao.org/righttofood/common/ecg/51629_fr_template_case_study_Brazil_Annex.pdf


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eighteen years of age, in every eligible household, shall be head of the household for the

purpose of issuing ration card. While this is something but not sure issuing ration card in the

name of woman will empower her.

The Act does not specify criteria for the identification of households eligible for PDS

entitlements. The identification of eligible households is left to state governments, subject to the

schemes guidelines for Antyodaya, and subject to guidelines to be specified by the state

government for.

Food Schemes5:Starvation deaths have become extreme manifestation of widespread hunger

and malnutrition vis-a-vis failure of government measures designed to augment the condition of

the poorest of the poor. Indias food schemes are were converted by the Supreme Court into

legal entitlements in its order dated 28 November 2001. Embedded in this order is a direction

to State Governments to fully implement them according to official guidelinesi. Mahatma

Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Employment Act (MGNREGA) - which provides a work

guarantee to the rural people deemed the most destitute segment of the population is enacted

to improve their purchasing power and eventually alleviate their poverty. However the

implementation of these schemes remains questionable.

Estimation of Poverty Line:The current poverty line is based on a survey of consumer

behaviour conducted in 1973-74. Based on this survey, a consumption basket was proposed

that would ensure, on an average, 2100 calories per person per day in urban areas and 2400calories per person per day in rural areas. The poverty lines that were then established have

been criticized for being too low, and for focusing exclusively on food consumption norms, with

no allowance being made for expenditure on, inter alia, health, education, and other basic

needs (Saith, 2005)

In November 2009, the Report of the Expert Group to Review the Methodology for Estimation of

Poverty (chaired by Professor Suresh Tendulkar) was submitted to the Planning Commission

(GoI, 2009). The poverty line that it proposes actually depends on reduced calorie

consumption, and fails to provide for reasonable household expenditures on schooling and

health. The revised minimum calorie norm or minimum dietary energy requirements(MDER)

5 Food Schemes =Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS),Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY),National Old Age Pension

Scheme (NOAPS),National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS),National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS), Integrated Child

Development Services (ICDS), Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)
http://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/MGNREGA.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/MGNREGA.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/TPDS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/AAY.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/AAY.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/NOAPS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/NOAPS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/NFBS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/NMBS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/ICDS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/ICDS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/MDMS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/MDMS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/ICDS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/ICDS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/NMBS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/NFBS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/NOAPS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/NOAPS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/AAY.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/TPDS.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/MGNREGA.htmlhttp://www.sccommissioners.org/FoodSchemes/MGNREGA.html


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for developing countries recommended by FAO is 1800 calories per capita per day. However

MDER is defined as the amount of energy needed for light or sedentary activity. Given that we

do have a high level of under-nutrition in India, drawing a poverty line at the MDER is clearly

problematic, since taking a slightly higher cut-off will increase the number of poor people

substantially. This leads to gross underestimate and led to large exclusion of the poor (Madhura

Swaminathan 2010)6

Under pressure from all sides over its estimate of people living below the poverty line,

the Planning Commission in Mar 2012 proposed to constitute a new committee to revisit the

methodology to estimate poverty.

Cash Cropping:Indian agriculture is moving away from diverse producers to a mono-crop

plantation system dependent on cash from its rice, wheat & maize. Coarse grain production

and consumption has literally vanished from the needy section of the community. This kind of

mono cropping leads to land degradation and equally worse communities lose their indigenous

and balanced dietary habits.

Pulses Production:India is the worlds largest producer, consumer and importer. The

production has been stagnant from past 20 years. Per capita consumption is declining, from 60

g in 1950-51 to 32 g at present.

6 http://agrarianstudies.org/UserFiles/File/madhura_the_new_poverty_line.pdf


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Figure 3: Demand Supply of pulses7

Procurement:The procurement of food grains is open ended and government agencies

purchase all the quantities offered by the farmers at MSP. Because of such a policy the actual

stock position vis--vis minimum buffer norm in the central pool is consistently higher. In Apr

2010 it recorded 202% higher than the minimum buffer norm. Government of India introduced

a scheme in 1997-98 called decentralized procurement scheme. Under this scheme, only 10

State Governments are undertaking procurement of specific amount of paddy/rice and wheat on

behalf of Government of India. The Central Government reimburses the entire expenditure

incurred by the State Governments on the procurement operations.

MSP for Pulses & Coarse Grain: In order to encourage pulse production the government has

increased the MSP and it is now comparable with the import prices of same. Which was

otherwise only 50% of the import prices (Tur or Arhar) till 2010. The MSP for coarse Ragi &

Jowar has been increased by almost 50%.

Will the latest increase in MSP achieve anything? Between 2007 and 2009 Kharif, MSP for the

three pulses was raised (45-55 per cent); but output numbers are far from impressive. Acreage

7 http://nfsm.gov.in/Presentations/BrainStorming/JS_CROPS.ppt

0

5

10

15

20

25

Demand Production Import


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has stagnated output of the three pulses actually declined from 2007 levels. Yields continue to

be rather low at about 600 kg per hectare while Canada averages around 2000 Kg per hectare

Rs/Q 2010-11 2010-12 2012-2013

Tur 3000 3200 3850

Bajra /Maize 880 980 1175

Ragi/ Jowar 880 980 1500

Hoarding and black-marketing: Hoarding and black-marketing by intermediaries in the

distribution systems has been a major cause for food inflation. The Prevention of Black-

marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980 is being

implemented by the State Governments/UT Administrations for the prevention of unethical trade

practices like hoarding and black-marketing. 119 detention orders were issued under the Act

during the year 2007. The Government had imposed stock limits in 2008 on sugar, pulses,

onions, paddy and edible oils to control prices. The restrictions were withdrawn since 2009 on

improved supply and higher production.

Storage and agro-processing:About 65-70% of total food grains produced in the country are

stored at farm level. The planning commission claims that 108.75 million MT warehousing

capacity is available with India and estimates 35 million MT additional capacity would be

required in next 5 -10 years. There are estimates that substantial quantity of food grains (about

6.0% to 10% of total production) `are damaged due to moisture, insects, rodents and fungi. 8ii

That makes the rice & wheat loss alone to an extent of 62 million MT. The total production of

fruits and vegetable is over 45 million tones and 85 million tonnes respectively. The losses are

estimated to the extent of 20 -30 per cent due to lack of proper harvesting, processing and

storage facilities, which is valued at Rs. 230 billion.9

8http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp12/pp/wg_ware.pdf9http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/47429/2/8.pdf
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Commercializing Malnutrition intervention

Food fortification:Deficits in three key micronutrients vitamin A, iron and iodine prevent

nearly three billion people from achieving their full potential. Fortification is not an alternative to

improving nutrition through policy and programming responses that encourage the consumption

of a nutritionally adequate diet composed of a variety of available foods. Poor are known to

suffer from multiple micronutrient deficiencies, all of which cannot realistically be addressed by

fortified foods. As most traditional diets are normally able to provide the micronutrients required

for normal function and growth, micronutrient deficiencies generally result from inadequate

intakes of the overall diet. Fortified foods often fail to reach the poorest segments of the general

population who are at the greatest risk of micronutrient deficiency. This is because such groups

often have restricted access to fortified foods due to low purchasing power and an

underdeveloped distribution channel.

Ready to eat food: Jharkhand government in compliance to the directives by the Ministry of

Women and Child Development, Govt. of India, did a pilot to prepare Ready to Eat food (RTE)

to be distributed for undernourished children as Take Home Ration (THR) and also for pre-

school children at center. There is increasing inclinations from policymaker towards ready to eat

food.

While ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) has a place in the treatment of severe acute

malnutrition, promotion of RUTF and its wider use will well undermine breastfeeding, which for

children between 6 to 24+ months of age, is the best safeguard against malnutrition. This will

also undermine the community based approach and their self determination capability in

addressing the nutrition security issue.

As things now are, scaled up delivery of commercial or foreign packages of nutrition

interventions is being aggressively promoted, inside the UN, and outside by major governments,

their agencies, foundations, and other big non-government organisations. Branded, commercial

ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) is now part of these packages. In contrast, the promotion

of community-based and local government-supported empowerment of people living in povertyto claim their human rights to good nutrition, which is the rational way forward, is neglected 10

10 http://www.wphna.org/downloadsfeb2011/11-02%20WN3%20Comm%20RUTF%20pdf.pdf


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Cash Transfer Scheme (CTS): There is a growing inclination among government groups that

cash transfers instead of food is a cheaper, faster, and more efficient way to deliver help to the

hungry. The UNDP paper advocates conditional cash transfers to improve education levels,

health indicators and social wellbeing.11

The Indian government plans to roll out the cash transfer scheme in 51 districts from the

stipulated date of January 1. It would be extended to 18 states from April and the rest of the

country later in 2013. The government aims to cover the entire country by the end of next year,

ahead of the 2014 elections. Subsidies on fertiliser, LPG, kerosene, pension payments,

scholarships as well as payments under MGNREGA and other government welfare

programmes would be made directly. The scheme for cooking gas subsidies will also cover

eligible APL or above poverty line families.

There is no reason to expect that cash transfers solve all the existing problems. One of the

most significant problems existing now is the identification of beneficiaries. In a situation where

many of the small and marginal farmers do not have proper land records, especially in the case

of tenancy, it is not sure to whom the benefits of the cash transfer will go. Issues like what if

when people do not posses enough documentation or do not have Adhar Cards (UID), even if

they managed to get one the situation of rural banking is pathetic so much so they are not in a

position to provide service to the existing customer base. CCT or CTS has already been piloted

for kerosene in parts of Rajasthan, as well as cooking gas in Karnataka and have been very

impressive.

Climate Change: The frequency, intensity and magnitude of droughts and floods are expected

to increase as a result of climate change. The projected increase in temperatures and rainfall

variability will negatively impact crop and livestock enterprises in most areas. Disease and pests

associated with high temperatures are also likely to increase. Adaptation interventions that

enhance farming communities resilience to climate change induced effects are critical for the

realization of FNS

11 http://www.undp.org.in/content/cct/CCT_DP.pdf


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Gender:A UNICEF study in India showed that women with higher autonomy (indicated by

access to money and freedom to choose to go to the market) were significantly less likely to

have a stunted child when compared with their peers who had less autonomy.12

Vicious Cycle:According to the most recent estimates, child undernutrition contributes to more

than one third of child deaths. Undernourished children who survive may enter the vicious cycle

of recurring illness and faltering growth, with irreversible damage to their growth, cognitive

development, school performance, and future productivity as adults. Malnourished children are

much more likely to suffer from a serious infection and die from common childhood illnesses

such as diarrhoea, measles, pneumonia and malaria, as well as HIV and AIDS.

Low birth weight: The Human Development Report states, a staggering 21.5% percentage of

babies in India are born with LBW, a problem that began inutero. A mean deficit of 1.4 to 1.6

kg in weight at one year worsens to a deficit of about 9 kg at 10 years and 1318 kg when

adults. A similar trend is seen in the case of heights (where a deficit of 1cm at 1 year reaches

1213 cm when adult). It is therefore, not surprising that about half of children are under weight

(moderate to severe under nutrition) or are stunted. There are no differences in the nutritional

status between girls and boys; about 30% of all adults have BMI


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The mean heights and weights of children from SC/ST and other marginalized sections are

below the national mean values13

Statement of the position

Many of the so-called poor countries produce more than enough food not only for their internal

markets, but even for export, with hunger and malnutrition nonetheless persisting in the

country. In a market economy, people who are too poor to exercise effective demand will not

have food (unless they produce food for themselves, or receive food through transfers). Hunger

and malnutrition today are not about availability of food, but are a matter of rights and

entitlements. Right to food includes the right to be helped if one cannot take care of oneself,

but it is, above all, the right to be able to feed oneself in dignity5

There are immediate and underlying causes of food insecurity and undernutrition. This needs a

multi-disciplinary approach covering diet diversification including micronutrients, womens

empowerment, birth spacing, child care, education, health, safe drinking water, sanitation, and

hygiene.

According to the third National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), in 20052006, nearly 56.2% of

married women and 57.9% of pregnant women in the age group (1549) are anemic, Anemia

among children in the age group 635 months also worsened from 19981999 to 20052006,

from 74.2% to 78.9%. Access to health care and sanitation facilities is among the key

determinants of nutrition security. Particularly womens access to clean drinking water, toilet

facilities, and clean cooking fuel influences their health outcomes, which are critical to child

health and nutrition. Womens health, nutrition, education and decision making through

empowerment are important for nations nutrition security but remain neglected due to societal

biases.14

It has been estimated that nutrition-specific interventions that tackle only the direct or immediate

causes of undernutrition such as poor breast-feeding practices or vitamin and mineral

deficiencies can only reduce global levels of chronic undernutrition by one-third and child

mortality by one-quarter15. While these would be extremely significant actions, it is also clear

13http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v2/11v2_ch4.pdf 14http://www.insaindia.org/Nutrituion%20security%20position%20paper.pdf15http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/scal-up-nutr-uk-pos-undernutr.pdf
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that without efforts to address the indirect or underlying causes the global problem will not be

resolved

Decentralised Governance:It has been recognized that better governance is important for

effective functioning of food-based programmes. Social mobilization, community participation

and decentralized approach are necessary in this context16. The government should

decentralize procurement; storage and distribution enhance efficiency and local trade.

Transparency and social monitoring should be promoted and instituted at grass root level.

Chhattisgarhs model suggest that removing PDS from private businessmen and giving to local

community-owned bodies like forest co-operatives employing tribals and women self-help

groups will go long way in delivery mechanism.

Universal PDS: The performance of the PDS varies from state to state and it is observed that

the states with sizable poor and vulnerable populations do not fare so well on the PDS or other

safety net programmes, as the following graph suggests.

Figure 4: Distribution of Poverty and Total (Public Distribution Systems, Targeted Public Distribution System, and AntyodayaAnna Yojana) Offtake by State, 20082009 (Provisional)iii

One of the most critical questions thus remains targeting and identifying the poor. In 2007 the

planning commission acknowledged large scale exclusion of poor. The Indian Government

16http://www.oxfamindia.org/sites/www.oxfamindia.org/files/working_paper_7.pdf
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needs to learn its lessons from past and implement universal public distribution system like in

Tamil Nadu.

The proposed National Food Security Bill (NFSB) proposes supply of Rice, Wheat and Coarse

grain through the TPDS. However it is essential to include pulses and cooking oil in the PDS so

that needy have access to protein rich and energy dense food. If we consider some of the

major sources of protein, pulses turn out to be one of the most economical for human

consumption. Pulses are 1825 per cent protein. Currently, however, only 11 per cent of

Indians' protein needs are met by pulses. Their remaining needs are either met through other

sources or not at all.

Source Protein content

(per/kg)

Avg. price (Rs. per

kg)

Avg. cost of protein

(Rs. per 100/kg)

Milk 3.2% 24 75

Poultry meat 18-20% 100 53

Eggs 14% 60 42

Pulses 18-25% 85 38

Source: Principles of Nutrition and Dietetics, primary research

Diversification: Production basket needs to be diversified toward high-value commodities,

large postharvest losses (20% to 30% for fruits and vegetables) and poor value addition

continues to pose challenges. Most of the existing marketing systems for high-value

commodities, particularly fruits and vegetables, are quite fragmented and the supply chains are

not adequate for handling perishable commoditiesiv

Promoting Nutri-Cereals (Coarse):Incentivize cropping nutritious traditional and low water

use crops such as millets. Millets can be grown in arid and rainfed region with rainfall as low as

350 mm. The government also should increase the minimum support price for coarse grains &

pulses

Purchase Power:To eradicate all forms of malnutrition, increasing the purchasing power of the

poor and strengthening the public distribution system are indispensable. Providing for an

adequate minimum nutrition of all household members year-round simply takes more, because

the percentage of total income being spent on food is lower due to competing needs. Large

absolute increase in poor households' incomes are necessary along with synergistic public


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expenditures in health, water, sanitation, nutrition and women's and children's care in order to

root out poverty-linked malnutrition in the world. Poverty still is the major determinant of

protein-energy malnutrition in the world as conventional wisdom has indicated us17.

Development Indicator: Nutrition should be clearly stated as an important input and output

parameter for judging development and should not be treated as trickle down beneficiary of

economic and industrial development

Direct Marketing (Supply Chain):A World Bank study on the value chains of mangoes,

lychees, and potatoes in Bihar shows that a significant amount of the consumer price is lost in

transport and wastage; for mangoes, the farmers receive 34%, for lychees 42% and for

potatoes 16% of the consumer price (World Bank 2007). For instance, a farmer selling in the

Azadpur market in Delhi has to pay a 6% fee to the commission agent, while a farmer in the

Vashi market in Mumbai has to pay 8.5%, in addition to a market fee of 1%. These are the

official rates (quite high for the services delivered by the commission agents); unofficially, the

fees go up to 12%16%. Hence, efforts to promote direct farmmarket linkages and strengthen

supply chains would help enhance rural farmers profit margin. The government need improve

rural infrastructure manifolds in terms of rural accessibility and food storage facilities.

Gaps Way Forward/ Suggestion

Availability

Low productivity under

small and sustenance

farming

Improve water management

rural lift irrigation where water table is high (e.g N. Bihar)

Technology & extension

Storage, Transportation

& Marketing

Improve rural road

Improve rural warehousing & cold storage

Financial Services

Improve access to credit

Lower interest rate agricultural loans (small farmers ? )

17 http://www.humaninfo.org/aviva/ch31.htm


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Background information

Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA) is a fellowship of institutions (including 20 hospitals and

30 Projects) and individuals that exists to transform communities through caring, with primary

focus on the poor and marginalized. EHA was founded in 1970 as an indigenous Christian

health and development agency serving the people of North India. Its primary focus is the poor,

largely in rural areas. With a catchment population of nearly seven million, EHA treats more

than 500,000 patients each year in some of India's most needy areas.

EHA derives it vision and values from life of Lord Jesus Christ. Bible says He (God) defends

the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

(Deut. 10:18) Jesus did it when he was on the earth. Moses law commands people to keep the

sabbatical (seventh) and Jubilee (fiftieth) year. The sabbatical year is kept so that poor can get

food (Exodus 23:11) and Jubilee year so that the property of the poor can be restored (Leviticus25:10). Jesus refers to the Year of Jubilee in his manifesto (Luke 4: 16-19). When explaining

Gods Kingdom he says those who fed the hungry, quenched the thirsty did it to Him. (Matt

25:33-35)

This is the driving force behind EHA in standing up for the marginalized and making their voice

heard. The position paper tries to represent its experience and learning from over 29

Community health & development projects that are found in 27 blocks / municipalities of which

22 are rural and are located in some of the most backward regions of our country.

Conclusion

TheWorld Health Organization cites malnutrition as the greatest single threat to the world's

public health but the answer to Food Security and Malnutrition is not easy. The issue is

complex and multi sectoral and so the response should be.

How we will work

The objective of EHAFNS programme will be to mainstream FNS in the project interventions.This will involve sensitising project team to see the linkages, identify best practices and scaling

it up. Project will include undernutrition as a indicator in measuring development outputs.

EHA will focus on high impact low cost nutrition interventions which will be accessible to

our CHDP target communities or EHA units catchment areas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization


18/18

The focus will be to break the vicious cycle of malnutrition in by targeting more

adolescent girls, pregnant women and young children

Improve communities knowledge, behaviour, usage and monitoring of health and

nutrition services by mobilising womens groups, child care givers, strengthening village

health committees and initiating communication campaigns aimed at changing behaviour

in the long term

Test new approaches and share the lessons to wider audiencefor example promoting

agriculture based social enterprises in the communities

What we expect to deliver by 2015

Mainstream Food Security & Nutrition Security intervention in at least 12 CHDP

Promote right nutrition & care among 12,000 pregnant women and their child during

1,000 day window (pregnancy to childs 2ndbirthday) through linkages thus impact on achilds ability to grow, learn, and rise out of poverty

Reach 12,000 malnourished U5 with Hearth/ Nutrition Education and Rehabilitation

Session (NERS) /advocating for new ICDS centres

Help 600 farmers adopt improved technologylike SRI, SWI and sustainable agriculture

ihttp://www.sccommissioners.org/Starvation/starvation.html iihttp://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=80834 iiiSource: http://fcamin.nic.in/dfpd_html/index.aspivADB Sustainable Development Working Paper Series No. 16http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/pub/2010/ADB-WP16-Food-and-Nutrition-Security-Status-India.pdf

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