Finding Local Solutions for India’s hunger

The state of hunger and malnutrition in a country is a telling statement of the health and well-being of its people. Recognising this, one of the goals of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030 includes aiming to ‘end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round’ and ‘end all forms of malnutrition’ particularly focusing on groups like children below the age of 5, adolescent girls, pregnant women and older persons. The 2020 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, however, indicates just how far away we are from reaching this goal. ‘Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 690 million people, or 8.9 per cent of the global population, were undernourished […] The COVID-19 pandemic may add an additional 83 to 132 million people to the ranks of the undernourished in 2020,’ it says. 

At 189 million (14 per cent of the population), India has the dubious distinction of having the highest number of undernourished people in any country. In other words, more than a quarter of the world’ undernourished people are in India. This is reiterated by The Global Hunger Index 2020 which ranks India as 94 out of 107, behind all of South Asia except Afghanistan. With a GHI score of 27.2, it flags the level of hunger in India as serious. Hunger is measured in the index by looking at factors like hunger by looking at the levels of undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality. Malnourished children also have a higher risk of death from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria. 

In this context, it is more urgent than ever to address the stark food inequity that is staring the country in the face. Finding solutions that can be implemented easily to increase nutrition levels even in the most marginalised households that are living below the poverty line, is one way forward. 

Creating access to nutrition

Bank of Nutrition, an initiative by iSambhav envisions a working solution for those who are living on the margins in the most vulnerable circumstances. From children to pregnant and lactating women who do not get enough food to sustain themselves (the result of which is an increased risk of disabilities in children), hunger and malnutrition have far reaching consequences. These are issues cut across the social fabric of the country and which millions continue to grapple with on a daily basis.

Bank of Nutrition aims to empower below the poverty line households through access to plants that can be grown easily and inexpensively in or around their homes. The plants proposed are fruits and vegetable like guavas, lemons, papayas, drumstick and bananas which are easy to grow and also support essential daily nutrition. They are extremely rich in vitamins A, B and C and are also a source of antioxidants, fiber and essential minerals.

A pilot initiative in Karnataka’s Koppal village exhibited proof of concept as this was executed in partnership with a local NGO, Samuha, with promising results. After an initial investment to buy saplings, Samuha distributed these to 200 families in 3 villages including families of children with disabilities who come to their centre. In addition to providing sources of nutrition, the aim was to also create a livelihood opportunity for people with disabilities who otherwise fall through the cracks.

From June to October 2020, this initiative was scaled to 41 villages in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in partnership with NavSahyog and Let’s Do Some Good (LDSG) Foundation with an investment of Rs. 30,000. NavSahyog identified a woman member of the panchayat who decided to use her land to nurture 1000 saplings. LDSG has a farm in Tamil Nadu, part of which is being used to grow saplings which will be distributed in that region by them. The idea is to create a hub-and-spoke approach around the country to reach out to different communities.

Experiential learning

As part of the implementation strategy, school children were engaged in the planting process with their families by digging pits and making tree guards with thorny bushes native to the region. This collaborative approach of working with the community has also become a way to build knowledge of key concepts like the finite nature of resources and the urgency of efforts that conserve them like rainwater harvesting. In addition, to locate this knowledge in the local environment and to provide experiential learning (which is one of the goals of the National Education Policy), this approach also imparts education about agriculture. Rather than being restricted to the classroom alone, children are now learning about the importance of planting vetiver grass or the benefits of different parts of the moringa tree. 

In addition to augmenting the nutritional needs of families, the benefits of an initiative like this is that it increases green cover, helps to bind soil and increase ingress of rain water in underground aquifers. As a result, it also encourages other kinds of life and species to thrive such as birds and bees which in turn are crucial to increase the yield of farmers through critical process like pollination. Thus, not only does it address the issue of hunger, but it creates a larger landscape of care and support through the creation of an ecosystem around it.  

This holistic approach is one that can be adopted by different organisations and NGOs and by the Rotary and Lions Club which have well-established networks in different parts of the country. It can also be adopted by rural development departments of state government as a way to address the glaring health and nutrition gaps in the population. The tourism industry also has the power to be a game-changer in this regard as it has a significant footprint in remote regions across the country. By supporting and starting initiatives like the Bank of Nutrition, it will not only strengthen relationships with local communities but also have far reaching consequences in meeting SDG goals of ending hunger and ensuring access to food for all people.

In conclusion, the proof of concept is an example of self-reliance, the clarion call given by the Prime Minister as Atmanirbhar.