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R. Mandal and M. Sarma
Developing countries, many of which have average temperatures that are already near
or above crop tolerance levels, are predicted to suffer an average 10–25% decline in
agricultural productivity by 2080s (Mahato 2014). Climate change would affect not
only agricultural production but also food security and the effects are likely to be
higher in the developing countries.
One of the major challenges faced by the countries today is to achieve and maintain food security for its growing population. This has been made more challenging
because of the fact that food security requires not only availability of a sufficient
physical quantity of food but it has to be accessible to people, nutritious in contents and stable over time. Technological improvements on the one hand and trade
liberalization on the other have enabled a country like India to increase availability
of physical quantity of food. Nonetheless, it has not been accessible to millions of
households which is quite evident from the fact that more than a third of its population
is estimated to be absolutely poor, and as many as half of its children have suffered
from malnourishment over the last three decades (Upadhyay and Palanivel 2011).
According to Radhakrishna (2005), the achievement of macro foodgrain security at
the national level did not percolate down to households as a result of which the level
of chronic food insecurity in India is still high. On the other hand, use of excessive
chemicals in cultivation and adulteration of food items have severely spoiled their
nutritional contents. In the process of intensive use of both natural and chemical
factors for producing rice and wheat the Green Revolution has led to serious environmental problems such as reduction in soil fertility, imbalance in nutrient contents
of soil, depletion of groundwater etc. (Bhushan 2018), which has the potential to
adversely affect not only production but also their nutritional quality.
The challenge of food and nutrition security has been exacerbated due to global
climate change in a country like India where majority of the population depends
on agriculture for their life and livelihoods and who, being poor, have the limited
capacity to adapt to the adverse effects (Mandal and Nath 2018). Food security and
all its four dimensions, viz., availability, accessibility, utilization and stability will
be adversely affected by climate change (Krishnamurthy et al. 2012). Availability of
sufficient food is expected to decline due to reduced productivity induced by rising
temperature, extreme weather events, pests and diseases of crops (Noiret 2016).
Second, access to food will be impacted by the increase in food prices resulting
from reduced yield, decline in rural income and increase in poverty—all induced
by climate change (Noiret 2016; Hallegatte et al. 2016; Morton 2007). Wheeler and
Von Braun (2013) find that the impact of climate change on food security is worst
in countries already suffering from hunger. Third, climate change can increase the
incidence of various types of diseases (Cauchi et al. 2019; Confalonieri et al. 2007;
IPCC 2007) thereby adversely affecting the ability of individuals to absorb and utilize
nutritional contents of food effectively (Schmidhuber and Tubiello 2008). Finally,
stability of food supply is also going to be affected due to expected increase in the
intensity and frequency of extreme weather events (Krishnamurthy et al. 2012).
The objective of this chapter is to examine and quantify the extent of food insecurity in India and its variations across states and union territories, and various social
and religious groups. It further intends to examine the impact of weather shock
R. Mandal and M. Sarma
Developing countries, many of which have average temperatures that are already near
or above crop tolerance levels, are predicted to suffer an average 10–25% decline in
agricultural productivity by 2080s (Mahato 2014). Climate change would affect not
only agricultural production but also food security and the effects are likely to be
higher in the developing countries.
One of the major challenges faced by the countries today is to achieve and maintain food security for its growing population. This has been made more challenging
because of the fact that food security requires not only availability of a sufficient
physical quantity of food but it has to be accessible to people, nutritious in contents and stable over time. Technological improvements on the one hand and trade
liberalization on the other have enabled a country like India to increase availability
of physical quantity of food. Nonetheless, it has not been accessible to millions of
households which is quite evident from the fact that more than a third of its population
is estimated to be absolutely poor, and as many as half of its children have suffered
from malnourishment over the last three decades (Upadhyay and Palanivel 2011).
According to Radhakrishna (2005), the achievement of macro foodgrain security at
the national level did not percolate down to households as a result of which the level
of chronic food insecurity in India is still high. On the other hand, use of excessive
chemicals in cultivation and adulteration of food items have severely spoiled their
nutritional contents. In the process of intensive use of both natural and chemical
factors for producing rice and wheat the Green Revolution has led to serious environmental problems such as reduction in soil fertility, imbalance in nutrient contents
of soil, depletion of groundwater etc. (Bhushan 2018), which has the potential to
adversely affect not only production but also their nutritional quality.
The challenge of food and nutrition security has been exacerbated due to global
climate change in a country like India where majority of the population depends
on agriculture for their life and livelihoods and who, being poor, have the limited
capacity to adapt to the adverse effects (Mandal and Nath 2018). Food security and
all its four dimensions, viz., availability, accessibility, utilization and stability will
be adversely affected by climate change (Krishnamurthy et al. 2012). Availability of
sufficient food is expected to decline due to reduced productivity induced by rising
temperature, extreme weather events, pests and diseases of crops (Noiret 2016).
Second, access to food will be impacted by the increase in food prices resulting
from reduced yield, decline in rural income and increase in poverty—all induced
by climate change (Noiret 2016; Hallegatte et al. 2016; Morton 2007). Wheeler and
Von Braun (2013) find that the impact of climate change on food security is worst
in countries already suffering from hunger. Third, climate change can increase the
incidence of various types of diseases (Cauchi et al. 2019; Confalonieri et al. 2007;
IPCC 2007) thereby adversely affecting the ability of individuals to absorb and utilize
nutritional contents of food effectively (Schmidhuber and Tubiello 2008). Finally,
stability of food supply is also going to be affected due to expected increase in the
intensity and frequency of extreme weather events (Krishnamurthy et al. 2012).
The objective of this chapter is to examine and quantify the extent of food insecurity in India and its variations across states and union territories, and various social
and religious groups. It further intends to examine the impact of weather shock