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Context:
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report, showing global undernourishment at 8.2% (673 million people). India has been a decisive contributor to this decline.
Key Highlights:
- India’s Progress: Prevalence of undernourishment reduced from 13% (2020–22) to 12% (2022–24), meaning 30 million fewer hungry people.
- Global Picture: Undernourishment down from 9.4% in 2020 to 8.2% in 2025.
- Hidden Hunger: Micronutrient deficiency remains a concern globally despite caloric improvements.
Understanding Hunger
- Definition: A state of chronic undernourishment due to lack of sufficient calories or nutrients.
- Forms:
- Undernourishment – calorie deficiency.
- Malnutrition – poor diet lacking protein/micronutrients.
- Hidden Hunger – micronutrient deficiencies (iron, iodine, vitamin A, zinc).
Causes of Hunger in India
- Poverty & Inequality: 11.28% still multidimensionally poor (NITI Aayog, 2023).
- Agricultural Challenges: Low productivity, erratic monsoons, high post-harvest losses (~13%).
- High Food Prices: 60% population cannot afford a healthy diet (FAO).
- Weak Infrastructure: ₹92,000 crore lost annually in post-harvest losses (ICAR, 2022).
- Climate Change & Conflict: Crop losses, pandemics, and wars disrupting food supply.
- Health & Sanitation: NFHS-5 shows 35.5% children stunted and 19.3% wasted.
Consequences of Hunger
- Human Capital Loss: Poor learning outcomes, low adult productivity.
- Economic Burden: 2–3% of India’s GDP lost annually (Global Nutrition Report, 2021).
- Health Risks: Anaemia, TB, infections, micronutrient-linked impairments.
- Social Instability: Hunger drives unrest, migration, and conflict.
- SDG Failure: Direct barrier to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), indirect to SDG 3, 4, 8.
India’s Role in Combating Hunger
- Strengthened PDS: ONORC, Aadhaar linkage, subsidised grains for 800M people.
- Nutrition Schemes: PM POSHAN (school meals), POSHAN Abhiyaan, ICDS, Anaemia Mukt Bharat.
- Digital & Tech Support: e-NAM, AgriStack, AI tools for supply chain & crop monitoring.
- Agrifood System Reforms: Cold chains, FPOs, women-led enterprises, climate-resilient crops.
- Global Model: India’s governance in food security seen as replicable across Global South.
