ZERO HUNGER!

    

INDIA HAPPENS TO BE A VERY RICH COUNTRY INHBITED BY VERY POOR PEOPLE!

The way we frame our problems determines the solutions we get.

Hunger is a global challenge.

 It is often  assumed that hunger stems from lack of food. However, if we study the root cause of hunger, the answer is far more complicated.

Hunger and poverty are no philosophical concepts where every individual will have different views. It’s real & happening regardless of the fact that it should not happen.

Though the global food production is enough to feed all human beings, still there are approximately 815 million people who suffer from chronic undernourishment. India produces enough food to feed all its citizens however it is ranked 100 among 119 countries in the Global Hunger Index rankings. A Big reason to worry. The country’s economic growth and the changing demographics are transforming patterns of food demand. There is a growing need for the design and development of more efficient and effective integrated systems of food production, processing, preservation and distribution that will feed the changing tastes of the nation. In India, the problem is further complicated as the food distribution differs from region to region.

India wastes about 7% of its total annual food production and almost 30% of its fruits and vegetables because of inadequate warehousing facilities. The situation is similar in other countries too. Hunger is increasingly a processing, storage, supply chain process. According to the International Institute of Refrigeration, if all the developing countries of the world had the same level of refrigeration infrastructure as developed countries, they would have saved around 200 million tonnes of food or around 14% of their food supply very easily.

India’s highly uneven agricultural landscape makes the problem more complex. For example, despite being the world’s largest producer of banana, India has just a  .3% share of the global trade. This is primarily because of the lack of large scale commercial farms and low awareness  among smallholders. Food loss and wastage is not only an issue of mismanagement of resources but also contributes to massive greenhouse gas in the world. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that food wastage accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions futher causing other deadly diseases.

American senator Daniel Webster once quoted , “When farming begins, the other arts follow”. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of  our  great human civilization.

The agriculture sector is suffering in the fast changing economic landscape of the country. The farmer, the first participant of the economy, has to be supported to achieve the highest productivity and must be ensured a larger share of profit along the value chain.

Developing and upgrading rural infrastructure, training farmers in harvest practices so that it minimize losses; integrating small scale enterprises into value chains, financial services investment in agricultural research; and  marketing channels are extremely important to overcome the zero hunger challenge. They are also important for ensuring social equality, gender inclusiveness and reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint.

While this is an enormous challenge, it is an opportunity that compels action, especially for companies that are involved at various stages of the food value chain.

Private companies have the, insights as well as the resources to invest in potential solutions.

Companies are also better positioned as they are better connected to the various stakeholders along the different food value chains and have the ability to influence and control their behaviour.

 For example, the chain Tesco ltd. started the ‘Buy one get one free—later’ scheme where customers could buy certain food items and take the free product later when they actually wanted it, reducing the attraction to stock discounted products which often led to food wastage. The government, on its part, can have laws that penalize companies for wasting food within their supply chain and encourage recycling of food items.

Currently, we have a one-way movement of raw materials and and of finished goods. This flow must be transformed into a two-way movement of commerce and health, nutritious food between the farmers and the consumers to overcome the zero hunger challenge and address poverty in all its forms and strata.

I am not blaming any government or any particular organization for the same, I think it’s high time we all learn our rights, know what is offered to us & avail it to the fullest.

I strongly believe criticism Is the song of the fools,

The wise always focus on solutions.

We live in the same country where we will find the richest man in the world & at the same time the biggest slum in the world. The rich getting richer & the poor getting more poor.

Malnutrition & hunger is no joke! It’s real & killing thousands of our brothers and sisters every year, some willingly some unwillingly. NO matter how cool,rich popular we believe we are,

how we treat people ultimately tells it all. Integrity is everything. So help as much as you can and make this world a better place for you nd for me and the entire human race.