In these ‘‘feel-good’’ times, this is a pertinent question: is there enough food for everyone plus the ability to provide enough in future as well?The Atlas of the Sustainability of Food Security in India shows that this has nothing to do with poverty — a state like Madhya Pradesh might be poor but has enough natural resources to sustain livelihoods in future. Tamil Nadu is worse off than Bihar and Orissa because it has already over-exploited its natural resources. Punjab and Haryana look good now but have done nothing to protect their future.The M S Swaminathan Research Foundation and the World Food Programme have produced three atlases, designed to promote public policy and action to enable a hunger-free India by August 2007.The third one is being released tomorrow by President A P J Abdul Kalam at the National Food Security Summit.This atlas gives a detailed snapshot of the national food security situation — food security being defined as food availability (linked to production), food access (depends on purchasing power) and food absorption, (function of drinking water, health care and education.)Salient findings based on which a nine-point action plan for every state government has been recommended:• Madhya Pradesh is high on the index because its per capita food grain production is only next to Punjab and Haryana plus it has utilizable water sources, large forest area and a sustainable cropping pattern to secure its future.• Moderately sustainable states are all southern states barring Tamil Nadu, plus Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Mizoram. Karnataka has fared well in food absorption index, which means it has high percentage of area under leguminous crops, small area of degraded land and better poverty ratio.• Gujarat is interesting because though it does not have abundant natural resources, it has sustainable farm practices such as growing legumes and people diversifying to other means of livelihood, bringing it to the green area on the map.• Andhra Pradesh has good agricultural production scenario but has not done well on the absorption front, health and education services are poor.• Uttar Pradesh has high level of current food security but future not very bright as it has high infant mortality rates and poor health care and lack of diversification of livelihoods.• Kerala is unique — deficit in food grains and fares badly in food production but good in food access and food absorption. People have adequate purchasing power.• Unsustainable states are Tamil Nadu , Orissa and Bihar. Tamil Nadu is worse off than Bihar. It has over-exploitation of natural resources, specially water. Sixteen per cent of its area is degraded and has little forest cover. Though livelihood security is good, poverty levels are low, 70% of work force is still in agriculture.• Nine states are moderately unsustainable and what is surprising is that highly food secure states, such as Punjab and Haryana belong to this category. They are leaving little for the future. Some of the indicators that have been used are food production per capita, forest cover, availability of surface water, percentage of degraded land, below-poverty line population, cereal production and average size of holdings.
