System of Promoting Appropriate National Dynamism for Agriculture and Nutrition (SPANDAN) Phase II and Preparation of Food & Nutrition Security Atlas (FNSA) for Bihar and Odisha

Aims & Objectives: Atlas of Sustainability of Food Security (2004) focused on the food security at the sub-state level. There were eight state reports which undertook district level analysis of food security based on a range of identified indicators such as availability, access and utilization. The report identified districts which are insecure in terms of food security indicators. Food and Nutritional security atlas for Odisha aimed at updating the previous exercise undertaken at the district level.

This report documents the food security situation in Bihar with the following underlying objectives:

• To analyze the nature and dynamics of the food security situation at district level in Odisha
• To identify the regions which are most affected by food insecurity in Odisha
• To suggest policy interventions, appropriate for improving food security in selected regions in Odisha

Methodology: Most of the variables chosen for the food and nutrition security index (FNS) were developmental variables. In order to calculate the food and nutrition security, all the variables were converted/arranged in same direction. FNS index was calculated only for the rural areas and it was constructed only for the district level. The district having a higher FNS index value was considered more food secure as compared to the districts with lower index value. Broadly two methods were adopted to find out the index value i.e. (1) Mean Standardization (MS) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA).

Findings & Discussion: The primary focus of the report was on estimating food security at the district level in Odisha, identification of those districts which were at the lowest level and needed specific policy interventions. Food security is dependent, in the first place, on availability of food. But in case adequate purchasing power is not available, household level access to food gets curtailed even if physical availability exists. Thus, access to food remains the second most important determinant of food security. However, even in the presence of these two determinants, unless adequate health status prevails at the household level, body absorption of food and its nutritional impact will suffer for the households concerned. Thus, the third basic component of food security refers to utilization of food. All these three, measured in terms of eleven indicators, contribute as input towards food security. Over the long run, inadequate food security in terms of these factors results in harmful outcomes such as morbidity, high mortality rates and low BMI. The districts needing special attention were identified as Balangir, Gajapati, Kalahandi, Kandhamal Koraput,Malkanagiri, Nabarangapur, Nuapada and Rayagada.

One of the major findings was that the KBK region was found to be the most food deprived where, 7 out of the 9 districts needed high attention. It was also found that in order to improve the food insecurity in the region, the most important indicator was female literacy rate, schemes for improving SC/ST population and infrastructural development like pucca road etc. Specific state intervention policy is needed to improve the food security pattern of the districts.