Did you know that India has been ranked 71st on the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2021 from among a list of 113 countries?
What is food security?
Food security simply means having access to a sufficient quantity of affordable and nutritious food. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”
GSF Index
The Global Food Security Index published every year by London-based Economist Impact and Corteva Agriscience, measures food security in 113 countries around the world, based on four main factors. The primary factors are food affordability availability, quality and safety, and natural resources and resilience. The annual assessment is prepared by analysing data from these countries. What was recently published was the 10th edition of the GFS Index. The index considers over 50 food security indicators, including income and economic inequality across both developing and developed nations. It also calls for attention to systemic gaps and efforts to accelerate the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of Zero Hunger by 2030.
India’s score
India which scored 57.2 points, has been ranked 71st on the Global Food Security Index 2021. Though India has fared better than its neighbours Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, it lags far behind China which occupies 34th position on the index India’s scare improved just by 2.7 points to 57.2 in 2021 from 54.5 in 2012. India was earlier ranked 101st on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021 Ireland topped the index with an average score of 84 points. Austria with a score of 81.3 and the United Kingdom with a score of 81 occupied second and third places respectively
Concerns
According to the GPSI 2021 findings food security across the world has declined for the second consecutive year after seven years of progress with respect to the SDG of Zero Hunger. Though the countries have made significant progress towards addressing food insecurity in the past decade, food systems remain vulnerable to climatic, economic and geopolitical changes. According to Pratima Singh, Head of the Global Food Security Index at Economist Impact, “Action is imperative at all levels-local, national and global-to end hunger and malnourishment and ensure food security for all.
Picture Credit : Google
