Sustainable agricultural production is a must to balance consumption system for food and nutritional security

Abstract

It may be said that sustainable higher agricultural production through integrated and intensive farming system is the key for global food and nutritional security. Policies and programmes, that ensure physical and financial access to food and other essential commodities of life by each and every person born, brought up and living on the planet earth, are required. Food is a physiological necessity for all, rich or poor, rural or urban, male or female. Farming feed the humanity and it requires farm, farmer, finance and a positive support from environment, society and the governance. As of now, the global food availability is about 4000 million tonnes, enough to provide 2300 kcal of daily dietary energy to every one for a year, provided, it is equally distributed/shared. But, it is not so. There are about 300 million overweight and obese, the worldwide, and at the same time about 1125 million people (15% of world population) sleep hungry and suffering from malnutrition and on account of this, approximately 2.6 million children die of malnutrition every year, while another 40 million children under the age of five are overweight and obese. As of now, obesity is bigger killer than starvation. Also, 5-25% of postharvest losses and about 30% wastage of food at household, restaurant, hotels and parties such as marriage, birthday, celebration, etc. contribute substantially towards food deficit leading to malnutrition and starvation.