Growing nutritious, sustainable food systems

Global Food System Challenges

• India faces significant challenges from resource limitations and climate change, affecting food accessibility and affordability.

• Nearly 194 million Indians are undernourished, with 35.5% stunted, 32.1% underweight, and 19.3% suffering from wasting.

• Overweight and obesity are increasing, affecting 24% of women and 22.9% of men.

• 57% of women of reproductive age are anemic, highlighting hidden hunger.

Transforming Food Systems

• Food insecurity now includes all forms of malnutrition, including diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

• 55.6% of Indians are unable to afford nutritious food, with the cost rising to $3.36 purchasing power parity per person per day in 2022 from $2.86 in 2017.

• Structural flaws in food systems and climate change threaten crop yields, biodiversity, and livelihoods of small-scale farmers.

• Unaddressed malnutrition will impede human capital development, drive up healthcare costs, and reduce economic productivity.

Strategies for Transformation

• Nutrition-sensitive agriculture: promoting climate-resilient, biofortified crops, enhancing crop diversity, and improving post-harvest storage systems.

• Community-led nutrition interventions: addressing nutrition determinants including soil and water conservation, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), and healthcare access.

• School-based nutrition programmes: incorporating biofortified grains into school meals and supporting local agriculture.

• Strengthening social safety nets: enhancing the Public Distribution System (PDS) and mid-day meal schemes with nutrient-rich, indigenous foods.

• The private sector: moving beyond conventional food production to prioritize nutrition through clearer labelling, digital education tools, and innovation in fortification, plant-based alternatives, and nutrient-dense foods.

• Widespread awareness campaigns: spreading vital nutritional information through interactive tools.

Role of Nutrition and Health Communities

• Nutritionists, public health experts, and policymakers must collaborate to embed nutrition into agriculture and economic planning.

• A bold transformation of food systems is essential, with governments aligning policies with nutrition, businesses adopting sustainable practices, and civil society pushing for inclusive, community-led solutions.