The evolution of Koraput’s tribal food basket

• Koraput, a district in Odisha, is home to a predominantly tribal population but also faces high levels of poverty and undernutrition.

• The National Family Health Survey-5 data (2019-21) shows 43% of children under five are stunted and 33% are underweight. Only 17% are fed an adequate diet, and over 50% of women are anaemic.

• The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) initiated a community-based model of nutrition literacy between 2013 and 2022 to empower tribal communities to diversify their household food basket with nutritious foods.

• The community was tasked with assessing the nutritional status of women, children, adolescent boys, and girls.

• A residential training programme was held on key nutrition concepts such as a balanced diet, IYCF practices, dietary diversity, sanitation and hygiene, and enabling nutrition-sensitive agriculture.

• The training programmes were activity-based, involving group work, discussions, role play, and analysis of the situation and possible solutions.

• The approach involved participants in a dialogue to discuss theoretical aspects from the perspective of their own knowledge rooted in the social, cultural, economic, and political context.

Collective Power and Community Transformation in Koraput

• Residential training provided opportunities for engagement with other villages and genders.

• Participants planned to introduce and cultivate more nutritious crops on different types of land and in their home gardens.

• The participants explored the benefits of collective decision making and action rather than individual efforts in demanding government entitlements.

• Over 200 men and women from over 70 villages were trained in residential training programmes, becoming ‘community champions’ in transforming themselves and their communities.

• Training programs were organized in the villages, identifying further training needs mainly to improve agricultural production.

• Over 10 years, about 1,000 men and women were trained in various aspects of agriculture, animal husbandry, and pisciculture.

• Community champions shared health and nutrition messages with their families, friends, and fellow villagers.

• They led by example, undertaking a range of activities, both individually and collectively.

• The diversity in crop production was seen in Mothpera and Deragida (name changed) panchayats in Boiparida block.

• Women champions worked closely with Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers to spread nutrition messages.

• Villagers also monitored the direct feeding programme under the Integrated Child Development Services.

• The community women champions organised village meetings and spoke about the need for an anganwadi center in their village.

• They revived defunct village structures for nutrition security such as the community grain bank, discussed their village situation in the gram sabha (village council) meetings and developed an overall plan for hunger-free villages.