Food Security and Panchayati Raj

The world leaders will assemble at the World Food Summit organised by FAO at Rome, during November 13-17, 1996, for making a public commitment to action to eliminate hunger. That will be a historic opportunity for governments, international organizations and all sectors of civil society to join the forces in a concerted campaign to ensure food security?access of all time to the food required for healthy, active life?for all the world?s people. The success of the Summit will be measured initially by the level of shared commitment it generates, and ultimately by the degree to which the absolute numbers of hungry around the world decline in the coming years. It is aimed at action, not the creation of new funding mechanism, institutions or bureaucracy.
As a part of the preparatory process, a National Conference on ?Panchayati Raj?The Key to Food Security and Nutrition? was organised in India during July 2-3, 1996. The Conference discussed as to how the emerging Panchayati Raj Institutions could be utilized for Food Security for the poor.
The food security is defined as a situation where everyone on the globe has access, at all times, to the food needed for an active and healthy life. At the household level food security implies having physical and economic access to food that are adequate in terms of quantity, quality and safety. The overall food security entails three basic issues, viz., availability; stability; and access. The effective public distribution system has organised transport of food to all corner of the country, but due to poverty a significant percentage of the poor does not have access to sufficient food. Despite general improvement in food availability, health and social services, malnutrition exists in some form in various parts of the country.
Panchayati Raj Institutions have taken shape at district, block and village levels, after the 73rd and the 74th Constitution Amendments. Panchayats have the mandate to plan and implement development schemes at the village level and create conditions for growth with equity. Panchayats can play their role in ensuring food security for the poor if they have sufficient finances and the capacity to develop village level micro-economics plans and implement them.
The book is compilation of presentations made at the National Conference by the officials of Government of India and the State Governments; experts on Panchati Raj Institutions; experts on food and agriculture; economists; representatives of cooperatives and nongovernmental organizations