India leads World Hunger list

According to a recent report by the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, there are over 800 million undernourished people in the world, and 98% of them live in developing countries.

India has the dubious distinction of being the world’s hunger capital. India is home to 194.6 million of the world’s hungry people (roughly a quarter of them). 15.2% of Indians go hungry every day. And though the number has fallen in recent years, India still has more hungry people than any other nation in the world.

However, significant strides have been made to combat undernourishment. The prevalence of underweight children in India declined from 49.2% in 1990 to 30% in 2013. According to the statistics, India recorded a decline of 36% of undernourished people in its population from 1990-1992 to 2014-2016. China, in the same period, recorded a 60.9% reduction. The government expects a 7.4% growth rate for India this year, outpacing even China. If India wants growth to continue, then it should be inclusive – because for 200 million Indians economic development doesn’t mean anything when they are unable to eat a proper meal.

The UN report discovered that 1 in 9 people in the world are starving. The Asia-Pacific region is home to more than 60% of the world’s hungry. However, in spite of these troubling numbers, global trends are positive. There has been a net decrease in undernourished people worldwide - from 18.6% in 1990-1992 to 10.9% in 2014-2016. Hopefully, these numbers will continue to decrease in the coming decade.

India’s war against hunger began a long time ago. It was largely disastrous for India until the Green Revolution turned the tide. Under the scientific leadership of MS Swaminathan, India began to become self-sustainable. For example, wheat production increased from 10 million tonnes in 1964 to 97 million tonnes today. Investment in agriculture research and a healthy public-private partnership made the Green Revolution such a success. To completely close the gap between food requirement and food production - to feed every Indian - the Green Revolution needs to be revamped, newer policies need to be formulated (and properly executed), research in agriculture should be funded, and the land and rights of small farmers should be protected.

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