Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out an ambitious vision for India as India celebrated its 76th Independence Day. Indeed, India, built on the foundation of 70 years of economic development, should look to a future of growth and prosperity on a par with the developed world. Central to this goal is the requirement for a healthy population.
India has made tremendous progress towards food self-sufficiency, largely due to technology investments during the Green Revolution. Using hybrid varieties of plants, new irrigation methods and chemicals in the form of fertilizers and pesticides have enabled India to achieve food security at a time when most of the international community had low expectations of India. But this change was over 30 years ago. Ambitious India is not content with just achieving food security. Ambitious India must aim for nutritional security by providing high quality, nutritious food for all Indian citizens.
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Nutrition security includes not only providing the nutrition needed by malnourished people, but also targeting people with lifestyle-related diseases caused by diet. Iron consumption should be central to achieving this goal. can it be fulfilled?
Similarly, poor protein intake can lead to malnutrition, which can be countered by access to protein. 69% of all child deaths are estimated to be due to malnutrition. Furthermore, the report suggests that only 42% of her children (6-23 month olds) fed adequately frequently eat an adequately varied diet. I’m here. Conversely, in India, the Fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) also recorded a 4% increase in obesity in both men and women in the past five years. Many reasons contribute to obesity, but access to nutritious foods is a key influencing factor. is.
The key to getting nutritious food is to have access to good quality produce, whether it’s crops or fish. This requires improving both yield and quality of crops. The Prime Minister alluded to organic or natural farming as a potential way to achieve better yields. However, as evidenced by Sri Lanka’s recent experience, investment in a single form of agriculture can have a negative impact on the country’s food security. Changes in farming strategies must be gradual, protecting against a variety of attacks such as pests, famine and soil quality degradation while increasing yields sufficient for a growing population. No single farming strategy can solve these problems. Indeed, India needs to deploy a mix of natural, organic and technology-enabled agriculture to keep up with our nutritional demands. Protection also increases yield.
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In addition, India will also need agricultural products that can provide better nutrition, such as foods with an increased nutrient repertoire, fewer harmful ingredients and longer shelf life. It is somewhat possible to achieve this using traditional farming methods. Conventional breeding is also relatively time consuming and may not produce desirable traits. Innovation is the solution to better quality produce. This is another aspect of agriculture that the Prime Minister emphasized. His call to include Yang Anusadhan (Fostering growth through innovation) in Jai Jawang, Jai Xan is a path for Indian agriculture to provide nutritional security.
Genetic engineering offers a way to achieve desirable properties while retaining other important food properties. These techniques are relatively faster than conventional breeding and can be aimed at adding or removing specific traits. It can also provide resistance to cotton bollworm.
Efforts are being made to fortify traditional staple foods to provide more nutrients and produce healthier oils. Designed to have relatively low levels of unsaturated fat. This soybean-derived oil has been demonstrated to provide specific health benefits compared to conventional soybean-derived oils. We get crops that are better conditioned to deal with problems that arise inadvertently as a result of increased food demand, reduced biodiversity.
However, the success of genetically modified technologies depends on their formulation in favor of public policy and the transparency of data obtained during safety studies and field trials. Innovation can therefore only thrive if a conducive environment is created. The current narrative that all genetically engineered foods are unsafe or “bad” is hindering new investment and research in this area. A case-by-case assessment will ensure India has access to beneficial crops while protecting the health of its citizens.
As India progresses, we must aspire not only for food security, but also for nutrition security. Technology must be a major driver and the benefits of full assessment and risk assessment India will miss out on important progress if it judges emerging technologies without them. Therefore, India should heed Jai Anusandan’s call and develop policies that can enhance the development and adoption of key emerging technologies.
(Shambhavi Naik is Director of Research at the Takshashila Institute)
Disclaimer: The views above are those of the author. They don’t necessarily reflect his DH views.
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