Diversification and Food Security in the North Eastern States of India

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter examines the impact of crop and agricultural farm diversification on food security in northeastern (NE) states of India. Using various indices of diversification to state level data for the period from 2001-02 to 2011-12, it evaluates crop and agricultural farm diversification across the states. In general, the magnitude of crop diversification was found to have declined across the states, but agricultural farm diversification has increased due to impressive growth in livestock, fisheries, and fruits and vegetables. It was observed that except fruits and vegetables, all other food grains were in deficit in the states measured in terms of their per capita availability per day. The gap between requirement and availability was higher in Assam and Sikkim. In terms of nutrients, protein was in surplus in all the states of NE India, while energy in terms of kilocalories was in deficit in the states due to low productivity of food grains. The study has indicated that the NE states need to increase productivity of food grains and oilseeds to reduce the food import bill of the region.KeywordsFood SecurityNormative RequirementNutritional SecurityLivestock SectorNorth Eastern RegionThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.