FACTORS GOVERNING FOOD SECURITY AMONG RURAL HOUSEHOLDS IN TRIBAL DISTRICT OF SOUTH GUJARAT

Abstract

Availability of food is associated with purchasing power and food insecurity is caused by poverty. The needs of the poor should be protected by improving their purchasing power, through proper planning of agricultural activities for future that can produce more employment and income generation programmes. Around 20.4 per cent of Gujarat's current population does not get enough calories from food as compared to the all-India figure of 13.4 per cent. The problem of food insecurity is basically not found in all sections of the people, rather it is mostly confined to certain marginalized sections. It includes scheduled tribes (STs) as they are socially and economically disadvantaged due to their isolation both geographically as well as culturally from the mainstream population. The attempt has been made to study the major factors governing food security in the Dangs - a tribal district of south Gujarat having 95 per cent scheduled tribe population. Results showed that household size, dependency ratio and age of the household head has significant negative association with food security whereas animal herd size and above poverty level status of household have positive influence on food security. The government should focus on awareness creation on effective family planning and the impact of large family size on ensuring food security, Government can initiate or strengthen old programmes for alternative income generation through facilitation of labour-intensive schemes.