BIHAR

Eastern India is waiting for Green Revolution to improve food security and reduce poverty. A large fraction of the population in this part of the country is dependent on agriculture for food and livelihood security.

Call for abstracts for a conference on “Green Revolution in Eastern India: Constraints, Opportunities and Way Forward” on Oct 09-10, 2017 at NASC, Pusa, New Delhi, India.

Despite rich in natural resources such as water, fertile soil, mineral reserves and sun, Bihar and Odisha have not been able to capitalize upon their vast resources due lack of infrastructure (like roads, power and markets), concentration of the poor population with high density in most parts, weak institutions (such as credit, insurance, education and extension) and weak governance.

Bihar recorded only 122 mm of rain in the month of June this year against the normal 169 mm—a deficit

The increasing frequency of altered rainfall patterns in India has heightened the vulnerability of the agricultural sector, already susceptible to rainfall-related volatility. The impact extends beyond macroeconomics and into the households and lives of hundreds of millions of people. In Bihar, for instance, the poorest and third-largest state in India, 24 of its 38 districts are considered extremely vulnerable to climate change and a large portion of the state experienced droughts in four out of five years between 2009 and 2013.

Konark Sikka is an intern with IFPRI- South Asia office Over the years investments in food and nutritional security have