INDIA

Despite broad economic progress, India continues to face persistent food insecurity, malnutrition, and high levels of stunting. This paradox is at the center of a new book by researchers at the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture andNutrition, Transforming Food Systems for a Rising India, which brings together the latest data and evidence to map out the currents state of Indian food systems. The book offers important insights to both development practitioners and researchers working in India and other developing countries. On June 6, the four co-authors launched the book at IFPRI, outlining what it will take to achieve a nutrition-secure future for India.

With a budget of $7.47 billion in 2017-18, India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) is one of the largest programs of its kind globally. The program guarantees employment for up to 100 days per year for each rural household, with wages equal for men and women. Thus, it not only serves as a form of employment insurance but also has the potential to enhance female empowerment. To ensure transparency, NREGS makes all work-related data available on the Internet, deposits payments directly into beneficiaries’ accounts, and conducts regular social audits.

Agrarian distress, farm waivers, and agricultural sops dominated the political and policy environment ahead of India’s general elections. Amid the hustle and bustle of the world’s largest democracy going to polls, the IFPRI launched its 2019 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR) at the epicenter of the country’s policymaking, New Delhi, at a day-long policy seminar on April 26.

India’s 2019 interim budget makes a tectonic shift in providing support to Indian farmers. Under the Modi government’s ambitious direct benefit transfer program, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, each farmer having less than 2 ha of land will get 6000 rupees ($86) per year. This amount will be transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts in three installments; the first was made on Feb. 24. About 120 million farmers—87% of the total nationwide—are likely to benefit from this program, which will cost $10.7 billion per year.

Who will feed India? The country’s population will soon be larger than China’s, economic growth is averaging 7 to 8 percent, and cities are expanding rapidly. India’s rapidly evolving food needs present a major challenge for agriculture and food systems. A March 22 IFPRI seminar, co-organized with the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Advanced Study of India, explored this key question.