Food Security and Nutritional Safety: A Challenge Ahead

Abstract

Today humanity is facing a daunting challenge. The natural resources, both on land and water, are increasingly in demand to cater to the human needs and expectations. In order to feed the burgeoning population of India and to attain food security, the mission oriented efforts for increasing food productivity and its sustainability through advanced agro and biotechnological means are to be ventured. However, problems of climate change, biodiversity, desertification, water depletion, pollutants and toxicants, etc are being manifested, which in turn are becoming unfriendly to plant, animal and human health. There is an urgent need for developing methods to alleviate the environmental disorders in order to boost crop productivity. Soil health is defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living system, by recognising that it contains biological elements that are key to the ecosystem function within land use boundaries. Food security is defined as the state when people have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Future global environment change such as increased climate variability, land degradation and loss of biodiversity, in the context of social, political and economic changes, may bring unprecedented stress on the food production system and food security. Soil health management, however, can play a significant role in climate change mitigation and adaptation to reduce the vulnerability of Indian agriculture. Although worldwide there are clearly enormous number of people to feed, the high yields associated with mono cropping are not worth the long-term environmental and health costs of using fossil fuels and degradation of soil with chemical inputs. Integrated nutrient management, organic farming, biofertilisers, bioremediation, biocontrol and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria are important means for optimising crop production on both short term and long term basis to achieve sustainable production without deterioration of the environment and at the same time maintain the soil fertility.