TCI’s 2020 report on Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in India (FAN 2020) provides an analysis of India’s progress towards achieving the second sustainable development goal—zero hunger. Using district-level data and maps, the report highlights stark spatial differences in the extent of the hunger problem and identifies potential paths forward.
In recent decades, India has made significant progress in reducing hunger, at least in terms of calories. But about 210 million Indians remain undernourished, while many others suffer from micronutrient deficiencies and obesity.
The report provides a detailed assessment of the prospects for improving productivity and farm incomes across India’s highly varied agroecologies and cropping systems. It emphasizes the need for continued high-level investments in agricultural infrastructure and research to sustain past gains and exploit new opportunities for growth. FAN 2020 calls for reorienting agricultural policy away from its traditional focus on staples, such as rice and wheat, and toward enhancing the productivity and supply of coarse cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables, and livestock products.
The report is the inaugural issue in a series produced by TCI. Each report will provide periodic assessments of the food, agriculture, and nutrition situation in India.
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