Food Security and Demographic Dividend -Role of Rural Co-operatives

Food security is believed to be the adequate supply of food to the needy people in general. Lack of it leads to poverty, malnutrition, poor health and low level of economic living. This thought is premised on the vagaries of indifference of the government and society that fails to act upon leading to social unrest. This study looks food security from the angle of demographic dividend. There is inequality in levels of learning for rural wards as compared to the urban wards. One of the primary causes, this study strongly believes is the denial of healthy and nutritious food due to meager incomes of the villagers. It impairs their cognitive skills and scholastic activities. It converts pupils into dull and insipid ones. General health gets affected resulting to low memory retention, relapses, absenteeism and finally dropouts. It ends up at low quality, poor outcomes and incompetent students. Thus, food security may provide good educational environment for students, teachers and parents. All interact in a healthy and conducive atmosphere ensuring better learning outcomes. It provides an academic platform free from health ailments. This results into concentration in studies by teachers as well as students. Society has to provide this environment for a civilized, tolerant and competitive community in a world of hostility and cut throat competition. Food security among backward communities in rural areas is a salient issue for addressing inclusive and sustainable growth. It reaps demographic dividend. Midday meals are typical government programme tangled with school bureaucracy. Schools are loaded with teaching, co-curricular activities and government works like census, elections etc. Village co-operatives should take an initiative for empowering their wards through food security. To make it efficient, there is a need to dismantle the existing organization structure, increasing accountability and conduct periodic feedback of their performance in their contribution to food security to the student community. Panchayat Raj Institution, public Distribution System, School and Village cooperatives should be integrated for enriching educational outcomes.