Significance of Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in India: A Geographical Perspective

Abstract

Earth has its own complex system of life that depend on one another for nourishment and survival. Humans and wildlife both sustain on the plant derived and animal derived nutrition and food. The base of human civilization lies in the foundation of the search for food. This ensures the continuity and wellbeing of human civilisations. Each and every region on the earth’s surface has its own way of procuring, cultivating and consuming food which depends on the climate, landform and socio-economic factors. The World Food Summit of 1996, aroused attention towards the very serious issue of food security, dietary adequacy and equitable access of food to the marginalised and the well offs.  This created a new economic dimension of food security. India, with a dominant population, occupies a distinctive position in this global narrative: cultivation being the mainstay of economy here with nearly 75% of the population engaged in agricultural pursuits. Thus, agriculture not only provides food but also provides economic stability and rural employment. 1960s has seen a revolution in agricultural scenario in India, the Green Revolution, which has initiated exemplary changes in the agricultural scenario. But India still strides with challenges of small land holdings, fragmented lands, regionalisation of agricultural outputs, lack of irrigation facilities and the vagaries of Indian monsoon on which the whole agricultural pursuits depend. This paper examines the current state of Indian agriculture through a geographical lens, exploring its regional diversity, productive capacity, systemic constraints, and the pathways available to strengthen food security while advancing farmer welfare and ecological sustainability.