Food Security

Suman Sahai and M.S. Banga

For any modern nation, the question of food security is . paramount. For any society, the availability of sufficient food for all is a key indicator of its success. Never has the art and science of food, from production to consumption, Hourished as much as it has today. Yet, hunger-mass, hidden and transient-is in evidence across the globe and sharply so in India.

 

Area under Bt cotton expands; NGOs decry government propaganda :  Gargi Parsai

While the Centre on Monday said the area under Bt cotton is estimated to have expanded to 90 per cent of the total area sown under cotton in 2010-11, several non-government organisations alleged that the government had deliberately promoted the genetically-modified seed as part of a strategy.

“This is not to be welcomed because the wider the spread of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gene, the faster will be the build-up of resistance in the pest (bollworm). The approach should have been to use a mix of strategy to control the pest,” said scientist and convener of Gene Campaign Suman Sahai.

 

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Nutritional Status of Women and Children in Select Areas of Jharkhand :
Juliet Kane, Intern, Gene Campaign

A study was undertaken to document the nutritional status of women and children in the Hazaribagh and Ranchi districts of Jharkhand as part of Gene Campaign’s work on understanding food and nutrition security in rural India. The study was conducted by a Gene Campaign intern, Juliet Kane .
The study showed that only 47% of children were a healthy weight for their age . 23% of all children were severely wasted and another 29% were wasted.
Similarly, only 55% of children had a healthy height for their age whereas 23% of the children were severely stunted and another 22% were stunted.  . See the full report ..