Evaluation of Tribal Food Security in Mysuru District-Karnataka
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International Journal of Research and Review www.ijrrjournal.com E-ISSN: 2349-9788; P-ISSN: 2454-2237 Original Research Article Evaluation of Tribal Food Security in Mysuru District-Karnataka Akash Raj D P1, Mahesh T M2 1Research Scholar, 2Professor, Institute of Development Studies, University of Mysore, Mysuru, Karnataka, India. Corresponding Author: Akash Raj D P ABSTRACT The paper was aimed to assess the food experience and food security in tribal areas of Mysuru district. Three taluks of the Mysuru district were selected for the study; H D Kote, Periyapatna and Hunsur. Primary survey of 500 households was carried with the set of different questions such as: a) household cannot afford balanced meals, b) food purchased does not last and no money for more food, c) household cuts meal size, d) household skips meal and e) one or more family members remain hungry all the day or night. Food security was assessed by set of questions like; a) Entitlement provided by FPS is enough or not; b) only a single meal in a day; c) households eat meals without vegetable, d) cereals, pulses and vegetables are not always available, e) members get less than the amount satisfying hunger. The survey revealed that 64.8% households often do not afford balanced meals; 53.6% of the households do not have money for more food to purchase and the purchased food does not last long; 70% of the population cuts meal size, 51% population skip meals and the 44% of the families have members hungry all day or night. The survey revealed that selected tribes experience inadequate food in their day to day life and hence causes severe food insecurity. Key words: Food insecurity, Tribes, Mysuru, food experience, Karnataka. INTRODUCTION not reach tribe population as they live Food is basic need for survival of isolated in few numbers. In India food any organism on earth and sufficient food is security is mainly focused on distribution of necessary to lead a healthy life. Food food grains through the public distribution security is an important means to realize the system (Nair K T, 2008). As per the socio right to food (Bhagatet al., 2010), which economic status of population living in the means the access to sufficient food to all country, tribes are more vulnerable who live persons of the household throughout the in poverty with higher malnutrition (Sinha, year. Government of India has been taking A K, 2014), the expenditure and living several initiatives to guarantee the food standard are poor than general population security of population through several (Kijima Y, 2006), higher illiteracy, lack of schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National awareness about the welfare schemes, poor Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Rural health status and poor sanitation are Landless Employment Guarantee common among the tribe community Programme; and distribution of entitlements (Mishra M, 2012). Hence the present study for reasonable price or free of cost. was taken up as it would help to understand Generally these developmental schemes do International Journal of Research & Review (www.gkpublication.in) 109 Vol.4; Issue: 1; January 2017 Akash Raj D P et al. Evaluation of Tribal Food Security in Mysuru District-Karnataka the weaker section of the society andthe consists of seven taluks such as Periyapatna, status of their livelihood. Heggadadevana Kote, Nanjangud, Hunsur, Tirumakudal Narsipur, Krishnarajanagara STUDY AREA and Mysore. As per the Census of India The study area lies in southern part 2011, the district ranks in 3rd place in total of Karnataka between 11° 44' 12.81" N and population, 2nd in density of population. 12° 39' 15.47" N latitude; and between 77° Among the total population of district 8' 6.94" E and 75° 54' 34.26" E longitude. scheduled caste comprises of 17.9 percent The area extension is 6,307 Sq.km. which and scheduled tribe consists of 11.1 percent. 74°0'0"E 76°0'0"E 78°0'0"E 70°0'0"E 80°0'0"E 90°0'0"E 100°0'0"E Districts States 18°0'0"N 18°0'0"N Karnataka India 30°0'0"N ± 30°0'0"N 20°0'0"N 20°0'0"N Karnataka 16°0'0"N 16°0'0"N 10°0'0"N 10°0'0"N 0 355 710 Km 70°0'0"E 80°0'0"E 90°0'0"E 100°0'0"E 76°0'0"E 76°20'0"E 76°40'0"E 77°0'0"E 12°40'0"N 12°40'0"N Taluks ± Mysore 14°0'0"N 14°0'0"N Piriyapatna 12°20'0"N 12°20'0"N Hunsur 12°0'0"N 12°0'0"N HD Kote MysoreMysore 12°0'0"N 12°0'0"N 0 87.5 175 Km 0 25 50 Km Selected Taluks 11°40'0"N 11°40'0"N 76°0'0"E 76°20'0"E 76°40'0"E 77°0'0"E 74°0'0"E 76°0'0"E 78°0'0"E Fig: 1 Study Area METHODOLOGY last and no money for more food, c) For the purpose of study, three household cuts meal size, d) household taluks in Mysuru district such as Priyapatna, skips meal and e) one or more family Hunsur and H D Kote were selected. The members hungry all the day or night. necessary data was collected through Further, to determine the food primary survey using well-structured security the related questions raised were; a) questionnaire. Totally, 500 households were Entitlement provide by FPS is not enough, surveyed to obtain the information about b) Only a single meal in a day, c) Household household experience and determination of eats meals without vegetables, d) Cereals, food security. To understand the experience Pulses, and Vegetable are not always of food security among the tribal available, e) Members get only less than the households, the related questions were amount satiating hunger, with two options raised such as, a) household cannot afford as YES or NO in the questionnaire. Based balance meals, b) food purchased does not on the response, the food security was International Journal of Research & Review (www.gkpublication.in) 110 Vol.4; Issue: 1; January 2017 Akash Raj D P et al. Evaluation of Tribal Food Security in Mysuru District-Karnataka measured among the five questions if “Yes” no money for more food”, 3 (0.6%) was mentioned for more than 4 questions it households represented always, 268 (53.6 was considered as food insecure, “Yes” for %) households stated often and 229 (45.8 three questions was considered as %) represented sometimes. Then for the chronically food insecure and “Yes” to two question “Household cuts meal size”, 2 (0.4 questions or below than that was considered %) households revealed always, 351 (70.2 as mildly insecure and “No” to all the %) represented often and 147 (29.4 %) questions was considered as food secured. stated sometimes. Further, for the question EXPERIENCE OF FOOD SECURITY “Household skips meal”, 1 (0.2 %) The result obtained from the household represented always, 259 (51.8 %) households represent that among the 500 represented often and 240 (48 %) revealed families, “for the question “Household sometimes. Then for the question “One or cannot afford balanced meals”, 15 (3 %) more family members hungry all day or households represented always, 324 (64.8) night”, 2 (0.4 %) households represented families represented often and 161 (32.2 %) always, 220 (44 %) represented often and households represented sometimes. The 278 (55.6 %) represented sometimes question “Food purchased does not last and (Table:1 and Fig:2). Table 1 Household Experience in Food security Experience Always Often Sometimes Total Household cannot afford balanced meals 15 324 161 500 (3) (64.8) (32.2) (100) Food purchased does not last and no money for more food 3 268 229 500 (0.6) (53.6) (45.8) (100) Household cuts meal size 2 351 147 500 (0.4) (70.2) (29.4) (100) Household skips meal 1 259 240 500 (0.2) (51.8) (48) (100) One or more family members hungry all day or night 2 220 278 500 (0.4) (44) (55.6) (100) Source: Primary Survey – 2015 Fig: 2 Household Experience in Food security 70.2 80 64.8 70 53.6 51.8 55.6 60 45.8 48 44 50 32.2 40 29.4 30 20 Percentof HH 3 10 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.4 Always 0 Often Household Food Household Household One or Sometimes cannot purchased cuts meal skips meal more family afford does not size members balanced last and no hungry all meals money for day or night more food Experience From the Table:1 it is visible that, households are not experienced always, more than 50 percent of households major proportion of households’ represented often for all the first four experienced often. questions and more than 40 percent of DETERMINATION OF FOOD household represented often for last SECURITY question, it clearly indicates, even though International Journal of Research & Review (www.gkpublication.in) 111 Vol.4; Issue: 1; January 2017 Akash Raj D P et al. Evaluation of Tribal Food Security in Mysuru District-Karnataka As mentioned earlier, to determine “Households eat meals without vegetables”, the food security of households, five 321 (64.2 %) households represented “Yes” questions were asked with “Yes” or “No” and 179 (35.8 %) represented “No”. Then choice, from the survey it was revealed that for the question “Cereals, Pulses, and for the question “Entitlement provide by Vegetable are not always available”, 437 FPS is not enough”, 377 (75.4 %) of (87.4 %) households represented “Yes” and households represented “Yes” and 123 (34.6 63 (12.6 %) represented “No”.