Innovations in Dryland Agriculture

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Pacific (Mukherjee 2008 ). For some countries, like Bangladesh and India, about
30 % of children are born underweight and run the risk of dying in infancy, being
stunted physically and cognitively during childhood, having reduced working
capacity and earnings as adults, and giving birth (females) to low-weight babies.
The impact of hunger is more prevalent in women and girl children, who eat last, eat
the least and eat leftovers. Further, the economic cost of hunger in terms of lost
productivity, earnings and consumption run into billions of dollars, apart from the
direct cost of dealing with the damage it causes.
The future requirements of food grains should be based on population growth,
the composition of rural and urban populations, growth in per capita income in rural
and urban areas, and changes in taste and preferences. According to demand projec-
tions prepared by Paroda and Kumar ( 2000 ) under low- and high-income scenarios,
demand in the region will grow by 1 % for cereals and by 1.7 % for pulses. Demand
for edible oils is projected to grow by more than 1.6 %. Demand for fruits, vegeta-
bles and livestock would rise by around 3 % or more under the high-income sce-
nario. These growth rates can be used to work out feasible levels of agricultural
diversification.
The long-term trend in the consumption pattern at the household level shows that
the per capita direct consumption of food grains has been declining, and that of
livestock products and fruits and vegetables has been increasing in most The South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. Despite this shift
in dietary pattern, food grains are paramount for household food and nutritional
security because: (1) cereals and pulses are staple foods, and there is no perfect
substitute; (2) due to the inadequate intake of almost all foods, increased consump-
tion of other foods, in most cases, will fill any dietary deficiency; (3) food grains are
the major and cheapest source of energy and protein compared with other foods, and
are vital for food and nutritional security of low-income masses; and (4) increased
production and consumption of livestock products resulting from increased per
capita income requires high growth in the use of grain as feed for livestock. For
these reasons, food grains continue to be the pillars of food security in South Asia
and any slack in their production translates into persistent price shocks and adverse
impacts on common people (Chand 2010 ).


3.4 Socioeconomic Issues

The ultimate goal of all development efforts is to improve socioeconomic condi-
tions and, therefore, the wellbeing of people. South Asia is an important region in
the world that needs attention as the bulk of the poor live in these nations. The
widespread poverty is reflected in the relatively higher prevalence of malnutrition in
these countries. Addressing the issue of malnutrition should, therefore, be an


C. Srinivasa Rao et al.
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