India scores high on hunger, low on implementation: Global Report
Newshook: 16th October World Food Day and release of 'Who's really fighting hunger?'
16 Oct 2009: India scores third division on a scale of hundred, below Bangladesh and Nepal, in a global scorecard on the state of hunger released by ActionAid on the World Food Day.
The report card for 51 nations looks at not just the prevalence of hunger, but also at what the governments are doing by way of policy to fight hunger. India scores 33 points and is ranked 22nd on the list.
The report 'Who is Really Fighting Hunger' was released internationally today to drive home the point that: "It is the role of the state and not the level of wealth, that determines progress on hunger," said Anne Jellema ActionAid International's Policy Director.
Since India went full steam with economic liberalisation marked by privatisation and disinvestment of state-run industries in the nineties, over 30 million Indian's have joined the ranks of hungry since mid-nineties.
"The dark side of India's economic growth has been that the excluded social groups have been further marginalised, compounding their hunger, malnutrition and even leading to starvation deaths," says Professor Babu Mathew, Country Director for ActionAid India.
The report shows that China has been able to cut hunger numbers by 58 million in ten years through strong state support for small farmers.
India ranks sixth among developing nations in terms of legal framework for addressing hunger and food rights. Brazil is ranked first under this parameter.
Interestingly, India is also ranked among the first three developing countries on the indicator for social protection. It has some of the best legislation among the developing nations on nutrition, free school meals, employment guarantee, and food subsidy for the poor and pension for vulnerable groups.
"Implementation remains a massive challenge in absence of recognition of rights of the poor. Entitlements have to be delivered on the ground by empowering the communities and enforced earnestly with greater political will by the government," says Amar Joyti Nayak, Food Rights thematic head for ActionAid India.
"In a year when poor are reeling under crop loss due to droughts and floods in India, focus must be on supporting agriculture, especially subsistence and women farmers," he adds.
"Massive and urgent support to poor farmers, and social welfare programmes for vulnerable groups, are needed to reverse growing global hunger. At the World Food Summit next month, donor countries need to announce an additional $23 billion to support these measures," adds Jellema.
ENDS
Please find attached with this mail the scorecard for India. You can find the complete report on: http://www.actionaid.org/india/index.aspx?PageID=2591
Note to Editors:
For ActionAid case studies and photos to illustrate this story please click here: http://storyhub.actionaid.org/?c=18565&k=ea3b5f0be5
Online Action: Unhappy with your country's score? Tell your government to do better now at www.hungerfreeplanet.org/you-end-hunger from 8th October
Explanation of Report
ActionAid's HungerFREE Scorecard report looks at the performance of 51 governments in tackling hunger. Unlike other hunger indices, which assess outcomes only, it also evaluates government actions and commitments.
The actions and commitments tracked are those singled out in the UN's 2008 Comprehensive Framework for Action as most critical for reversing hunger.[i] Developing countries have been graded on their legal commitment to the right to food, investment in agriculture and social protection, and performance on hunger and child nutrition. Developed countries have been ranked on aid to agriculture and social protection; commitment to sustainable agriculture and tackling climate change.
The first section of this report, 'HungerFREE Global Indicators,' compares performance and progress across countries. The second section of this report, 'HungerFREE Country Scorecards', takes a closer look at each country with at-a-glance scorecards.
Out of 22 developed countries, the UK ranks eighth, Denmark fifth, Netherlands seventh, France ninth, Italy 14th, Greece 16th, Australia 17th and the US 21st. Luxembourg is top and New Zealand bottom.
Out of thirty developing nations, Brazil ranks top, China second, Ghana third, Vietnam fourth and Malawi fifth. Democratic Republic of Congo is bottom.
ActionAid believes the lessons from top performing countries can be applied to reverse growing global hunger. It is calling on governments to:
• Reverse decades of neglect of agriculture by increasing developing country budget allocations to at least 10 per cent as part of a comprehensive national anti-hunger action plan.
• Increase donor aid to agriculture by at least US $20 billion per year, and ensure these funds directly support national plans by channeling them through a coordinated funding mechanism.
• Give priority to investment in poor farmers, especially women, and support climate-resilient, low-input agriculture.
• Eliminate subsidies for biofuel production, which directly undermine food security.
• Increase both donor and developing country investment in social protection and basic social services.
• As part of a just global climate deal in Copenhagen in December 2008, developed nations must agree to limit emissions but also to support and sustain adaptation and mitigation measures in developing countries to the tune of US $182 billion per year.