In response to a commitment made by Heads of State and the Government at the World Food Summit in November 1996, a Technical Consultation on FIVIMS (FAO, March 1997), recommended inter alia the preparation of guidelines for the establishment of FIVIMS at the national level. This recommendation was approved by the Committee on World Food Security at its annual meeting in April 1997, with the further recommendation that national governments be fully involved in the development of FIVIMS guidelines.
In light of the above, a national consultant on FIVIMS was assigned by FAO, in close collaboration with the Government of India Intersectoral Coordination Committee for FIVIMS, which is chaired by the Department of Food and Civil Supplies, and the UN Inter-Agency working groups on Food Security and Nutrition and Databases. The national consultant submitted his report, "The Development of FIVIMS in India" in 1999.
The report reviews initiatives in databasing, food and nutrition surveillance and/or mapping in three states of India and assesses the possibility for the establishment of FIVIMS. It identifies the possible partner institutions and stakeholders, their role, expectations and possible contributions to a FIVIMS in the country. The report also defines the appropriate objectives of a FIVIMS in India, taking into account the intersectoral nature of such systems and the overall aim to facilitate the "triple A approach", i.e., Assessment, Analysis and step-wise Action regarding the food security scenario in India.
In addition, the report states that appropriate categories of indicators are necessary to establish "who the food insecure are", "where they are" and "why they are food insecure". It also stresses the need for a strengthened and properly defined database, collected from reliable sources and with a built-in facility for regular updating.
The consultant stated that "While a lot has been done to improve the food supply scenario to the people, the progress on nutrition security lacked the same emphasis and focus ... there are two dimensions to food and nutrition insecurity corroborated by the country's data. Firstly, all the poor are not hungry and conversely all the hungry are not poor and secondly poverty alone does not account for malnourishment."
FIVIMS or related information systems have been initiated in several countries in the developing world with a common goal to eliminate food insecurity through an involvement of diverse sectors such as agriculture, nutrition, health, education and social welfare. In India, the stakeholders from the government ministries, as well as the involved UN agencies, have had a consensus on the need for a holistic approach to initiate FIVIMS in the near future. This may increase national as well as international awareness on food security issues in India, especially amongst policy makers.
For further information, contact the FAO Representative, Mr. P. Rosenegger, at FAO-IND@field.fao.org