The concept of food security has been undergoing an
evolutionary change during the last 50 years. In the
nineteen fifties, food security was considered essentially
in terms of production. It was assumed that adequate
production will assure adequate availability of
food in the market as well as in the household. In the
seventies, it became clear that availability alone does
not lead to food security, since those who lack purchasing
power will not be able to have access to balanced
diets. Purchasing power again is related to jobs or livelihood
opportunities. More recently, it is becoming evident
that even if availability and access are satisfactory,
the biological absorption of food in the body is related
to the consumption of clean drinking water as well as to
environmental hygiene, primary health care and primary
education. Finally, even if physical and economic access
to food is assured, ecological factors will determine
the long-term sustainability of food security
systems. Based on the above considerations, the M. S.
Swaminathan Research Foundation and the United
Nations World Food Programme have recently brought
out a Food Insecurity Atlas of Rural India1.