Food Security brings into focus the linkage between food, nutrition and health. ’Food Security’ is the ability of a country or a region to assure adequate food supply for its current and projected population. World Food Summit 1996, adopted the following definition for it and reads ‘ food security exists when all people, at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet the dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life’.

India is the second most populous country in the world with about 1.2 billion people and the third largest economy by GDP. Despite economic growth and self sufficiency in food grain production high level of poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition persists in India. Globally 800 million are undernourished with India ranking (194.6 billion) especially in the rural sector.

The Global Hunger index 2017 ranks India at 100/119 countries on the basis of 3 leading indicators

• Prevalence of underweight children under 5 years of age,
• Under 5 child mortality and the
• Proportion of under nourished in the population.

Dr.S.R.Subramanian, Head of the Sustainable Development Programme at Shanti Ashram will elaborate on the

• Concept of food security
• Discuss in detail the intersections of food security with child health and
• Look at the role of public institutions in ensuring food security for vulnerable children.