NEW DELHI: Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Koraput (Odisha) and Thane (Maharashtra) will initiate Zero Hunger programme through interventions in agriculture sector on World Food Day, October 16, 2017.
These three would act as a model of an integrated approach to deal with hunger and malnutrition by adopting suitable agricultural\horticultural practices.
The Programme is initiated by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in support of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
Eminent agriculture scientist, M S Swaminathan, on Monday while speaking about the plan said that the programme will ensure suitable methods of measuring the impact of intervention. There will be intensive training programme in order to identify the nutritional maladies in each district and the appropriate agricultural/horticultural and animal husbandry remedies.
Though many more districts will eventually be covered under this dedicated farm-based programme in sync with India’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end hunger by 2030.
The concerned state Govt. will also be involved in the programme which consists of organisations of farming system for nutrition, setting up genetic gardens for biofortified plants/crops and initiation of a ‘Zero Hunger’ training.
“It is hoped that such an integrated programme will help us achieve the zero hunger district goal surely and speedily”, said Swaminathan who is popularly known as father of ‘green revolution’ in India.
