Crop Diversification as a Means to Alleviate Food and Nutritional Security

Achieving food security is an important challenge in the developing world and is very crucial in alleviating poverty. Moreover, the impact of climate change and rapidly increasing population pressure on global food systems is posing a serious threat to food and nutritional security. This paper has discussed the global food insecurity issues and how this food insecurity can be quantified. It has also outlined various short-term coping strategies to address the prevailing food insufficiency. Besides, the study has also highlighted the food insecurity issues in the Indian context. The study has revealed that crop diversification is a potential tool to mitigate crop and food insecurity. It has suggested exploitation of crop genetic diversity as a means to increase food production. Agricultural diversification can also be helpful in increasing incomes and producing more nutrients on per unit of area by including fruits/vegetables and other cash crops in the crop plan where food security acts as a precondition for nutritional security. Various aspects of crop diversification such as enhancing soil fertility, pest and disease control, and yield stability have also been emphasized in the study.