Vulnerability to food and nutritional insecurity in different reaches of Tungabhadra command area of Karnataka: A case study

This study assessed the vulnerability to food and nutritional insecurity of farm households across multiple water regimes in the Tungabhadra command area of Karnataka by collecting data from 120 households comprising 40 respondents from head, middle and tail-end reaches. The Gini coefficients used to measure the inequality, which showed a high degree of income inequality among tail-end reach households. In head-reach regime, households experienced low vulnerability to food insecurity as they spent lesser proportion of their total expenditure on food, whereas, middle and tail-end reach farm households were more vulnerable. As land use decision is hard to change, there is a need for a comprehensive strategy and plan for irrigation water management and administration.

• High degree of income inequality prevails among harm households at tail-end reaches of Tungabhadra command areas of Karnataka and high extent of vulnerability faced by both tail-end and middle reaches farmers.

• Farmers at tail-end and middle reaches experienced severe to high level and those at head reaches are prone to moderate to mild level of nutritional insecurity.