Assessment of Food Security Among Urban Agriculture Practitioners of Hyderabad

Urban agriculture is emerging as one of the most important and efficient way to ensure food and nutritional security of the urban population. The current study made an attempt to study the food security met out through urban agriculture practices by urban agriculture practitioners in Hyderabad city of Telangana. Assessment was done using semi-structured interview schedule and the data results were logically interpreted. Data of the results show that majority of the respondents grew their own fruits, meeting <25 per cent of their monthly requirement, vegetables to the extent of >50 per cent of the monthly requirement and negligible percentage of the respondents were into meat production and milk production, as part of urban agriculture activities. Dietary diversity of the respondents revealed that cent percent of them fell under acceptable level of food consumption score. Quantity of intake was not appreciable for almost all the food groups except for pulses and fats & oils as compared with the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI). Nutrients like energy, calcium, iron, vitamin A intake was also low as such, when compared with the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). Overall food and nutritional security of the respondents is met out to a considerable extent, particularly for vegetables & fruits. Hence, there is a need to improve nutritional security of the respondents by popularizing the concept of urban agriculture among the urban and peri-urban dwellers and creating awareness through training programmes, campaigns etc. on the nutritional aspects.