Challeneges for India

In the country of India, food availability is not that reliable. Their population right now is 1.3 billion and by 2030, it is estimated that their population will increase to 1.5 billion. The challenge to produce more and more for the growing population is becoming increasingly hard for a country of its size and economic growth. Since the land in India is a shrinking resource for agriculture, the production rate for agriculture needs to be higher per unit of land and irrigation water. Over 60% of the Indian population depend on agriculture for their daily meals. India produces around 100 million tonnes of rice every year. Accessing food in India can be considered as not as easy as in Australia. It is really hard to get your hands on fresh fruit and vegetables. While there might be enough food for the whole population of India, many families and especially children in India don't have access to food because of financial problems. Thus, this is the cause of millions of malnourished children around India. The cultural knowledge in India allows them to have a very nutritional and balanced diet. Nearly the whole of the Indian population has rice at least once a day which allows them to have carbohydrates in their system. Since India is most commonly known for producing and exporting rice to other countries, their lifestyle will be mainly dominated by rice.

Technological solutions

India needs to concentrate on methods to improve the availability and affordability of protein rich food products using the latest environmental friendly technology without the need of additional land and water. [16] Biogas or natural gas or methane produced from farm/agro/crop/domestic waste can also be used in addition to mined natural gas for producing protein rich cattle/fish/poultry/pet animal feed economically by cultivating Methylococcus capsulatus bacteria culture in a decentralized manner near to the rural/consumption areas with tiny land and water foot print.

With a five-fold increase in food grain production from 50 million tonnes in 1950-51 to about 250 million tonnes in 2014-15, India has moved away from dependence on food aid to become a net food exporter. In 2016, the government launched a number of programmes to double farmers’ incomes by 2022. These seek to remove bottlenecks for greater agricultural productivity, especially in rain-fed areas. They include: the National Food Security Mission, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), the Integrated Schemes on Oilseeds, Pulses, Palm oil and Maize (ISOPOM), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the e-marketplace, as well as a massive irrigation and soil and water harvesting programme to increase the country’s gross irrigated area from 90 million hectares to 103 million hectares by 2017.

National Food Security Act, 2013

The National Food Security Act 2013 (also 'Right to Food Act') is an Act of the Parliament which aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two thirds of India's 1.2 billion people.[1] It was signed into law on 12 September 2013, retroactive to 5 July 2013.[2][3] The National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA 2013) converts into legal entitlements for existing food security programmes of the Government of India. It includes the Midday Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services scheme and the Public Distribution System. Further, the NFSA 2013 recognizes maternity entitlements. The Midday Meal Scheme and the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme are universal in nature whereas the PDS will reach about two-thirds of the population (75% in rural areas and 50% in urban areas).

How you can help fellow human being

• Donated blood helps save lives every day, and since blood can only be stored for limited amounts of time, there is always a need for more. You have the potential to save three lives every time you donate blood. As an eye, organ and tissue donor, you have the opportunity to save and enhance the lives of more than 50 individuals.
• Cooking, eating together or just sharing food are still some of the most powerful ways that humans connect with each other. Contact local homeless shelters to find out what their food needs are and help the vulnerable poor in your area.
• By donating to a classroom or school, you can make an impact on some of the most vulnerable people in your community — children. They are also some of the most promising and hopeful people!
• Being someone’s mentor is a fantastic opportunity — not just for them, but for you, too! Working with someone as their mentor allows you to hone your best skills, develop talent in your industry or art and even create a legacy. Anyone can be a mentor, because we are all great at something; moreover, as a mentor you get to help younger, less experienced people in your field who may have had less support and resources.
• Looking for a small but meaningful way to make an impact? Try paying it forward. Do a good deed or unsolicited favor for someone you know, or even a total stranger. There are countless ways you can do something small that means the world to the person on the receiving end, and when you do, you inspire them to keep that good feeling going and pay it forward.
• Being a volunteer lets you choose how to make an impact in your community doing something you care about or supporting a cause that matters to you. There is almost no limit to the ways you can volunteer.
• A patient teacher can make a tremendous impact on a student’s life, and can even mean the difference between success and failure, or acceptance to schools and waiting until next year. If you have the skill and time, consider teaching / guiding a student in your area.

Join us in nurturing the value of giving

Realising the gestures of mutuality exist in the community in various forms from its more than three decades of grassroots work, DHAN has poised to further this value among the Collective Institutions promoted by it. DHAN’s experience over these years shows that while initial interest of the poor communities may have been sparked by the idea of economic gain,with the growth and maturity, they realise that the SHGs and federations are means to address other issues and values in their lives and the society at large.

Enabling poor communities to spearhead their own development is a central philosophy of DHAN Foundation. The primacy is on building social capital, which cherishes the values of self-help and mutuality on the basis of which co-operation for the public good becomes possible. Self-governance and self-management are the propelling forces that transform this social capital into sustainable institutions. Communities can exercise their autonomy only when they gain financial capabilities to run their institutions on their own without dependence on external resources for operating their governance and management functions. This can increase people’s sense of control over issues affecting their lives.

Apart from contributing towards their own development in the form of savings and share in the cost of rehabilitation of water resources, they also contribute towards collective wellbeing of their fellow human beings in number of ways. Their natural inclinations to help others are tuned by the Peoples’ Movements of Kalanjiam (Women), Vayalagam (Farmers) and Neidhal (Coastal Communities). These poor communities are committed to these maneuvers not only for visible reasons, but as an external manifestation of what each of them already holds to be significant and meaningful in life.

How Can You Support?

• Participate in the event to show your solidarity by way of GIVING FORWARD.
• Support in the efforts towards promoting GIVING FORWARD by sponsoring the Event and the Cause
• Share this information to your friends, who can contribute in GIVING FORWARD.
• Volunteer to join us in furthering this initiative

About DHAN Foundation

DHAN Foundation is a Development NGO that nurtures professionalism in development work. Driven by the philosophy of “Giving Back to the society”, around 800 professionals drawn from various disciplines such as agriculture, engineering, management and finance are working at the grassroots with the poor communities. These professionals along with local volunteers are engaged in building localised community organisations by organising and enabling the un-organised poor to work with government and banks to claim their entitlements in a cooperative way. DHAN has so far reached over 1.65 million poor families, spread over 78 districts in 14 Indian States. Community banking for poverty eradication and promoting farm based livelihoods through conservation and development of water resources are the major themes of DHAN. Rainfed farming development, democratizing Panchayats, ICT for poverty reduction, coastal conservation and livelihoods are the programmes currently being scaled-up by DHAN. Climate change adaptation, migration, youth and development are the new themes currently being piloted by it. DHAN works with the state and central governments for effecting changes in their policies in favour of the poor by reflecting on their policies in the fields of water conservation, microfinance and livelihoods.