Agriculture is the main source of livelihood in India though the contribution of agriculture to national GDP is getting reduced to 15% by 2020. Sixty % of India’s population now lives in rural areas where agriculture is the main stay. There is immense indigenous and traditional knowledge on agriculture-plants, soil, water, plant protection, uses and marketing. Agriculture is taught both formally and informally. Formal education starts at 10th class level in the form of occasional courses, diploma courses and polytechniques in agricultural engineering. At University level B.Sc. (Agriculture), B.Sc. (Horticulture), B.Sc (Home Science and Food science and Nutrition), B.Tch (Agri.Engineering), B.Sc (Agro-Forestry) and B.Sc (Food Processing) are offered with good employment potential. With realisation for the need for a nutritious diet, nutrition security has become a national policy issue. Self-sufficiency in nutritious food is promoted by encouraging nutrition gardens/kitchen gardens/backyard gardens/vertical farming, integrating poultry-fishery-horticulture in farming system has become a necessity. Women play a major role in nutrition security. A number of training courses are offered to even illiterate women by informal education. India as a sub-continent with 1200 million people, the scale of coverage has to be enlarged. English is read and spoken only by a minority. Books in local languages are needed. My recent edited book HORTICULTURE FOR NUTRITION SECURITY published by NIPA New Delhi covers a few of above aspects. In any case there is realization among policy makers that nutrition security is equally important to Food Security. India is the second country next to Brazil which passed the Food Security Act-2013 to make food as a right to its citizens.
Dr. Kuruppacharil V. Peter