Urban Food Security through Urban Agriculture and Waste Recycling: Some Lessons for India

13 I n spite of significant technological advancements revolutionizing food production and distribution the world over, millions of people, including a large number of urban poor, continue to suffer from acute hunger and malnutrition. According to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, at the three-day summit on World Food Security in Rome in 2009, six million children die of hunger each year, which is about 17,000 per day1. Even in a developed country like the USA, millions of urban poor cannot afford adequate food to maintain good health. Further, the rich-poor divide in today’s urban societies denies equitable access to food, thus aggravating the problem of food insecurity. Hunger and malnutrition adversely affect the well-being of the urban poor across the world. There is thus enough reason to be concerned about food security. The production, distribution, and consumption of food along with subsequent management of waste thus generated should be done in a sustainable manner so as to ensure that the needs of future generations are in no way compromised.