India State Hunger Index
Encyclopedia
The India State Hunger Index (ISHI) is a tool to calculate hunger
and malnutrition
at the regional level in India. It is constructed in the same fashion as the Global Hunger Index
(GHI) 2008 and was calculated for 17 states in India, covering more than 95 percent of the population.
The ISHI was developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute
(IFPRI) and presented for the first time 2008 in conjunction with the Non-Governmental Organisation Welthungerhilfe
and the Department of Economics, University of California
.
, India is home to the largest number of hungry people in the world. In the ranking of the Global Hunger Index
2008 it covers position 66 out of 88 ranked countries and has an “alarming“ (23,7) food security
situation. The major problem in the country is the high prevalence of underweight
children under five, which is a result of low nutrition and educational status of women.
While there has been attention to hunger and undernourishment at the central level, within Indias political system, states are important political units with regard to the planning and execution of development programs. Thus unpacking the hunger index at the level of the federal states is an important tool to build awareness of the disparities in hunger among them. In addition, the variability of the relative contribution of the underlying components of the hunger index across the different Indian states can help to stimulate the discussion about the drivers of hunger in different state contexts.
which follows a multidimensional approach to measuring hunger and malnutrition
. It combines three equally-weighted indicators:
The ISHI uses two data sources for the estimation of the Indian state level: These are the first rounds of the National Family Health Survey (2005-2006) for India and the National Sample Survey data from 2004-2005.It is calculated and presented for 17 major states, covering 95 percent of the country's population. While the National Family Health Survey has a large enough sample size to yield representative estimates of the child underweight
and mortality rates even for the smaller states and union territories in the country, the sample size of the National Sample Survey is insufficient for estimating undernourishment rates in these places. Therefore, the ISHI restricts the sample to those states for which it yields precise states level estimates.
Hunger
Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...
and malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
at the regional level in India. It is constructed in the same fashion as the Global Hunger Index
Global Hunger Index
The Global Hunger Index is a multidimensional statistical tool used to describe the state of countries’ hunger situation. The GHI measures progress and failures in the global fight against hunger...
(GHI) 2008 and was calculated for 17 states in India, covering more than 95 percent of the population.
The ISHI was developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute
International Food Policy Research Institute
The International Food Policy Research Institute is an international agricultural research center founded in the early 1970s to improve the understanding of national agricultural and food policies to promote the adoption of innovations in agricultural technology...
(IFPRI) and presented for the first time 2008 in conjunction with the Non-Governmental Organisation Welthungerhilfe
Welthungerhilfe
Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e. V. – or Welthungerhilfe for short – is a non-denominational and politically independent, non-profit-making and non-governmental aid agency working in the field of development cooperation and emergency relief aid...
and the Department of Economics, University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
.
Background
Despite the g.d economic performance, with over 200 million people who are food insecureFood security
Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
, India is home to the largest number of hungry people in the world. In the ranking of the Global Hunger Index
Global Hunger Index
The Global Hunger Index is a multidimensional statistical tool used to describe the state of countries’ hunger situation. The GHI measures progress and failures in the global fight against hunger...
2008 it covers position 66 out of 88 ranked countries and has an “alarming“ (23,7) food security
Food security
Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
situation. The major problem in the country is the high prevalence of underweight
Underweight
The term underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. "Underweight" means weighing less than what is expected to be a healthy person . The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index . A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight...
children under five, which is a result of low nutrition and educational status of women.
While there has been attention to hunger and undernourishment at the central level, within Indias political system, states are important political units with regard to the planning and execution of development programs. Thus unpacking the hunger index at the level of the federal states is an important tool to build awareness of the disparities in hunger among them. In addition, the variability of the relative contribution of the underlying components of the hunger index across the different Indian states can help to stimulate the discussion about the drivers of hunger in different state contexts.
Indicators and underlying data
The ISHI is constructed in the same fashion as the Global Hunger IndexGlobal Hunger Index
The Global Hunger Index is a multidimensional statistical tool used to describe the state of countries’ hunger situation. The GHI measures progress and failures in the global fight against hunger...
which follows a multidimensional approach to measuring hunger and malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
. It combines three equally-weighted indicators:
- the proportion of undernourished as a percentage of the population (reflecting the share of the population with insufficient dietary intake);
- the prevalence of underweightUnderweightThe term underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. "Underweight" means weighing less than what is expected to be a healthy person . The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index . A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight...
children under the age of five (indicating the proportion of children suffering from weight loss and / or reduced growth); and - the mortality rate of childrenChild mortalityChild mortality, also known as under-5 mortality, refers to the death of infants and children under the age of five. In 2010, 7.6 million children under five died , down from 8.1 million in 2009, 8.8 million in 2008, and 12.4 million in 1990. About half of child deaths occur in Africa....
under the age of five (partially reflecting the fatal synergy between dietary intake and unhealthy environments).
Underweight
The term underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. "Underweight" means weighing less than what is expected to be a healthy person . The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index . A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight...
and mortality rates even for the smaller states and union territories in the country, the sample size of the National Sample Survey is insufficient for estimating undernourishment rates in these places. Therefore, the ISHI restricts the sample to those states for which it yields precise states level estimates.
Key findings
- ISHI 2008 scores for Indian states range from 13,6 (“serious”) for Punjab to 30,9 (“extremely alarming”) for Madhya Pradesh, indicating substantial variability among states in India. Punjab is ranked 34th when compared to the GHI 2008 worldwide country ranking, while Madhya Pradesh is ranked 82nd. In this state more people suffer from hunger than in Ethiopia or Sudan. 60 percent of the children are undernourished.
- All 17 states have ISHI scores that are well above the “low” and “moderate” hunger categories. Twelve of the 17 states fall into the “alarming” category, and one into the “extremely alarming” category.
- ISHI scores are closely aligned with poverty, but there is little association with state level economic growth. High levels of hunger are seen in states that are performing well from an economic perspective.
- Inclusive economic growth and targeted strategies to ensure food sufficiency reduce child mortality and improve child nutrition are urgent priorities for all states in India.