Roots of Hunger in Kalahandi and Elsewhere
Contents: Acknowledgement. Preface. 1. State, market and hunger. 2. Conceptualizing hunger. 3. The new image of hunger. 4. Kalahandi: the land of hunger? 5. Roots of hunger. 6. Food security: a distant dream. 7. State and sustenance against hunger. 8. Faces of hunger. 9. Survival against hunger. 10. Rethinking hunger. Select bibliography. Annexures. Index.
Combining insights from extensive review of past studies and analyses, understanding of historical evolution of land relations in Kalahandi Region; and empirical data from a household sample survey, the book unravels the exploitative process in the society that leads to hunger and malnutrition. The author forcefully shows how the land, labour, money, market and food interlock to the disadvantage of the poor turning them into destitutes. Even migration to get out of the trap does not help.
The crux of the problem is that the government is neither able to deal with the nature of the exploitative process nor provide support to the poor through its various poverty reduction programmes. More often than not, it even refuses to recognize that deaths occur due to starvation and hunger. It would rather blame the disease that afflicts the poor people due to hunger and resulting malnutrition.
The author, through his painstaking research, has brought out the many faces of hunger with great sensitivity. The book is a passionate plea for stronger government action and a more active role of the civil society.
Combining insights from extensive review of past studies and analyses, understanding of historical evolution of land relations in Kalahandi Region; and empirical data from a household sample survey, the book unravels the exploitative process in the society that leads to hunger and malnutrition. The author forcefully shows how the land, labour, money, market and food interlock to the disadvantage of the poor turning them into destitutes. Even migration to get out of the trap does not help.
The crux of the problem is that the government is neither able to deal with the nature of the exploitative process nor provide support to the poor through its various poverty reduction programmes. More often than not, it even refuses to recognize that deaths occur due to starvation and hunger. It would rather blame the disease that afflicts the poor people due to hunger and resulting malnutrition.
The author, through his painstaking research, has brought out the many faces of hunger with great sensitivity. The book is a passionate plea for stronger government action and a more active role of the civil society.
