Aim:
To improve the health, nutrition and livelihood status of small and marginal farming communities by ensuring availability and access to nutrient rich food in a farming system approach.
Objectives:
- Promoting production of nutrient-dense foods (millets, pulses, fruits and vegetables, backyard poultry and aquaculture), both for consumption and commerce.
- Reduction of post-harvest losses through initiatives like support for safe community level food storage, processing and conservation.
- Nutrition awareness for the community (farming communities and consumers as a whole) on agriculture-nutrition linkages.
Key findings from the Baseline Survey:
- 66 per cent of the households in the study area were marginal and small farmers with less than two hectares of land.
- Diet is cereal dominated: quantity consumed was more than the recommended level at 462g/day against 375g/day Recommended Daily Intake.
- Consumption of all other food groups was less than RDI.
- Except carbohydrates and fats, all the other nutrients were consumed less than the recommended levels.
- Most of the households consumed only 2 meals a day.
- Knowledge on health, sanitation and hygiene, general nutrition, and nutrition during 1000 days was found to be less.