Management of community grate stocks in dryland areas of Andhra Pradesh, India

摘要

In Indian villages, many households rely for their food security on the government-sponsored Public Distribution System (PDS) that offers relatively poor quality rice or wheat at low prices. However, even in the medium term, the cost of public sector grain management to ensure food security is unsustainable. For this reason, central and state authorities in India have encouraged research into policy and practical guidelines for village-level food security. The approach being tested is to develop grain banks with groups of landless women in dryland areas of Andhra Pradesh, where the cereal staple is sorghum. These self-help groups are formed with the help of a local NGO. The research partners in this exercise are seeking to understand the situation, characteristics and needs of the village communities, recognising that any initiative in community storage should be developed through a process in which demand is established and the way of working elaborated within the group. The sustainabtlity of this approach will become apparent over next few years. The strong emphasis on group formation and the development of appropriate systems by the group itself should encourage a high degree of "ownership" and give a greater chance of success than experienced with grain banks in the Sahel since the 1970s.