MSc

The present study was carried out at Kalliyoor Panchayat, an adopted village of College of Agriculture, Vellayani. Hundred paddy cultivators from the selected four “Padashekharam Samitis” drawn at random were the main sample. From the hundred families, thirty women were selected as the micro sample and their nutritional status were assessed since the women are the key indicators of food adequacy at household level.

The study focused on the importance of food security among the paddy cultivators and thereby assuring nutrition security among them. Findings revealed that the paddy cultivators, though the producers of food grains were not enjoying food security.

The objective of the study is to assess the household food and nutrition security of selected paddy cultivators in terms of food availability and its utilization. The outcome of food security can be taken to be the nutritional status of the individuals, with the understanding that food intake is the basic factor and a number of non food factors such as sanitation, access to clean drinking water, access to health care facilities also determine food and nutrition security.

Tools were constructed to ascertain the socio-economic status and personal characteristics of the respondents. Monthly expenditure on different food items were observed by purchase inventory. Food frequency, food consumption pattern and food habits of the family were studied with the help of diet survey.

For the micro sample, anthropometric measurements, biochemical estimation, clinical assessment, one-day weighment survey were executed.

All the respondents in the study reported the use of leased in land for cultivation. It was found that tapioca, rice and fish were most commonly consumed foods. Majority of the respondents substituted gruels instead of rice. The consumption of fruits was very low or rare. Majority of the respondents belonged to SC/ST groups and they took small loans from money lenders.

The food availability and accessibility data is collected through food purchase inventory survey of one month duration, which revealed that majority of respondents were not purchasing or procuring enough food needed to meet their requirement based on the recommended allowance for a balanced diet as suggested by ICMR.

As far as the micro sample is considered, it was found that their diet did not meet the RDA. Their diet lacked macro as well as micro nutrients.

The results of the study reveals that based on the food security indicators (modified version of Chung et.al), only 9% were food secure, 16% moderately food secure and 75% food insecure.

The data collected from micro sample denoted that only 10% women were food secure, 73% moderately food secure and 17% food insecure.

Therefore it can be concluded that majority of the respondents falls in the food insecure group indicating a considerable percentage execute inappropriate coping mechanisms to be food secure with the available resources.