Community Food Bank – a Road Map

for Eliminating Hunger for achieving

the Goal of Hunger Free India and to
address the First UN Millennium
Development Goal of Eradication of
Poverty and Hunger

Concept & Editor

Ashok Kumar Sinha

Karma Consultants
May 2011
Context

In the developmental world the discussion and debate on Food and Hunger
issue is still happening. The Government of India under its National Common
Programme is talking about Food and Nutrition security. The UPA
government will work out a comprehensive strategy for food and nutrition
security. The UPA government will strengthen the public distribution system
particularly in the poorest and backward blocks of the country, and also
involve women’s and ex-servicemen’s cooperatives in its management.
Special schemes to each food grains to the most destitute and infirm will be
launched. Antodaya Cards for all households at risk of hunger will be
introduced. Grain Banks in chronically food – scare areas will be established.
This is one aspect of Food and Hunger issues, where government is seems to
be active, but the reality is something different. Today poor people are hardly
getting actual benefits through public distribution system.

The other important dimension of Food and Hunger issues is related to

number and human development indicators. Where the situations are still
tricky, in the recently published report “The right to food - Report of the
Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler*” it has been clearly
mentioned that - hunger has increased yet again this year. In its 2004
report, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
reports that hunger has increased to 852 million gravely undernourished
children, women and men, compared to 842 million last year, despite already
warning of a “setback in the war against hunger” in 2003. It is an outrage
that more than 6 million small children are killed by hunger-related diseases
every year, in a world that is wealthier than ever before and that already
produces enough food to feed the world’s population About 800 million
people worldwide live in poverty. Though it has been written in international
world level context but situation in our country is very similar.

Some 320 million of India’s population live below the poverty line. With India
being home to one third of the world's poor, so the country plays a key role
in reaching the Millennium Development Goals. At the 2000 Millennium
Summit, the world community committed itself to halving the proportion of
people in the world living in extreme poverty by 2015. Community Food
Grain Bank would be an important intervention to address the First UN
Millennium Development Goal of Eradication of Poverty and Hunger.

PDS has been weekened in the recent year. Purchasing power of large
sections of the rural population has been also weekened in recent year by the
crisis in agriculture and rural livelihoods. Several studies reveal that the
poverty is concentrated and food deprivation is acute in predominantly
agricultural and rural areas with limited resources. And this becomes more
vulnerable when villagers do not have get wage work in the lean season. The
situation becomes worst during the emergency situation such as drought,
flood etc. In this situation Community Food Security systems will help to
widen the food security base by including a wide range of millets, grain
legumes and tubers.

This Community Food Security system is nothing else but it is a Community

Driven Grain Bank. This Community Food Security system is one among six-
point agenda for achieving the Goal of Hunger Free India. This action point of
Community Food Banks, set up as models is well tested by M S Swaminathan
research Foundation (MSSRF) with support from the World Food Programme
in eight tribal villages in the Koraput – Kalahandi region of Orissa.

Advocacy Points for us: To promote the establishment of Community

Food Bank operated by community based organization / Women Self
Help Groups, base on the Principle Store Grin and Water Everywhere.

Food grain Corpus, storage structure, operation and management aspect

followed by capacity building of the community to mange Community Food
Bank is very crucial. Sustainability of the mechanism hinges on ensuring
livelihood security of the people.

We have tried to mention here the practical aspect for promotion of the
establishment of Community Food Bank. It would be useful for the groups
who are working on Food Right issues in the unserved and underserved area,
which is also, know as chronically food scare areas.

Starvation and hunger death is a common feature in chronically food scare

region of the country. Poor and vulnerable communities face problems during
lean seasons, when they do not get wage work. If the wage earner person
gets ill, than the entire families members face problems. Sometime the
entire families sleep without having food. Sometime they purchase on credit
from nearer Sahukar (shop-keeper), but in return they have to pay high rate
of interest also. Agricultural wage worker also do not receive payment in time
or on regular basis, which also sometime creates problems for them.
Currently the social security systems are not meeting the need of poor in
their vulnerable period or lean season. Traditionally communities have
system of grain banks at families’ level. Respecting the traditional
knowledge, we can introduce the concept of grain bank in the vulnerable
region.
Community Grain bank

Grain banks functions as a community owned and self-managed mechanism

to reduce the hunger period among poor and vulnerable community. The
contribution from the community is an indicative to their participation. It
respects the traditional system of survival.

The grain bank is not limited to the person, who has contributed their
sharing, but it is also benefited to Persons with disability, elderly persons and
orphan children, destitute and deserted women.

Definition - Community Grain Bank is a mechanism

for decentralized storage and management of grains
at the village level, to address transient food
insecurity and provide immediate relief during
emergencies.

Why grain Bank

 Community face problems in the lean season as well as during
emergency situations
 They do not have capacity to purchase grain and store it for lean
season
 Take loan or mortgaging their life surviving assets in lean season
 PDS system is not functional – community can not purchase from grain
bank by paying Rs 90 at one time.
 Government Social security and welfare schemes not serve the
purpose during lean season

Process Involved in formation of grain bank

 Village level meeting and sharing about the concept of Grain bank (
paddy/rice and wheat) and its purpose
 Formation of grain bank community comprises of women and men
 Setting up the roles of grain bank committee members – collection,
distribution, ensuring repayment and maintenance of storage
 Setting up systems, norms for distribution and repayment
 Collection of grain from households, storage method should be given
priorities
 Mobilization of grains from other sources – project, government
 Stock taking and ensuring distributions as per norms

The success of grain bank depends upon following points

o Clarity on term of repayment,

o Ensuring repayment of grain,
 o Proper storage methods,
o Inclusion of the other poor communities in reaping its benefit.

Currently the grain bank mechanism is also widely accepted by government

functionaries. In the state of Madhya Pradesh and Orrissa experiments has
been for mainstreaming the system of grain bank to meet the emergency
needs of vulnerable community. This is being also considered as addressing
the food security needs of the vulnerable and marginalized community.

Community grain Bank – An Experience of Musahar Project supported

by PACS / DFID in the Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh.

This project is being implemented in collaboration with PACS / DFID. Nearly

50 models Community Grain Bank have been developed at 74 Musahar
Hamlet of Maharajganj district. Initially the community has build grain
storage by their own, but in the coming day project will borne the cost of
storage tank. Now the organization has decided to implement the grain bank
in other project area. Community Grain Bank has been formed in the district
of Lalitpur with Saharia Tribes also. Similarly Grain Bank has been formed in
Kushinagar district with the Musahar community and in Lalitpur &
Sonebhadra district with Adivasi and Dalits groups

The Musahars1 have a community grain

bank that has halved the number of food-
insecure days from around 120 days a year
to 60 days. The grain bank is particularly
useful during the months of January, July,
August, September and December, when
the availability of work in farmlands is low.
A fall in migrant labour has been observed.
A fall in taking loan has been also observed
by the project team.
Concept and Processes experienced in the Musahar Project:

Grain bank: A step towards realizing the community owned Public

Distribution System

Grain bank is a step towards mitigating the food insecurity problems among
the poor and vulnerable groups. It is an attempt towards establishing a self-
regulatory public distribution system, completely owned and managed by the
community.

• Grain bank is a step in enhancing the food security.

• Will serve as forum for discussion and community process on the issue of
food
• Will act as forums for action and reflection on the issue of food
• Starting points for issues pertaining to access and assert food entitlement
such as food for work, Annapurna, Antodaya etc....

Grain banks will help the community in following way:

• Provide food during the distress season – mansoon and chilly winter.
• Reduce the Lowers chances of Musahar's indebtedness and mortgaging
land.
• Reaching unto the last man

Management and Functions of Grain Bank:

The facilitation was directed towards establishing a community-based

mechanism. At tola level a Grain Bank Management Committee has been
formed which takes the lead in overseeing the functions and devising
operating rules for the Grain bank. The larger Musahaars group chose two
men and three women agwaas (women cadre) after the endorsement by all
for the GBMC. Headed by a women agwaas the tenure of the GBMC is fixed
for a period of two years.

Distribution Mechanism:

After several rounds of interaction and discussion, it came openly that at

community level, Grain Bank Management Committee (GBMC) would be
form. The GBMC will look after the management and distribution aspects of
grain bank on totality basis.

Accordingly GBMC has been formed on tola basis. The GBMC has also decided
that the Musahar initiative on its part should make contribution in the grain
bank by providing for the one third of the tola wise total grain collected. At
the same time the consensus was made on the support of the identified last
person in the form of 60 KG of grains for the three distress months. The idea
behind is to reach onto the last person – the person who for various reasons
is unable to benefit from the government food security schemes.
As per the GBMC decision following category of persons are to be taken on
the priority basis from the grain bank
• Destitute aged
• Widow
• Very ill
• Orphan/abandoned children
• Victim families of natural calamities- flood, fire and drought.
• Displaced families.
• Any abandoned individual
• Families with no wage work.

Safe upkeep of the grain is one of the major responsibilities of the GBMC.
So the GBMC has decided to accord great care and priority in the safe upkeep
and storage facility for the grain. The respective GBMC will make Dehari
(strong clay made storage space of cylindrical shape) and it will be kept in
open light afar on the base of brick 15-inch high.

Sustainability of the grain bank:

In long run as envisaged the grain bank will serve as community forum to
make regular appraisal of the government run food security schemes and
create space for raising the demand for entitlements by working as a
pressure group. In crisp the grain bank will also strive to help in smooth and
effective functioning of the Public Distribution System and the Anganwadi
centers.

However in following ways the GBMC plans to achieve sustainability of grain

bank.

• Regular contribution after each crop and the harvesting season (Katanee)
• Seeking support and finding ways for the contribution from non-Musahars
group.
• Establishing linkages with government run public distribution system
• Issuing appeals, running campaigns for collecting grains from time to
time.
• By placing in a system of recovery of the grain back in the grain bank

Step followed in the entire process:

• Orientation of village volunteers and discussion with aguwas (cadre)
• Sharing the concept of grain bank through village meeting
• Initiation of thought process and discussion among villagers
• Contribution from community members ( Musahar and Non – Musahar )
• Collection of Anaaj (grain) from Musahar and Non- Musahars Leaflet
distribution & Tractor rally
• Support from project by grain contribution

Today nearly 50 communities Grain Bank are functional at tola level and
meeting the emergency as well as felt need of the musahar community.
Above mentioned experiences should be replicated in other region also. Our
effort should not be limited up to grass root level, but we have to also work
for making Community Food Security Systems as legimate process. In this
regards M S Swaminathan Research Foundation is taking lead role under its
Hunger Free India – Programme. Draft Recommendations from the Annual
Dialogue 2006 on the theme of ‘Mission 2007: Hunger free India - April 20th
– 22nd, 2006

Community Food Security Systems

In recent decades, there have been a number of community initiatives across

the country, in establishing and sustaining decentralised community-based
food security systems. Keeping this rich experience in mind, we make the
following recommendations:

• While a universal PDS, appropriate supplementary programmes and

other safety nets funded by the government are critical to ensuring
food security, there is also an important role for community based
food security systems, such as community grain banks.
• Community food security systems appear especially relevant in socially
cohesive communities characterised by limited inequality and in
locations, which find it difficult to access other delivery mechanisms
such as PDS.
• Community food security systems may also be encouraged in order
that the production of nutritious millets and other local foodgrains
receive much needed support.
• To ensure sustainability, such initiatives must work closely with elected
local bodies.

We could promote Community Food Bank in our project location as well as

we advocate for larger replication of Community Food Bank in the nation
through Right to Food, Work and Livelihood Campaign.

For details information, communicate us –

ashokmohit@gmail.com,

Reference:
• Annual Dialogue – Mission 2007: Hunger Free India April 20 – 22, 2006,
M S Swami Nathan Research Foundation Chennai
• Project Report – Prepared by Ashok Kumar Sinha for Musahar
Empowerment Project of ActionAid India, supported by PACS / DFID
• Report of the Task Group on Development of SCs and STs on selected
agenda items of the National Common Minimum Programme, Government
of India, Planning Commission, March 2005