Agriculture,Nutrition and Malnutrition.
Agriculture,Nutrition and Malnutrition.
Our India is an Agriculture based country and our agriculture products contribute significantly to our economy. Agriculture is the bed rock of Indian economy. Besides human behavior, the basic resources for Agriculture are Sunlight, soil and water. Availability of food has considerably influenced human societies in the past. It was with the advent of agriculture, that supply of food was assured to man, and his nomadic life ended.
We have about thousands plant species. In the recent years, there has been a marked increase in our agricultural productivity. A Major factor responsible for this is the change brought about by scientists in the genetic architecture of plants (such as dwarf and bushy) and their developmental rhythms.
The plant wealth of India include Cereals and Millets, Pulses and Soybean, Oilseeds, Sugar Crops, Fabre Crops, Plantation Crops, Potato and other Tuber Crops, Fruits and Vegetables etc. The livestock constitutes our alternate food resource. India today has millions other livestock. Livestock provide us milk, meat, eggs, wool and skins, and other by-products.
All these contribute about thousands million a year to our national economy. Practically every family in the village is involved with domestic animals, which are an important source of livelihood and employment to the villagers.
The number of Cattle, cows, oxen, buffaloes, bulls, sheep, goats, Pigs or poultry Fisheries is often an indication of the economic status of the rural family. Livestock are our mainstay for providing power needed for agricultural operations and transport. Growing enough food is an important social Concern related to bell being of the people. However, to remain healthy, not only the quantity of food but also its quality is important.
Food consists of 6 classes of nutrients, Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. The bulk of the food we eat provides us with energy. It is used for growth, development and maintenance of our body. A small but essential part of the food we consume is Vitamins and minerals. This helps in regulating the processes of our body and protecting our body from infection
Adequate nutrition is necessary for maintaining healthy state of body throughout the life. The diet available to a large majority of Indians comprises mainly of cereals like rice, wheat, millets and maize. It is deficient in Protein, Vitamins and Minerals. This leads to many deficiency diseases especially Protein Energy Malnutrition which is prevalent in millions of preschool children in our country. Further malnutrition is not confined to poor people alone. It exists even in affluent section of society, due to ignorance of the importance of balanced diet. Adulterated foods, and sometimes food fads, may affect ours.
A large section of our population is under-nourished. A majority of the children of the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America are generally poorly nourished. Some of them do not get enough to eat, while the diet of others is deficient in some foods that are essential for the body. Foods vary in their composition and no one type of food contains all we need, in the amounts that we need. A meal lacking in a particular requirement of our body for a prolonged period can result in disease, and even in death.
Therefore, a knowledge of the food requirements of our body and various sources of obtaining them is very essential.
Dr. Sunita Kumari
Assistant Professor
Department of Home Science
Patna women’s college Patna. Autonomous
