eChapters

Food Safety

The term “safe food” has different standards to different consumers rather than just being the food handled and prepared through proper cleaning, washing and cooking. Safe food means food prepared on clean and sanitized surfaces with equipment, utensils and dishes that also are cleaned and sanitized. Nowadays consumers are extra conscious about the safety and quality of food and for that reason food safety issues have changed, so have society’s methods for making food as safe as possible. Accordingly, “food safety” means assurance that food is acceptable for human consumption according to its intended use (FSSAI 2017).

Introduction

The food processing industry ranks fifth in size in the country and employs 16 lakh workers which is 19% of the country’s industrial labour. It accounts for 14% of the total industrial output with 18% of industrial GDP and 6.3% of countries GDP. So, food processing plays a vital role in India’s prosperity. The Food Processing Industry sector in India is one of the largest sector in terms of production, consumption, export and growth prospects. Food processing industry broadly comprises primary processing category and the other categories embracing the secondary, tertiary and further stages of downstream processing. Primary food processing is a major industry with lakhs of rice-mills/ hullers, flour mills, pulse mills and oil-seed mills. There are several thousands of bakeries, traditional food units and fruit/vegetable/spice processing units in the unorganized sector. In the organized sector, there are over 820 flour mills, 418 fish processing units, 6600 fruit/vegetable processing units and 171 meat processing units. Indian processing industries has installed capacity of 21 lakh tones; however these industries actually processed 9.8 lakh tones of the produce. So the total capacity utilization of industries is <30%. There are 70% units in home/cottage/ small scale sector and 30% units in large scale sector with capacity of 250 tonnes per annum and 30 tonnes/hr, respectively. Large scale contributes 70% of the production. The principal crops and commodities which constitute the primary base for the food processing industry and considered important sub-sectors in food processing industries are illustrated in Fig. 1.

Food Plant Hygiene

A. I.mportance of Food Plant Hygiene:

1. Ensures the Safety and Quality of Food Products: Proper hygiene practices within food processing facilities play a critical role in safeguarding the safety and quality of food products. By adhering to stringent hygiene protocols, including thorough cleaning, sanitation, and preventive measures, facilities can effectively prevent the contamination of food products by harmful microorganisms, chemicals, or physical hazards. This helps minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses and ensures that consumers receive safe and wholesome food products. Additionally, maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in food proce

Distillation, leaching, and extraction

A. Distillation

Distillation is a widely used separation process in various industries, including chemical, pharmaceutical and food processing. It is particularly important in the production of alcoholic beverages, essential oils, and purified water. Distillation works on the principle of exploiting differences in the volatility of components in a liquid mixture to separate them based on their boiling points.

Principles of Distillation

Distillation is a time-tested and versatile separation technique employed across a myriad of industries for separating components of liquid mixtures. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to leverage differences in boiling points among the various constituents of a mixture.

A. Non-thermal Processing

Non-thermal processing encompasses a diverse range of food preservation and treatment techniques that do not rely on heat as the primary means of achieving microbial inactivation or quality preservation. Unlike conventional thermal methods such as pasteurization and sterilization, which involve exposing food to elevated temperatures for a specified duration, non-thermal processing methods operate at or near ambient temperatures. These innovative technologies offer several advantages, including the preservation of sensory attributes, retention of nutritional quality, and minimization of detrimental effects on food texture and f lavour (fig 1).

A. Novel Dehydration Technologies

Dehydration, the process of removing moisture from food products, is crucial for enhancing shelf life, reducing weight and volume for transportation, and preserving nutritional value. Traditional dehydration methods, such as sun drying, air drying, and freeze drying, have been widely used for centuries. However, advancements in food technology have led to the development of novel dehydration technologies that offer improved efficiency, quality retention, and sustainability.1. Vacuum Microwave Dehydration

Vacuum microwave dehydration is a cutting-edge dehydration technique that combines the advantages of removing moisture from food products while preserving their color, flavor, texture, and nutritional content (fig 1).

A. Mixing and Homogenization

1. I.ntroduction to Mixing and Homogenization

In the food industry, mixing and homogenization are fundamental procedures that are essential to the production of a wide range of food items. To produce the desired qualities and final result with uniformity and consistency, various ingredients are blended. Ensuring product quality, stability, and customer happiness are contingent upon these processes.

Importance of Mixing and Homogenization

Mixing and homogenization are paramount for several reason

Introduction

Food fraud is not new it can be traced back to ancient Rome and Athens, where regulations prohibiting the adulteration of beverages with flavours and colours were in place. It exists since the food trade has been started. Food fraud affects all food supply chains, thus the entire food sector. Due to globalisation and the increasing complexity of supply lines, food supply chains are becoming more vulnerable to food fraud (Robson et al., 2021a). A fraud is “any act or omission relating to the use or presentation of false, incorrect, or incomplete statements or documents, or non disclosure of information in violation of a specific obligation, and any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests” (EU No. 2017/1371).

Introduction

It is an eminent actuality that the diets of end users are being advanced globally; however, the patterns of food procurement and food safety protocols diverge across countries. The fundamental rationale of the trend is that the consumer awareness with regard to food safety, quality and variety has been proliferated greatly. Looking back to the history of food industry, it is unquestionable that the past has a full frame of misfortune, indignity and many disastrous incidents. Moreover, the entire muddle was not always related with microorganisms; numerous of them were associated with environmental problems, technological advancements or certain alterations in production protocols and management.

In recent years dietary supplements have gained attractiveness within fitness and wellness circles. The other commonly used terms areNutraceuticals, dietary supplements or wellness-focussed foods. Being highly nutritious they are associated with a number of potential therapeutic effects. Nutrient-rich ingredients like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains are often considered dietary supplements as well. Oats fibre called, beta glucan, which has been shown to reduce inflammation, enhance immune function, and perk up heart health.

1. Conventional and Non-conventional Dietary Supplements

Nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes are often considered dietary supplements. Meanwhile, modified foods have been fortified with micro and macro nutrients to boost health benefits of foods.

1. Introduction

Livestock meat and fish are rich sources of high-quality protein and other valuable nutrients such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals and are an essential part of our healthy diet (Vladau et al., 2008; Mahmud et al., 2018; Mohanti et al., 2019; Mei et al., 2019). Food fraud and adulteration is an age-old distortive practice. The rising incidence of food contaminants and adulterants-induced health issues has challenged consumers to identify and consume safe livestock meat and fish products. Its significance has increased in recent years due to global trade, awareness among consumers, and sociopolitical issues.

1. Introduction

Food is an essential requirement for survival. We work hard to earn money so that we can feed ourselves. However, at the end of the day, many of us are unsure about the quality of food we consume. The allure of money, along with a general disregard for humanity, has resulted in the addition of adulterants to food ranging from simple stones in rice to the more harmful chemicals in food of daily use. Surprisingly, food fraud is not a modern issue. There are several references to fraudulent food behaviour as early as the Romans, but it is usually considered to be the Victorian who places food fraud on the map.

Introduction

Milk is regarded as the “ideal food” as it contains nutrients necessary for both newborns and adults (Azad & Ahmed, 2016). It is high in protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Unfortunately, milk is easily adulterated all over the world for several reasons, including a gap between supply and demand, the inherent nature of milk which can imbibe many adulterants that are difficult to identify, the low purchasing power of consumers, an insufficient share of the organized sector in the dairy business, and, most importantly, a lack of efficient and rapid methods for detecting adulterants (Ellis et al., 2012; Moore et al., 2012).

Introduction

Spices are botanical products of tropical and subtropical plants, mainly fruits, seeds, f lowers, roots, stems, leaves, bark, or whole plant (Golob & Nations, 1999). The dominant spices of trade including cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper (A. Osman et al., 2019)including aroma, flavor, and color, to foods and beverages in an effort to enhance their palatability. Herbs and spices exhibit a plethora of medicinal properties including antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Spices serve as natural preservatives to delay food spoilage and extend shelf life.

Introduction

Cocoa beans are extracted from the pod of a tree crop Theobroma cacao. It is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries. In terms of world production, Ivory Coast and Ghana contribute about 65 percent of world production. Cocoa beans are the main ingredient in chocolate. (Teye, E et al 2014). One of the earliest examples of chocolate consumption comes from the Mayans. The Maya drink was prepared with cocoa and water and often included cinnamon and black pepper. It was also known as the “Food of the Gods” and offered to Emperor Moctezuma II by the Aztecs, (Verna, R. 2013). Christopher Columbus was the first European to encounter cocoa in 1502.

Introduction

Coffee is a beverage made from the roasted and ground seeds of the African tropical evergreen coffee plant. Coffee is one of the world’s three most popular beverages (together with water and tea), as well as one of the most profitable international commodities, and it is the world’s second most marketed product after petroleum (Myhrvold, 2021).Coffee is a popular beverage that is enjoyed around the world for its taste, health benefits, and ability to enhance physical performance (Simkin, 2008).

Tea as a Beverage

Tea is the most popular beverage consumed in the world after water. All types of teas including black. green, oolong, white and pu-erh tea are mainly made from the buds and young leaves of tea plants, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze belongs to the family Theaceae [1]. Depending on the different processing techniques of tea leaves, tea types are categorized as “Green Tea” (unfermented), “Black Tea” (fully fermented), “Oolong Tea” (partially fermented), “Pu-ErhTea” (post fermented) and white tea (unfermented) [2]. The manufacturing process for these different types of teas mainly differ in the degree of enzymatic oxidation (fermentation) process [1].

Introduction

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of healthy human diet. Consumption of vegetables is widely promoted by Governmental health agencies since it provide consumers essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and phytochemical compounds, at a relatively low calorie density. Furthermore, the consumption of vegetables has been strongly associated with reduced chronic and degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart related ailments. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily (Berger et al 2010). In recent years, fresh-cut produce has become more popular due to their convenience, freshness, taste and assumed “Healthiness”.

Introduction

All the worldwide cuisines generally rely on plant-based edible oils as the main cooking ingredient due to their unique chemical composition, further presence of unsaturated fatty acids in plant-based oils makes it a healthy complement in the diet. Lipids are known to provide almost double calories than carbohydrates. For ages, vegetable oils have contributed maximally to our nutrition and economics, but their authenticity is still a considerable issue (Firestone and Reina, 1996) as for more profitability fraudulent blends lower grade oils to high-grade expensive oils.

Introduction

About sixty percent of the world’s food intake comes from the three major crops, i.e., wheat, rice and maize (Thielecke and Nugent, 2018). Depending upon the country of utilization and consumption, the products made from cereals such as barley, wheat, maize, triticale, spelt, buckwheat, rice etc. can vary in the range of pasta, bread, pastries, soups, chapatti, cooked rice etc. World cereal utilization in 2021/22 is forecasted at 2,811 million tonnes and the worldwide production of cereals is expected to reach 2,818 million tonnes by 2025 (FAO, 2020).

Introduction

The act of substituting food or drink with low grade quality ingredients thereby the f inal product will fail to the meet the regulation or standards and in most cases even unfit for human consumption (Augustin et al., 2009). With demand for profit based manufacturing market, there will be increase in points of adulteration with cheaper alternatives or inferior grade ingredients in the production of food or drink (Banti, 2020)]. Adulteration is highly prevails in developing countries such as India, where about 70% of milk supply is adulterated on day to day basis (Bittar et al., 2017). It is every nation and each individual’s responsibility to provide safe and nutritious food to the consumers.

Introduction

Food adulteration compromises quality of foods and causes human health hazards is a menace mankind had been facing since ages. Spice adulteration scandals in the year 2004, Horse gate scandal in Europe during 2013 are famous examples of food fraud. Various forms of food adulteration and cheating such as substitution of cheaper food components in place of original product, addition of non-permitted substances, and false claims by misbranding or mislabeling are prevalent from time immemorial (Spink et al 2019).

1. Introduction

The materials widely used for food contact applications include paper and coated-paper products, cellulose products, cellophane, metals, ceramics, glass, rubber, plastics, and miscellaneous materials such as wood, fabric, etc. Most of these materials have been in vogue for several years. Among them plastics are widely used in the food industry as they offer many advantages due to their high cost-to-benefit ratio. However, food safety issues in terms of migration of additives is a cause of concern. Plastics contain a number of additives either deliberately added during their manufacture or inevitable due to technical requirement.

Introduction

Since ancient times, addition of chemicals to food and food products has been done in order to to accomplish specific functions. Spices, smoke, vinegar, and alcohol were utilised to preserve foods more than 10,000 years ago. Usage of additives in food increased dramatically in the early 1900s, in tandem with advances in food chemistry and preservation. New, tasty, convenient, and healthy meals continue to be in high demand. As a result, by the early 1960s, over 2500 different types of additives were identified and utilized by developing countries in their diets. Basic foods are additive free, but as we increase the level of processing for conversion into an array of products, variety of additives are incorporated to increase the shelf life; to retain the nutritional value as well as to achieve higher standard of sensorial characteristics.

Introduction

Organic substances consumed for nutritional purposes can be called as “food”. Food contains biomolecules, like, protein, lipid and carbohydrate, inorganic minerals as salts, and organic substances, such as, vitamins, emulsifiers, acids, antioxidants, pigments, polyphenols and flavour-producing compounds. They can be of plant or animal origin. Depending on the durability in terms of suitability of consumption, foods can be perishable, semi-perishable and non-perishable. Food spoilage occurs due to chemical, microbial, or physical actions. eventually affecting its nutritional values, colour, edibility and texture (M. Rahman, 2007).

Introduction

Terrorism has been experienced throughout human history by unlawful violence against innocent population to achieve financial or religious or political objective (Rakesh Gupta, 1998). Terrorism has no geographic or geopolitical boundaries and is adapting to changes in the socio-political environment. Progress in the area of science and technology have the potential to be used for both beneficial and harmful purposes leading to dual-use dilemma. Of late, more scenarios are witnessed where the applications of well-intentioned scientific research are being used for vicious purposes. Earlier, terrorism has been associated primarily with physical acts of violence and crime. Eventually the global militant and terrorism strategies evolved to chemical, nuclear, radioactive explosive agents to biological terrorism. Recently, cyber terrorism controlled by computers has seen a new form of criminal activities (www.hannover-re. com).

Introduction

In the ancient era, adulteration was practiced as economical fraud like the addition of water to milk and stone to grains and pulses but nowadays it has become a global concern due to adverse health effects of adulterants on a human being. Words like substitution and admixture can help define adulteration. In general, adulteration is defined as either removal of valuable constituents from food or intentionally/ unintentionally addition of substandard quality material to degrade food quality. Food adulteration not only negatively affects the quality of food products but also results in numerous adverse health effects along with significant economic problems (Cheng et al., 2015).

Introduction

The impacts on the various facets of life – agriculture and food processing – need no longer be addressed in a way that is well established. Nearly every aspect of the planet has shown its effect at different rates, both positively and negatively. As a subtropical region, India is also witnessing different variations in weather and an increase in temperature that affect farming. Only in recent years has the potential to reduce transpiration from plants by the use of chemicals been further explored. These antitranspirants can either control perspiration by filming the leaf surface or by manipulating the aperture of the stomach. Antitranspirants are the materials or chemicals that reduce the water loss from plant leaves by reducing stomata size and number. During transpiration, almost 99 per cent of the water consumed by the plant is lost.

Introduction

The state of Odisha highly depends on rainfall for the agricultural production. But rainfall distribution is very erratic and uneven which result heavy floods and droughts in different pockets of the state. Thus, the agricultural production is very unstable. It is present in the eastern region of India which is again located in the subtropical belt of medium pressure. Here hot and dry summer welcomes wet humid monsoon which last about few months. Charming autumn and with short and mild winter entertain the human life. But here climate is characterized by high temperature and medium rainfall. Topography however modifies the local climate greatly. The four meteorological seasons prevailing in the state which are: winter (January to February), pre-monsoon season (March to May), south-west monsoon season (June to September) and north east monsoon season (October-December).

Introduction

Seasonal or annual fluctuation in weather patterns is termed as climate variability. However, climate change is a change in the mean state of weather statistic over three decades of time period. Climate change is exacerbating the challenges faced by the agriculture as well as horticulture sector. For last 10 years, Asia is facing the serious threats from climate change and variability such as tsunami, f loods and droughts. Extreme events are expected to have large negative impacts on crop productivity. The rise in temperature and reduction in rainfall under semi-arid environments are likely to reduce production of fruits, vegetables and flowers in the coming 20 years. The production and quality of fresh fruit and vegetable crops can be directly and indirectly affected by exposure to high temperatures and elevated levels of carbon dioxide and ozone. The rise in atmospheric CO2 levels due to global climate change and horticultural practices has both direct and indirect effects on secondary metabolite synthesis in plants.

Introduction Soil ecosystems are the foundation of human life support systems. Soil erosion, loss of soil organic matter and nutrient depletion are among the leading contributors to impaired soil health, reduced crop yields and poverty. Realizing the significant role that soils play in food and environmental security and in abating climate change, the United Nations declared 2015 as the Year of Soils. The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), in 2002, proposed to observe the 5th December as “World Soil Day” [WSD] to create awareness among all stakeholders on the importance of soil as a critical component of the natural system and as a vital contributor to human commonwealth through its contribution to food, water and energy security and as a mitigation of biodiversity loss and climate change. These occasions remind all stakeholders associated with agriculture all over the world to put in all efforts to promote scientific management of soil resources for soil protection, conservation and sustainable productivity.

Agricultural production system has gone a long way in supporting the world’s food requirement. The projected estimates revealed that to meet the global population of about 11.3 billion in 2050, the global demand for cereal will increase by 60% (Rosegrant and Cline, 2003, Bengtsson et al., 2006). Agriculture is considered as the chief agent of environmental transformation. The unrestrained attitude of Homo sapiens towards the use of natural resource catalyzing the causes leading to global warming, has increased the challenges manifold to provide food security in a sustainable manner. Increased concentration of CO2 and other green house gases have resulted in an increase of 0.760 C in surface temperature globally since nineteenth century and the mean global surface temperature is predicted to increase by an additional 1.30C to 1.80C by 2050( IPCC, 2007). Sinha and Swaminathan (1991) reported that an increase of 20C in temperature could decrease the rice yield by about 0.75 t/ha in the high yield areas and a 0.5oC increase in winter temperature would reduce wheat yield 0.45 t/ha.

Introduction

Agriculture and allied sectors have always been the backbone of the Indian economy and despite concerted industrialization in the last six decades agriculture still occupies a place of pride. The significance of agriculture in the national economy arises from the role it plays in India’s national income, employment generation and export earnings; this can be seen from the provisional estimate on contribution of various sectors to the GDP in the f irst quarter of 2020-21, particularly during COVID-19 pandemic, positive percentage change (+3.4) over previous year when all other sectors have negative change.

Introduction

Women entrepreneurship in economic development of any nation has been recognised for its significant contribution. The women folk can be considered as backbone of any nation. Now time has come for women empowerment. In rural Odisha, women not only play an important role for agricultural development but also plays significant role in allied agricultural sector such as dairy, fishery, poultry, mushroom production etc. In Indian condition dairy has been considered as “Rural Banking” as it is practiced mostly by majority of the marginal, small and landless farm families for their sustenance and livelihood. The role of rural women for animal husbandry is of paramount importance. In this sector they are managers as well as decision makers. Women do more than 80% dairy operation like cleaning, feeding, milking, marketing of milk and milk products. The state and central government initiate several scheme, programmes and projects for empowerment of women through various micro enterprises including dairy. Against this background a study was undertaken to identify the constraint faced by women entrepreneur in dairy sector in Khordha district of Odisha.

Introduction

Agriculture is an important sector of Indian economy and it contributes about 17.4% to the country’s Gross Value Added (GVA) for the year 2016-17 provides employment to over 54.6 % of the population. There has been a continuous decline in the share of agriculture and allied sector in GVA from 18.6% in 2013 14 to 17.4% in 2016-17. Falling share of agriculture and allied sector in GVA is an expected outcome in a fast growing and structurally changing economy. However since 54.6% of the population is still dependent on agriculture and engaged in improving the agricultural production and overall income. The agricultural production system required timely and adequate agriculture credit to fulfill farmers need. Agricultural Finance ensures provision of multiple types of services dedicated to support both on- and off-farm agricultural activities and businesses including input provision, production, and distribution, wholesale, processing and marketing.

Introduction

Cotton is a fiber crop of Malvaceous family. There are four cultivated species of cotton viz. Gossypium arboreum, G. herbaceum, G. hirsutum and G. barbadense out of which G. hirsutum is the predominant species contributing about 90% to the global production. In India all the above four cultivated species are grown on commercial scale as a kharif crop. India is the largest producer as well as consumer of cotton in the world. The major cotton growing states of India are Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and parts of Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka. In Odisha cotton cultivation is an up-coming activity. Many of the western belt farmers, mainly from Rayagada, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, and Nuapara districts have been taking cultivation of this cash crop. According to the report of Odisha economic survey, 2018-19 a total of 1.45 lakh ha area was cultivated in 2017-18 producing 3.65lakh bales of cotton. In Rayagada district cotton is cultivated in 9 blocks out of 11 blocks comprising an area of 35170 ha. For the year 2018-19 yield was 12.37 q/ha with production of 25.6 MT of cotton according to the data given by District agriculture office, Rayagada.

Mushrooms is known for its delicious and nutritious food with highly digestible lysine rich protein, vitamins and minerals, Mushroom serves as a low calorie food which lacks fats and are low in carbohydrate. They are rich in folic acid, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, copper and iron and vitamin-B complex. In place of starch, mushroom contains sorbitol and linolenic acid. They are excellent sources of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid and vitamin B-12. Further, mushrooms are also reported to have high medicinal attributes. A large number of mushrooms contain biological active polysaccharide protein complex having anti-tumor, immune-modulating and antioxidant properties.

Nutritional and food security is the problem of the day globally due to increase in population by many folds. It is therefore one of the important challenges of public and private sector to provide nutrient rich food with appropriate security for development of human kingdom. Advances in food production have largely kept pace with demand. More than 830 billion people are still hungry and more than 2 billion people are lack of sufficient nutrients. Paradoxically, more than 2 billion people are overweight or obese. Malnutrition means bad nutrition not only under nutrition. For some time the food debate centered on the food security drawing on wildly accepted thinking from 1966 i.e. world food summit which defined food security as a state or condition “when all people at all times are physical, economic and social access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet the dietary needs and food preference for active and healthy life”. Thus nutrients are necessary component to food security.

The current world population of 7.6 billion is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, according to United Nations (UN). With roughly 83 million people being added to the world’s population every year, the upward trend in population size is expected to continue, even assuming that fertility levels will continue to decline (UN, 2017). This means there will be an extra billion people to feed within the next decade. Continuing population and consumption growth will mean that the global demand for food will increase for at least another 50 years .The future’s food systems need to be resource efficient and sustainable. It is quite clear that the only way to grow more food is to increase the yield while saving the environment from further degradation. It is not just food, it is the four F’s – Food, Feed, Fiber and Fuel. Digitization has increased in importance for the agricultural sector and is described through concepts like Smart Farming (SF), Precision Farming (PF) and Precision Agriculture (PA).The only way to get higher yield from limited resources is by changing agriculture into what we call Precision Agriculture, Climate Smart Agriculture, or as I prefer to call it Water-Smart Agriculture”

Introduction

India is one among the progressive countries in the world in maintaining food and nutrition database efficiently. The country has been in the fore front in signing the resolution on ‘Transforming the World: the agenda for Sustainable Development-2030’. India outstood among the developing countries in food self-sufficiency since seventies with low household hunger rates and low infant mortality rate. In the meanwhile, the country faced double burden of food and nutrition with inadequate dietary intake and under nutrition in one hand and overweight due to low physical activities on the other hand. Rapid increase in population with diminishing food production led to food insufficiency and malnutrition whereas, rapid economic growth and increasing mechanization led to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. Both the under- and over nutrition are associated with health hazards, hence, use of normal body mass index (BMI)would be considered as an indicator for food security (FAO, 2013)

Introduction

Biofortification is the development of nutrient dense staple food crops using the best conventional breeding practices and modern biotechnology, without sacrificing agronomic performance and important consumer preferred trait (Nestel et al., 2006). It provides a comparatively cost-effective, sustainable, and long- term means of delivering more micronutrients (Saltzman et al. 2014). This approach not only will lower the number of severely malnourished people who require treatment by complementary interventions but also will help them maintain improved nutritional status. Moreover, biofortification provides a feasible means of reaching malnourished rural populations who may have limited access to commercially marketed fortified foods and supplements. Micronutrient malnutrition (MNM) is the major constrain to provide nutritional security to world population of underdeveloped and developing countries. Among the 20 major risk factors of the global burden of disease estimates, Fe deficiency ranks 9th and Zn deficiency ranks 11th, while in the high mortality countries, including India, they rank 6th and 5th, respectively (WHO 2002).

Introduction

Agriculture is the measure livelihood of tribals in India. Indigenous Tuber crops, like Elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus) and Dioscorea play a valuable role to uplift the socio and economic status of people of tribal areas (tribal farmers) in terms of nutritional security and livelihood. In every year rural India subjected to wide spread of poverty, malnutrition, infant mortality rate etc. Ecological degradation, climate change, erratic rainfall and drought are the principal causes of food insecurity in these tribal areas resulting migration, periodic starvation and deaths. Therefore under erratic climate, tuber crops like Amorphophallus and Dioscorea, played a crucial role as life support crops to combat hidden hunger. Tuber crops are the traditional crops cultivated in order to meet the food requirements and give economical sustainability to the people. After cereals and legumes, tuber crops constitute a major staple or subsidiary food for all. Amorphophallus paeoniifolious and Dioscorea alata, important tropical tuber crops are excellent dietary staple for low-income consumers in tribal areas of Odisha state, better opting tuber crops cultivation rather than forest produces.

Introduction

The COVID 19 pandemic is threatening food systems and international food security. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), that says the amount of individuals facing crisis hunger is anticipated to virtually double this year to 265 million. Already, quite 820 million individuals don’t get enough food to eat, and another a hundred thirty five million individuals face acute hunger or starvation. Increase that, the economic destabilization caused by COVID-19, and another a hundred thirty million people are in danger of starvation by the top of 2020, says WFP. The quickness with that a health crisis transforms in an exceedingly hunger crisis shows however fragile is our food systems to shocks of any nature.

Introduction

Agricultural production system achieved a miracle by the way of green revolution which compactualized the potential of photoperiod and the thermo insensitive input responsive crop culture. The productive trends of food crops continued with increased fertilizer consumption, irrigation potential and improved agro-techniques. However science based intensive agriculture with intensive irrigation due to its inappropriate, inpropotional and ambitious approaches put the agriculture productivity on back foot. Because of these problems the arable land is facing the problem to sustain itself in terms of its capacity to produce desirable output. The scenario is further threatened with increase in climate change impact on various natural resources. The projected food crisis is on the card.

Introduction

Rice, being an important crop in India, there is a part to focus on improving rice production and productivity. A number of biotic and abiotic factors mostly referred as production constraints that affect the rice yield adversely and subsequently, needs an extraordinary consideration to the developing demand of continuously emerging population of India (Kumar and Jha, 2000). Abiotic stress has been estimated that more than half of the yield potential of major crops is mainly affected due to unfavourable growing environments such as drought (Cortina and Culianez-Macia, 2005). The current study was aimed to carry out to assess the impact of Pink pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFM) and plant growth promoters on mitigating drought stress effects in semi dry rice.

Introduction

Agriculture is an important sector in Indian economy, 58 per cent of India’s population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. Agriculture is main victim of climate change, it can disrupt availability, accessibility and quality of food. Moreover, increase in temperature, reduction in ground water availability, f looding and salinity are the major limiting factors in sustaining and increasing vegetable productivity. As a result of this crop physiology and production both are affected. Organic farming can help to tackle climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied to farming land. In India we have advantage that the agricultural techniques we practiced before green revolution in our country is eco-friendly and today also it is somehow it is in memories of our older and younger farmer generation. Principle of sustainable farming is the base of organic farming. According to OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) “Sustainable agro-ecosystem - agricultural and food systems are economically viable, meet society’s need for food assurance, while they retain and enhance natural resources and environmental quality for future generations” it is very clear from the definition that organic farming mostly emphasizes the environmental aspect and it includes.

Introduction

The hilly states in north eastern India are not only famous for their forest wealth and awesome wild assets. These states are also known for their track record in harvesting specific crops and fruits. Some of the iconic ones are like, “Assam tea” which is famous in and outside India and popularity of “Khasi mandarin” is also well known. The small landlocked state Tripura produces quality pineapples in abundant amounts, where cv. Queen is popular among the growers. Sikkim and other states of north eastern region of India is known for their Organic Farming techniques, which is mostly attributed the nature of hill farming on this region. North-East is rich in horticultural aspect viz., f loriculture with a rich variety of medicinal plants grown there along with various fruits and vegetables. An analysis of NSSO survey data on cultivation practices shows that the North-East hill states have retained traditional practices and show an inclination towards organic agriculture that is harnessed for the development of the region with ecological benefits.

Introduction

For capacity building of farming community, training plays a vital role. It helps in enriching the knowledge along with enhancement of essential skill required in performing certain practices in a specific crop cultivation. The skills required by a coconut cultivator need to be supplemented with additional skills in order to increase the yield of nuts. Government provide better support to the coconut growing farmers to improve their income, to reduce the risk involved in cultivation, implementation of quality agricultural practices and f inally enhancing the income of coconut grower in business mode. Training is a source of information, advice and influence in the decision making process. Training helps in enhancement of knowledge, improvement of skill, interaction with experts and to build confidence. Keeping this in view, the present study was conducted to know the training need areas of coconut growers in Gop block of Puri district of the state of Odisha.

Introduction

Soil is one of the elements required for farming and it provides nutrients to the plant. Healthy soil containing all the elements for growth and development of crop as well as heart of soil health is the integration of the soil physical, chemical, and biological process and its functions. But inorganic farming adopted over the recent years to maximize crop production has become Hazardous because in the long run deteriorating the soil health and the quality of the agricultural produces besides polluting the environment and natural resources of soil and water dangerously. Soil testing helps to recommend chemicals fertilizers more judiciously in combination with organic manures and bio fertilizers and hence balanced nutrition to crop. Soil health and fertility is the basis for sustainable profitability of the farmers. Soil testing is a science based and time-tested tool for assessment of soil fertility status and soil ailments and for nutrient amendment recommendations.

Introduction

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L) is one of the major starchy tuber vegetable crops of the world. It is a unique crop which can supplement the food needs of the country in a substantial manner. Today, potato is the need of life or poor man’s food in many countries including India. Potato production in India has made tremendous progress only with the development of new technologies in different fields of agriculture. It has been observed that the farmers are not adopting recommended practices and consequently not realizing the potential yield of potato. To understand the problems of farmers in the adoption of complete recommended farm practices, researchers as well as extension workers should come out with some concrete findings and suggestions, which can solve these problems. It has been seen that a large number of techniques and practices do not reach the farmer’s fields and those carried to the farmers get considerably distorted or often adopted partially with the result that farmers do not get the potential yield.