eChapters

Introduction

Weeds are the most costly category of agricultural pests, causing more yield losses and added labor costs than either insect pests or crop disease. Weeds are a constant fact of life in annual row crops, vegetables, and other horticultural crops. In India, the manual method of weed control is quite popular and effective. The usage of herbicides in India and elsewhere in the world is increasing due to possible benefits to farmers. At the same time, the continuous use of herbicides of the same weed shift, herbicide resistance in weeds and environmental pollutions. Application of herbicides also kills species of bacteria, fungi and protozoa thereby upsetting the balance of pathogens and beneficial micro organisms. The complexity of these situations has resulted in a need to develop a holistic sustainable eco-friendly weed management programme throughout the farming period (Gnanavel and Natarajan, 2014). Sustainable development of agriculture is concerned about the conservation of land, water, plant and animal genetic resources, is environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable. Sustainable weed management is the use of weed control methods that are socially acceptable, environmentally benign and cost-effective.

Introduction to sustainable disease management

Plants and pathogens are involved in ongoing interactions over millennia that have been modified by coevolutionary processes to limit the spatial extent and temporal duration of disease epidemics (Zhan et al. 2015). These interactions are disrupted by modern agricultural practices, such as intensified monoculture using high yielding varieties. Agricultural intensification and monoculture coupled with globalization disrupt the coevolutionary dynamics of plant-pathogen interactions which escalating the evolutionary rate of pathogens and increasing the risk of plant disease epidemics. These activities, when supplemented with high resource inputs, create unique conditions which is conducive to widespread plant disease epidemics and rapid evolution of pathogen. Disease management requires a significant shift to include ecoevolutionary principles in the design of adaptive disease management strategy for minimizing the evolutionary potential of plant pathogens by reducing their genetic variation, stabilizing their evolutionary dynamics, and preventing dissemination of pathogen variants carrying new infectivity or resistance to pesticides (Zhan et al. 2014). As environmental and ecological issues continue to impact on agriculture, all the crop-specific and regional-specific, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to be developed for crop production, must be economically feasible, ecologically sound, environmentally safe and socially acceptable. Numerous non-chemical methods for management of crop diseases such as pathogen-free seeds, disease resistance, crop rotation, plant extracts, organic amendments and biological control agents are considered less harmful than chemical pesticides and therefore, offer great potential for application in modern agriculture (Marshal et al. 2008). No single method can provide satisfactory management of crop diseases. Integration of all the effective and eco-friendly measures in accordance with the dynamics of the agro-ecosystem management would be the best strategy for efficient plant disease management.

Introduction

Chemical pesticides play an important role in plant protection in India and most of the developing countries of the world. These synthetic organic insecticides provide spectacular control of insects. Chemical control is one of the effective and quicker methods in reducing pest population. However, over reliance and injudicious use of pesticides resulted in a series of problems in the agricultural ecosystem mainly, the development of resistance in insects to insecticides, pest resurgence, outbreak of secondary pests into primary nature, environmental contamination and residue hazards, destruction of natural enemies of insect pests etc. All these problems aggravate the pest problem in agricultural crops. Thus, the importance of eco-friendly pest management techniques is being realized more and more in the recent past. The modern concept of pest management is based on ecological principles and involves the integration of different control tactics into a pest management system. This is not altogether a new concept. It was practiced before the advent of modern chemicals. Integrated Pest Management is an ecological approach in which utilization of all available techniques of pest control to reduce and maintain the pest population at levels below economic injury level. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation defines IPM as the careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and keep pesticides and other interventions to levels that are economically justified and reduce or minimize risks to human health and the environment. IPM emphasizes the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems and encourages natural pest control mechanisms. A well-defined Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a program that should be based on prevention, monitoring, and control which offers the opportunity to eliminate or drastically reduce the use of pesticides, and to minimize the toxicity of and exposure to any products which are used. So, IPM is an eco-friendly approach which encompasses cultural, mechanical, biological and need based chemical control measures.

Introduction

During the past 60 years, conventional agriculture has become increasingly dependent upon petroleum-based. Chcmically-synthesized fertilizers and pesticides for crop protection and to supply plant nutrients. Certainly, these energy intensive technologies have contributed greatly to this Nation’s agricultural productivity. However, sharply escalating production costs associated with the increasing cost and uncertain availability of energy i.e., fuel and fertilizers, have generated considerable interest in less expensive and more environmentally compatible production alternatives such as organic farming (USDA, 1980). The apparent decline in soil productivity throughout the world from excessive soil erosion, nutrient runoff and loss of soil organic matter; the impairment of environmental quality from sedimentation and pollution of natural waters by agricultural chemicals and the potential hazards to human and animal health and food safety from heavy use of pesticides, have also stimulated interest in organic farming systems of food production.

Use of organic wastes and residues in agriculture

Most countries have traditionally utilized various kinds of organic materials to maintain or improve the fertility, and productivity of their agricultural soils. However, several decades ago organic recycling practices were largely replaced with chemical fertilizers which were applied to high yielding cereal grains that responded best to a high level of fertility and adequate moisture, including irrigation. Soil cultivation was also intensified to improve weed control and seedbed conditions. Consequently, the importance of organic matter to crop production received less emphasis, and its proper use in soil management was neglected, or even forgotten. As a result of this and failure to implement effective soil conservation practices, the agricultural soils in a number of developed and developing countries have undergone serious degradation and decline in productivity.

Agroforestry: At a Glance

Agroforestry as a landuse system is gaining wide importance and acceptance in the current global scenario to mitigate global climatic conditions. It is a highly efficient system of sustenance for the rural population with ample livelihood opportunities. The benefits from agroforestry is immense for socio-economic as well as in ecological perspective. From the vivid ecosystem services like climate regulation, carbon sequestration, soil productivity and biodiversity conservation to food security and sustainable livelihood enhancement, agroforestry envisages immense services. The implication of the agroforestry system and practice varies from area to area. Traditional agroforestry can be modified by implementing different species combinations suitable for vivid regions thus enhancing the long term productivity. An important specification of agroforestry is with a minimal labour input maximum production and utilization of resource could be attained. National Agroforestry policy, implemented is a big step forward for new agroforestry initiatives in the country. Conduction of region specific agroforestry studies and policy implementations with involvement of rural populations will be an effective breakthrough approach for a sustainable future.

Biodiversity is a magnificent contribution of nature on our planet. The great variety of life forms on earth has catered for man’s needs over thousands of years. This diversity of living creatures which forms a support system has been used by each civilization for its growth and development. Those that used this “bounty of nature” carefully and sustainably survived. Those that overused or misused it disintegrated. The attempt to classify and categorize the variability existing in nature for over a century has led to an understanding of its organization into communities of plants and animals. This information has helped in utilizing the earth’s biological wealth for the benefit of humanity and has been integral to the process of development. This includes better health care, better crops and the use of these life forms a raw material for industrial growth which has led to a higher standard of living for the developed world. However, this has also produced the modern consumerist society, which has had a negative effect on the diversity of biological resources upon which it is based. The diversity of life on earth is so great that if we use it sustainably we can go on developing new products from biodiversity for many generations. This can only happen if we manage biodiversity as a precious resource and prevent the extinction of species.

The sustainable management of biodiversity is one of the most important challenges facing humanity. Biological diversity, abbreviated to biodiversity, refers to the variety of life forms at all levels of organization, from the molecular to the landscape level. These are the legacy of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and increasingly, by the activities of humans. Losing biodiversity has eroded the basis for social and ecological resilience, which has resulted in reducing the capacity for adaptive responses in a rapidly changing world. However, human activities still continue to have a large impact on the environment and on biodiversity. Agricultural, urban and infrastructural developments and climate change has exacerbated biodiversity loss. As a result, ecosystem functions and services are affected with serious consequences. The Sustainable Development Goal should be devoted to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”. It is high time to realize the linkages between the severity of global biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystems and the negative impact that this situation have resulted on food security, nutrition, access to water, health of the rural poor and people worldwide.

Is it possible to feed a world population projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion by 2050 and exceed 11 billion in 2100? India expected to surpass China as the most populous country in the world within seven years (UN report July 2015). Besides that there is an immense decline in yield and quality over the past three decades may be at the point of diminishing returns (Bouis 1993; Cassman et al. 1995; Flinn and De Datta 1984). Furthermore, the soil is partially under tremendous pressure to sustain yield and production. The excessive and exhaustive agriculture practices have not only declined the soil quality but it’s also reported for different human and animal health issues. Thus, keeping pace with population growth and health safety appropriate soil management practices must be addressed. Now burgeoning population load, declining yield, soil health diminution, and effect on human and animal health arises the opportunity for sustainable soil management to cater the problem at the right time. Figure 1 clearly indicates the tremendous load on soil and subsequent results. Burgeoning increase in population and a load of food production intensification, sustainable soil management will become increasingly important in future. Soil being the powerhouse of the mineral nutrients also retains most living organisms within it. The appropriate soil management practices ensure the critical level of mineral elements which finally come into the human body.

Introduction

Water is a vital component of agricultural production. It is essential to maximise both yield and quality. Water has to be applied in the right amounts at the right time in order to achieve the right crop result. At the same time, the application of water should avoid waste of a valuable resource and be in sympathy with the environment as a whole. Understanding, measuring and assessing how water f lows around the farm, and recognising how farming practices affect f lows, will help farmers to manage water efficiently and reduce pollution risks. Land management and advanced technologies can help maximise the “crop per drop” that farmers produce worldwide. Water used in irrigation accounts for 90% of agricultural water demand. Improving irrigation systems is therefore crucial to making contributions to water savings in agriculture. In any agricultural production system the promotion of good agricultural practices and product stewardship is fundamental for sustainable agriculture. Industry is part of various multi stakeholder partnership initiatives that support efforts to protect water quality. These include reducing soil erosion, avoiding pesticide run-off and maintaining wildlife habitats as part of a holistic farm or land management approach.

Introduction

Plant growth in agricultural soils is inf luenced by a myriad of abiotic and biotic factors. As a routine practice growers normally use physical and chemical approaches to manage the soil environment to improve crop yields while the application of microbial products for this purpose is less common. An exception to this is the use of rhizobial inoculants for legumes to ensure efficient nitrogen fixation; a practice that has been occurring in North America for over 100 years (Smith, 1997). The region around the root, the rhizosphere, is relatively rich in nutrients, in expense of as much as 40% of plant photosynthates from the roots (Lynch and Whipps, 1991). Consequently, the rhizosphere supports large and active microbial populations capable of exerting beneficial, neutral, or detrimental effects on plant growth. The importance of rhizosphere microbial populations for maintenance of root health, nutrient uptake, and tolerance of environmental stress is now recognized (Bowen and Rovira, 1999; Cook, 2002). These beneficial microorganisms can be a significant component of management practices to achieve the attainable yield for in other words a crop yield limited only by the natural physical environment of the crop and its innate genetic potential (Cook, 2002).

The prospect of manipulating crop rhizosphere microbial populations by inoculation of beneficial bacteria to increase plant growth has shown considerable promise in laboratory and greenhouse studies however, responses have been variable in the field (Bowen and Rovira, 1999). The potential environmental benefits of this approach, leading to a reduction in the use of agricultural chemicals are fitting the sustainable management practices. Realizing the biological interactions occurring in the rhizosphere, recent progress are in need to fulfill the practical requirements of inoculant formulation and timely delivery which would increase the technology’s reliability in the field and facilitate its commercial development.

Introduction

Cyanobacteria are often called “blue-green algae”, this name is convenient for talking about organisms in water that make their own food, but does not ref lect any relationship between the cyanobacteria and other organisms called algae. Cyanobacteria are relatives to bacteria, not eukaryotes, and it is only the chloroplast in eukaryotic algae to which cyanobacteria are related. Some cyanobacteria are aquatic and photosynthetic, that is, they live in water, and can manufacture their own food. They are quite small and usually unicellular, though they often grow in colonies large enough to see. In fact, it may surprise you then to know that the cyanobacteria are still around; they are one of the largest and most important groups of bacteria on earth (Berry et al., 2008). The great contribution of cyanobacteria is the origin of plants chloroplast with which plants make food for themselves is actually a cyanobacterium living within the plant’s cells. Sometime in the late Proterozoic or in the early Cambrian, cyanobacteria began to take up residence within certain eukaryote cells, making food for the eukaryote host in return for a home. This event is known as endosymbiosis, and is also the origin of eukaryotic mitochondrion (Issa et al., 2002).

Introduction

Solid waste management is a worldwide problem and it is becoming more and more complicated day by day due to rise in population, industrialization and changes in our life style. Large quantities of organic wastes are produced from agricultural production and farming systems which include animal manures, sewage biosolids, food wastes, and industrial organic wastes. Globally, these wastes have the potential of increasing soil and water pollution as because they are currently disposed of by land-spreading, incineration, or into landfills. As much as 50%-60% of the total wastes that are disposed into landfills are organic wastes. If these were turned into materials useful in farming system, there would be great savings in primary plant nutrients and metabolic energy.

Vermicomposting has been arising as an innovative eco-technology for the method by which compost or mixed manure of organic origin or conversion of various types of waste is prepared by the use of earthworms. It is a controlled degradation (non-thermophilic, boioxidative process) of the organic wastes for the consumption of earthworms, helps in the recycling of food wastes, reduces the waste bulk density and the final product may contain hormone-like substance which accelerates the plant growth. Vermicompost is humus like, finely granulated and stabilized material which can be used as a soil conditioner to reintegrate the organic matter to the agricultural soils. Industrial wastes remain largely unutilized and often cause environmental problems like ground and surface water pollution, foul odours, occupying vast land areas etc. Non-toxic and organic industrial wastes could be potential raw material for vermitechnology. In the last two decades, vermin-technology has been applied for the management of industrial wastes and sludges and to convert them into vermicompost for land restoration practices. The success of the process depends upon several process parameters like quality of raw material, pH, temperature, moisture, aeration etc., type of vermicomposting system and earthworm species used. Vermicomposting and vermiculture are two interlinked and interdependent processes where vermiculture can be done in the presence of decomposable waste organic matter

Introduction

Nature is dynamic; it causes inheritable changes in all living organisms. For thousands of years, farmer around the world have been selecting and conserving varieties of different crop plants that they cultivated. This process has generated a rich wealth of varieties in each crop plant, seen to be most abundant in countries near the equator and India is no exception. In the world there are Mega centers of biodiversity of which aware present in India, this is because in India, the different soils and agro-climatic situations are present, so Indian farmers grow a large number of crops. Generation of Indian farmers, with their continued selection and conservation, has created a rich wealth of varieties in many crops. Therefore India is the original home of many crops such as rice, little and kodo millets, red gram, moth bean, jute, pepper, cardamom, many vegetables and fruit species. These plants were identified from the wild, selected and cultivated by Indian farmers over hundreds of years. The present wealth of varieties in India includes both crops that originated in the country and those that were introduced from the other countries during the distant and recent paste are soybean, sunflower, oil palm and kiwi fruit.

The Indian economy is predominantly rural and agriculture oriented. In agriculture, 85% of the holdings are less than two hectares and the declining trend in the average size of the farmer holdings, poses a serious problem. Majority of them are dry lands, which depend on erratic monsoon rains. The rest of the area is cultivated with supplemental irrigation. The farmers concentrate mainly on crop production, which is invariably subjected to a high degree of uncertainly income and employment.

In India the cultivable land is 143.8 million hectares and there is very little possibility of extending it further. Therefore, to meet the requirement of food grains for increasing population, the only option open is through time and effective space utilization in agriculture. The time concept relates to increasing the intensity of cropping under assured irrigated conditions, whereas space utilization pertains to building up of vertical dimension through multi-tier cropping and farming system approach. Thus by making use of these time and space concept either in irrigated or in rained areas, the productivity per unit area per unit time can be substantially enhanced. Therefore the only way to increase an agricultural production in the small/marginal units of farming is to increase the productivity per unit time and area. This may be achieved of quicker maturing varieties with equal yields or by improving techniques of culture, fertilizer use, weed and pest control.

Sustainable agriculture’s benefit to farm and community economies is grounded in four well-established economic development principles and a fifth, concern for the community:

Lower input farming system (LIFS)

Lower input farming system means reduced production levels with larger area of land used in order to maintain the same revenue; or reduced dependency on external inputs with similar production structure but improved valorization of the product through transformation and or direct marketing, cutting the length of the production chain is a sustainability concept (produce and consume locally). LIFS are seeking optimization of on-farm resources, minimization of off-farm resources use. It also leads to mixed farming system, characterized by animal valorization of vegetal production on farm and organic manure restitution to farm soil from farm husbandry. Mixed character of farming system optimally combines annual and perennial crops and animal production on the same farm. Lower input farming also maintains ecological infrastructures (at least 5% in integrated farming)-which prove to be very beneficial for biodiversity – can provide shelter for organisms providing biological control and also be a source of raw material (wood) for producing on-farm energy.

A sustainable and healthy food system is one which can provide food and nutrition security for all, in an economical way which is socially and environmentally sound for future generations. Underutilized indigenous and traditional crops can support and strengthen the existing food system, as they are in particular economical and friendly with the environment. Several underutilized indigenous and traditional crops are nutrient dense and adapted to marginal conditions, suggesting that they could be used to champion sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems for smallholder farmers residing in these environments. The mainstreaming of underutilized indigenous and traditional crops and foods should be recognized for their attributes to make them desirable and to conserve them. In this regard, the fact that value chains for underutilized indigenous and traditional crops are poorly developed at present has created many opportunities to diversify the current food systems. This will create a new employment, market and distribution opportunities.It will also help to combat poverty. It will be if the smallholder farmers and women in rural areas are given the opportunity to utilize underutilized indigenous and traditional crops and re-enter the manistream system. A significant role which is played by the women for the production and conservation of underutilized indigenous and traditional crops offers opportunities for women empowerment through their inclusion in the food system. Promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women is directly linked for strengthening the sustainable food systems that can fight hunger and malnutrition and improve the lives and livelihoods of rural populations. The mainstreaming of underutilized indigenous and traditional crops into the food system would support women to diversify in a sustainable way, feed their own households and to provide nutritious food into the local markets. This will also help in addressing, the Sustainable

Benjamin et al., (2016) have focused on the small-scale food processing enterprises (SSFPEs) as one of the important measures for national development and addressing food security challenges, particularly in Nigeria. The authors have explained the need for food processing as there has been tremendous food losses and wastages in the country. Enhancing the food processing and productivity for mechanization of food processing unit operations, development of new and existing technologies, design and development of machinery, systems for processing and preservation of different agricultural produce of high target have been undertaken. SSFPEs have played an important role in the economy of a developing country, particularly in terms of employment creation, income generation, post-harvest losses reduction, food preservation, value addition, improvement of food safety, nutritional quality, increase in shelf-life of a product and to act as training grounds for entrepreneurs before they invest in large scale enterprises. SSFPE’s around the world and especially in Nigeria are faced with significant challenges that compromise their ability to function and contribute optimally to the economy. Financial constraints and lack of management skills are the major constraints. It is important that governments and non-governmental organizations must encourage and facilitate the development of SSFPE’s. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO or GAIN in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. FAO’s Nutrition and Food Systems Division (ESN), in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) 2018,

A number of innovations have taken place towards ready to eat instant food mixes of traditional origin. These have helped people to eat traditional food in which ever part of the world they go.

MTR Company

In India the best example is of MTR company which manufactures a range of packaged foods which includes breakfast mixes, ready to eat meals, masalas and spices, snacks and beverages. Snacks, such as kodubale, khara boondi and masala groundnut are very popular as they are ready to eat packets and contain healthy food with less oil. The different spices used for mixes are procured from famous countries which give the perfect taste and avoid rancidity.As a summer launch, milkshake with canned chikoo, banana and cold filter coffee are available. MTR Foods Pvt. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Norwegian conglomerate Orkla and is an acronym of Mavalli Tiffin Rooms. According to the company, India is on the verge of explosive growth in packaged instant foods. MTR has an aim to target a market of Rs 30, 000 crore with their products of traditional meals, breakfast, snacks and desserts. The Nielsen India study has shown that in 2020, the number of consumers in this category will be 2.7 times than the current base.

Mother’s Recipe is a brand which make traditional pickles in bottles with a distribution network to 20 states in India and exporting the products globally. The manufacturing is done in-house and the raw materials are procured seasonally in large quantities. After cleaning they are cut according to the recipe. Each variety of mango pickle has its own cutting process. Some are automatically cut, while others need manual work. The use of right oils, spices roasted inhouse, and marination of the pickles according to the practices of the particular region allow many consumers to relish them. Bottling and packaging are done only when the orders come.

It has been found that at the household level the health of female members in any family suffers to a large extent. It could be encountered to low health care, poor housing or/and environmental conditions. Due to malnutrition it affects the health to such an extent that it gives rise to many diseases. For a sustainable nutritional status food and various aspects of health needs attention. Looking into that, nutrition is directly related to the health status. For food and nutrition security it is vital to see the availability, accessibility and utilization of food. The World Food Programme (WFP) developed the Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) project to analyse the vulnerability to food insecurity of target populations. A prominent part of VAM is related to food access. The demographic and Health Survey (DHS), funded by USAID, provides health data for many countries to help them design their national policy. FAO has developed the Global Information Early Warning System (GIEWS), which collects data related to temporary food insecurity. Under the leadership of WHO, several health surveillance systems have been developed and implemented to monitor the epidemiology of various forms of malnutrition and of selected diseases. At the meso or sub-national level, food market surveys provide data on the availability of food. Agricultural production surveys, intra-household food frequency interviews, immunization surveys and anthropometric surveys of children under five can be used to assess the availability, accessibility and utilization of food and its stability at micro level. Most common Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) indicators at different social and administrative levels depends on the supply and demand. To determine the national situation of food availability data on the production of different food commodities, fertility rate and the trends in internal population needs to be seen. Food prices and per capita food consumption are indicators for national food accessibility. The rates of stunting, wasting and underweight in children, low Body Mass Index (BMI) in adults and low birth weight are FNS impact indicators that designate the extent to which food is adequately being used, utilized and converted into a satisfactory national nutrition situation. Fluctuations and shortages of food availability or accessibility in food prices make the national FNS unstable. Sensitive indicators for accessibility of food are the prices in the market. The sewage disposal and diarrheal diseases (DD) rates affect food utilization.A temporal food and nutrition insecurity arises due to pre and post harvest food availability and accessibility along with low BMI.If the food is in shortage leading to the consumption of more wild foods indicates reduced food availability at household level. Also if the number of meals per day goes down and unemployment increases it indicates low food accessibility.Malnutrition indicators like wasting, goitre or anaemia among the household members show reduced food utilization at micro level. Finally, changes in pre-harvest food consumption practices are good indicators for temporal food insecurity.

For Indian foods

Food processing industries are the fastest growing in India. India is the largest producer of milk, bananas, mangoes, guavas, papaya, ginger and okra. It is the second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables, tea, sugarcane and cashew nut. It is the third largest producer of cereals, coconut, lettuce, chicory, nutmeg, mace, cardamom and pepper at the global level (Highlights of Agriculture Census, 2010-11, http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=132799). Most part of the income is spent on foods. It is important to establish and nurture mutually beneficial relationships with global food processing, food retail and related supply chain organizations. This will in turn help in the realization of significant business growth opportunities in India, through newer technologies, innovations and ways of value additions. The geographical location of India helps in the export of items to other countries. It is connected to Europe, Middle East and Africa from the western coast and to Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Australia and New Zealand from the eastern coast. Food processing is a priority sector for the Indian Government, especially in recent times with “Make in India” initiative.The country is considered as one of the most favourable markets because of the easy and affordable credit and other fiscal incentives. The total consumption of food and beverages in India is US$ 369 billion which is expected to increase to US$1.142 trillion and the output in the food processing sector might increase to US$ 958 billion by 2025. This offers a vast market opportunity by the Indian food processing, food retail, transport, logistics and related infrastructure sectors to players in the food processing value chain. The market for plant and machinery in the food processing sector is estimated in the year 2024-25 to be USD 51.41 billion as compared to the current value of USD 17.3 billion (2016-17).

Food fortification is the procedure in which micronutrients (essential trace elements and vitamins) are added to the food. As a public health policy fortification can be carried out by the food manufacturers or by the governments to help people in combatting dietary deficiencies within a population. Fortification can be done in food even if these nutrients are originally present or not. However, it improves the nutritional status of a population by overcoming the deficiencies of micronutrients. Deficiency of micronutrients is known as hidden hunger which is a serious health risk. Access to safe and nutritious food is a must.Due to the lack of consumption of a balanced diet, adequate micronutrients are not supplied to the body. Therefore, there is a considerable loss of nutrients during the processing of food. One of the strategies to address this problem is fortification of food.

With increasing food production, availability and accessibility the global agro-industrial food system has improved.However, malnutrition, biodiversity loss and climate change are newer challenges. The best solution to this is the utilization of indigenous and traditional crops which will bring a transformative change in the food system. There is a need to look into the development of smallholder producers. The agro-industrial food system has improved the food supply and has made way for significant trade-offs with agro-biodiversity, dietary diversity, environmental sustainability and socio-economic stability mainly amongst the rural poor. Now is the time to mainstream the underutilized indigenous and traditional crops into the food system. This will provide opportunities to develop a sustainable and healthy food system.It will also help towards the societal goals which include employment creation, wellbeing and environmental sustainability.