Farm2Food Foundation is part of Assam State Alliance for Health, Nutrition and Livelihood. It was formed in 2019. A study was conducted in 2020 on livelihood and nutrition security amongst the households of the community. The survey included 1697 respondents from 416 villages in 93 blocks across 24 Assam districts. The epidemic has had a negative impact on vulnerable populations and employees in the unorganized sector, including daily wage earners, migrant workers, small traders, farmers, domestic workers, and people with disabilities. Socially vulnerable populations in Assam’s geographically difficult places, such as flood plains, char areas, urban slums, and historically poor and exploited tea tribes, have been impacted.
Based on the findings, the organization along with the association of other NGOs like Foundation for Social Transformation, NorthEast Network, SeSTA, IDeA have submitted their thoughts on the inclusion of the issues in the next state budget outlay on livelihood and food security.
Recommendations are as:
- Targeted PDS must look into addressing nutritional needs of the vulnerable households mentioned. In order to compensate the nutritional requirements, items such as lentils, pulses, iodized salt, wheat, oils must be included along with additional quantity of rice be made available under PDS.
- Poshan Abhiyaan is an excellent platform to encourage revival of Homestead gardens. Adequate budgetary provisions may be made to initiate to address the nutritional requirements of the families.
- Job opportunities need to be created either through MNREGA or any other sources and made available for unskilled workers including the migrant workers
- Regularize the distribution of food under Mid-Day Meal Scheme and Integrated Child Development Scheme.
- Extended period of financial assistance to be provided through different schemes initiated by the Govt to compensate the losses incurred by these households which will help them revive economically.
- Specific pension scheme or one time grant-in-aid for people engaged in the informal sector should be initiated to support their social security.