Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. – 1996 World Food Summit

Food security is a basic human right. In fact, having access to at least an adequate amount of nutritious food could be seen as the most basic of all human rights. However, for hundreds of millions of people, this right is not being met, usually for reasons entirely out of their control. Across the world, nearly a billion people face food security challenges. Food security continues to be a matter of grave concern for India. Despite being the second-largest producer of food, India is home to the world’s second-largest undernourished population (195.9 million). This can be because nutritious food isn’t always available in communities, people can’t always afford it, or people do not consume an adequate variety of foods to stay healthy.

DBDOC has taken significant steps for providing food security and combating malnutrition over the years by providing supplementary nutritional foods to children, pregnant and lactating women and take-home rations. To combat the issue of food, DBDOC promoted nutrition gardens which played an important role in providing national food security by supplementing rations and providing essential nutrients. At the same time, it enhances dietary diversity by providing micronutrients through constant supply of fruits and vegetables sufficient to meet the family’s requirements.