1. Food Security to the target poor-the primary concern for SERP Hunger cannot be postponed. It is the most important issue for the poor.

2. The reason….. Food ‘insecurity’ is the major vulnerability of the poor. Providing food assurance is an important goal for SERP Uncertain employment in dry land areas due to chronic drought Their own marginalized lands cannot grow food grains Difficulty in accessing food from local market in sufficient quantities, due to lack of work and inadequate funds. Forced to go to the moneylenders, pushing them further into debt trap.

3. Objectives…. To attempt to minimize the “Food Gap” in POP and the Poor To facilitate for the emergence of ‘Total Food Security’ and ‘Nutritional Support’ to the target poor To minimize the rate of exploitation in consumption expenditure made by the poor. To provide access to good quality and accurate quantity of rice by the target poor.

4. Two-pronged strategy 1. Enabling poor to optimally utilize the Public Distribution system. 2. Community managed food security system

5. 1.Enabling to exhaust the PDS… All SHG members who are having entitlement for PDS rice will be assured by the SHG to exhaust their entitlement first This assurance will be fulfilled by providing small loans if needed to the members by the SHG

6. 2.Community managed food security * Open market purchase of rice & other provisions * Community Managed – poor women at Centre * Food Assurance * Competitive pricing * Convenient Repayment Schedule * Grain Quality * Linking women with markets

7. Community Management…. Functional committees in each V.O and Mandal Samakhyas. The purchases are made by the Purchase Committee. The distribution to the Self Help Groups is made by the Distribution Committee. The recovery is ensured by the Recovery Committee. 95% recovery rate in every Village Organisation in respect of Food Security. The other 5% is delayed payments not defaults.

8. The effort…. Capacity building of Village Organisations and Mandal Samakhyas: the above committees are trained at district and mandal level in management of Food Security Line The Executive Committees of Village Organisation are also trained in respect of operation guide lines of Village Organisations and Mandal Samakhyas. Accounting: Books of Accounts designed and positioned before starting of Food Security Line. Master Book Keepers are also trained and positioned. Reporting system to the project is also positioned

9. The identified gap…….. The average cereal requirement of family (Average family size 4.5 individuals) per month: 50 Kg Average Quantity of rice that is got from Public Distribution System : *15 Kg Hunger Gap : 35 Kg The requirement of red gram dhal, edible oil, tamarind and red chilies

10. The collection of indent…. Identifying the gap between the actual requirement of rice per month for each house-hold and the rice availability from FP shop Identifying the requirement of other food grains like red gram, edible oil, tamarind, dry chilies for each member family Collection of indent from each member by the SHG and preparation of Food Security Plan for that SHG

11. The consolidation at VO… Consolidating the requirement of rice and other food grains at Village Organization's (VO) level Provision of funds from SHG corpus, Bank linkage and CIF (from VO)

12. The procurement… Procurement of required rice and other items on monthly basis by the VO from open market

13. The distribution…. Distribute it to SHG members through SHGs

14. The recovery…. Recovery of instalments from the members through SHG in 3 or 4 installments by the VO with little profit margin

15. The outreach…. Total target families - 8,650,677 Cum Target for 2006-07 – 2,831,884 Cum coverage as on 8/06 - 1,696,727 Current turnover is Rs.280 crores (Rs.2.80 billion) per month

16. The specific impact…. Food insecurity Migrants leaving their families behind are worried about their welfare People without confidence cannot secure entitlements. Begging, suicides, prayers, or silence is the option Poor Families get food to eat even in the lean season. Migrant labour is confident of food being assured to their families A safety net of Food assurance enables the poor to negotiate and bargain better. BeforeAfter

17. The specific impact…. A child refuses to go to school. It wants food before going to school that the mother can not provide. A family waits at the house of the money lender seeking for hand loan for food grains Pregnant women used to be more sufferers from ‘food deficiency’ in the family After the FSL, she can afford to send her child to school with some food. Dependence is reduced. Impacts economic and social relations. The introduction has enabled the VO to start ‘nutrition centre’ for pregnant women Before After

18. The general impact…. Reduction in “Food Gap” Reduction in price Increase in real income Increase in intake of food by the target poor Increase in quality of food Ensuring “Total Food Security” Caring for the aged, destitutes and pregnant women Capital formation in VOs and MSs

19. The plan…. Procuring the agro-based items (paddy, red gram, pulses, tamarind and red chilies) during harvest season from small farmers of target poor who have cultivated these crops on leased lands Increasing the recycling period from one month to three months and to six months Priority to the poorest of the poor and their food requirements Convenient repayment schedule at SHG level to accommodate the income stream of each member Linking the producer VO/MS with consumer VO/MS

20. The vision Successful management by the community proves that long term and sustainable food security to the poor, both ex-citu and in-citu is possible through a decentralized food security system operated by the poor themselves. These initiatives of the poor would go long way in achieving the goal of ‘freedom from hunger’