India is experiencing a modernisation process characterised by rapid urbanisation and the emergence of a new middle class. This process is expected to lead to a change in lifestyles and dietary patterns, and notably higher consumption of... more
India is experiencing a modernisation process characterised by rapid urbanisation and the emergence of a new middle class. This process is expected to lead to a change in lifestyles and dietary patterns, and notably higher consumption of animal based foods. The present article focuses on this changing dietary trend in the city of Vadodara in Gujarat (India). A stratified sample of 432 women and men was selected, representing Brahmin, non-Brahmin and Jain communities from high, medium and low socioeconomic strata. The results revealed that, in the transition process, the supposed protein shift from plant-to animal based foods takes specific forms in this cultural context because of more complex drivers that shape food consumption than the socioeconomic position in the society. It highlights that beyond the supra-determination of castes and socioeconomic classes, major drivers of this consumption are the norms and values attached to foods and their interrelations with eating practices according to spatiotemporal and social dimensions. This Indian case reveals that dietary change is not unidirectional towards the Western model but each culture has a unique form of transition.
In Nepal, 27% of GDP is contributed by the agriculture sector with 65.56% of households depending upon agriculture for employment. However, 51.8% of households are still food insecure and 25.2% are under the poverty line. Given these... more
In Nepal, 27% of GDP is contributed by the agriculture sector with 65.56% of households depending upon agriculture for employment. However, 51.8% of households are still food insecure and 25.2% are under the poverty line. Given these facts, it is interesting to watch how the economic growth and food system will go forward, despite the paradoxical history of development-modest growth but brisk poverty reduction has already been experienced. While literature noted that the transition to a food system is rapid for developing countries, very limited analysis linking the food system to its drivers and its consequences exists in the context of Nepal. The study examined food system transition using the secondary data from different sources and analyzing it through a conceptual framework of the food system. The study showed the contemporary food security issue is disparity in food access among the peoples driven by the poverty gap. The trends and scenarios shown in results revealed that the tendencies of food system drivers are on positive sides, but the structural foundation of agriculture (land issues, labor migration, mechanization, adaptations, etc.) is not so strong. This situation has created a serious question on the transition of the food system in Nepal. For this, the policy priorities are imperative to be institutionalized at all three levels of government-federal, state and local, and need to be concerted to transform the food system.
