Wealth and Food Insecurity in India

Household wealth is a key determinant of food security; in particular, its impact is heterogeneous due to differences in entitlements, consumption smoothing, and the conversion of food into nutrition. This study develops a pathway framework that links asset stocks and income flows to the four FAO pillars, which include availability, access, utilization, and stability. The condition of India’s urban and rural setting would also be treated as evidence for analysis by adopting measurement approaches that are reviewed, including experience-based scales (HFIAS/FIES), coping indicators, dietary diversity indices, and anthropometric outcomes. The results indicate that wealth gradients in access-oriented indicators are generally steeper than those observed for long-term utilization outcomes. Weak asset buffers amplified the effects of income and price shocks, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 lockdown. While India has ample cereal supplies, the relative scarcity and high prices of nutritious foods limit the ability of poor households to upgrade their diets despite income growth. The policy recommendations include transforming social supply and demand dynamics, investing in distribution and transportation within the supply chain, and increasing infrastructure investment in livelihoods. Complementary interventions to strengthen health, water and sanitation, and nutritional knowledge may increase the efficiency of wealth in improving dietary quality.