Chapter 19: National Food Security Transformation in South Asia: Trends, Vulnerabilities, and Policy Pathways: Food security transformation in South Asia

Food security in South Asia remains a critical development challenge despite substantial advances in agricultural production and economic growth. This chapter reviews the conceptual evolution, theoretical foundations, measurement approaches, and empirical evidence relating to national food security, with a particular focus on Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. It traces the transition from traditional supply-oriented perspectives toward multidimensional frameworks that incorporate availability, access, utilization, stability, agency, and sustainability. The chapter examines major theoretical approaches, including Malthusian, entitlement, livelihoods, and food systems perspectives, while highlighting the growing influence of the Sustainable Development Goals and resilience-based thinking in contemporary food security discourse. The review further evaluates the strengths and limitations of existing food security indicators and composite indices, emphasizing the need for national-level measures capable of capturing long-term structural change. Attention is given to econometric and modelling approaches, including ARDL, VECM, GARCH, and composite index methodologies, as tools for understanding food security dynamics over time. The regional evidence underscores the importance of climate change, demographic pressure, governance, and policy interventions in shaping food security outcomes across South Asia. Country-specific experiences reveal contrasting development trajectories, with Bangladesh demonstrating significant progress, India facing persistent nutrition paradoxes, and Pakistan confronting increasing vulnerabilities associated with climate shocks and institutional constraints. The chapter concludes by identifying major gaps in measurement, dynamic analysis, and comparative policy research, providing a strong foundation for a multidimensional and longitudinal assessment of national food security in South Asia.