Assessing food security and agricultural performance through infrastructure and sustainability indicators in India

This study analyzes 29 districts in Western Uttar Pradesh, India, from 1990 to 2019, to examine how agricultural performance and infrastructure influence food security. We compute Compound Annual Growth Rates for major kharif and rabi crops and construct a district-level Food Security Index with three pillars: Availability, Access (affordability plus physical access), and Utilization. Indicators are standardized by min-max normalization; within each pillar, we apply principal component analysis to obtain data-driven weights. We report an equal-weight composite across pillars and a policy-prioritized alternative as a robustness check. The composite index ranges from 0.24 to 0.62, with higher scores in Baghpat, Etah, Auraiya, and Meerut, and lower scores in Kanshiram Nagar, Hathras, Mahamaya Nagar, Sambhal, and Muzaffarnagar. Results show that production strength alone does not ensure high access or improved nutrition, highlighting the roles of storage and market connectivity, the Public Distribution System, and portability under the One Nation One Ration Card, as well as digital market integration through e-NAM. Policy priorities include climate-resilient production, near-farm storage, and road upgrades, as well as reliable PDS delivery with portability, and nutrition-focused programs in low-income districts. The findings inform spatially targeted actions consistent with SDG 2 and linked goals on poverty and climate.