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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur
The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively.
Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively.
On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs.
In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc.
During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU).
Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.
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ThesisItem Open Access Quality evaluation of germinated rice and rice products(Department of Home Science, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2012) Neethu Sathyan, T; KAU; Suman, K TThe study entitled “Quality evaluation of germinated rice and rice products” was undertaken to evaluate the physical, cooking, biochemical, nutritional, organoleptic and keeping qualities of germinated rice. The study also aimed to evaluate the physical and keeping qualities of roasted rice flour and to assess the acceptability of the products prepared with rice flour. The rice variety Jyothi was selected for the study. After soaking for 12hours, it was germinated under laboratory conditions. The treatments were T0 – Ungerminated rice, T1- Rice- soaked for 12 hours, T2 – Rice- soaked and kept for germination for 3 days and T3 – Rice- soaked and kept for germination for 6 days. Milling recovery was found to be very low in germinated rice which in turn resulted in higher milling loss. Total milled rice and head rice recovery of germinated rice decreased significantly during storage when compared to control. Significant variation among treatments was observed with respect to thousand grain weight and thousand grain volume. To obtain optimum cooked rice, a cooking time of 22.33 to 29.33 minutes was noticed among different treatments. A positive correlation between water uptake, volume expansion and grain elongation was noticed in all the treatments. Germination decreased the amylose content thereby affecting the gel consistency. Intermediate gelatinisation temperature index was noticed in all the treatments. Moisture content of rice from four treatments varied from 10.51 to 12.67 per cent which increased significantly during storage. A significant increase in total and reducing sugar was observed as a result of starch degradation during germination. Variations were noticed in the protein, fat and fibre content among treatments. Progressive increase in the thiamine content was observed with advancement in days of germination. Compared to control, calcium, iron and phosphorus content of germinated rice were significantly low. During germination, in vitro starch digestibility of rice from different treatments increased by 5 to 17 per cent. Significant increase in in vitro mineral availability was also noticed. Bulk density of roasted rice flour from different treatments varied from 0.78 to 0.84 g per ml. Compared to control, lower water absorption index and higher water solubility index was noticed in roasted rice flour from germinated rice. The evaluation of retrogradation property in roasted rice flour from different treatments revealed that syneresis per cent increased with advancement in days of observation. Maximum syneresis was noticed in germinated rice. The products prepared using rice (cooked rice, unniappam and kozhukatta) and rice flour (iddiappam and puttu) from germinated paddy had mean scores above 6.0 for different quality attributes. Germinated rice was found to be more suitable for the preparation of unniappam and puttu. Mean scores for various quality attributes increased when the products were prepared from stored rice and rice flour. The rice and roasted rice flour were evaluated for the presence of bacteria, fungi and yeast initially and after three months of storage. Presence of bacteria was detected in both periods under study. Fungal growth was not noticed in any of the rice and rice flour samples initially but after three months of storage fungal growth was detected in roasted rice flour of T0 and T1. Yeast count was not detected in rice and rice flour initially and after three months of storage. Insect infestation was not noticed in rice and rice flour from different treatments throughout the storage period.ThesisItem Open Access Evaluation of cycas seed flour for product development(Department of home science, College of horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2012) Lijitha, S; KAU; Indira, VThe study entitled “Evaluation of cycas seed flour for product development” was undertaken to evaluate the chemical constituents and shelf life of processed cycas seed flour. The study also envisaged to develop cycas seed flour supplemented products and to evaluate the nutritional and organoleptic qualities of the developed products. Cycas seeds and other ingredients required for the study were procured from the market. Cycas seeds were processed by soaking in cold water for six hours and draining the soaked water, repeatedly for seven times prior to the preparation of the flour. The cycas flour thus prepared was dried in a cabinet drier at 60 ± 5°C to a moisture content of 10-12 per cent and stored in glass bottles for a period of three months under ambient conditions. The constituents like moisture, protein, starch, total carbohydrates, crude fibre, fat, calcium, phosphorous, sodium, potassium and iron were estimated initially and after three months of storage. The antinutritional/ toxic factors in the flour such as crude alkaloids, cycasin and hydrocyanic acid were also analysed. Shelf life of cycas seed flour was also evaluated during storage. The processed cycas seed flour was found to be rich in carbohydrate and macro and micro minerals with ideal sodium - potassium ratio. The alkaloid content in processed cycas flour was found to be low. A significant decrease in the constituents like starch, total carbohydrate, crude fibre, fat and crude alkaloids was noticed during storage. A gradual increase in the microbial count was observed during storage. Insect infestation was not detected in cycas seed flour through out the period under study. Five products namely puttu, ada, pathiri, biscuit and chapathi were prepared by incorporating cycas seed flour in different proportions along with the main ingredient for respective products. The products were evaluated organoleptically for different quality attributes like appearance, colour, texture, flavour, taste and overall acceptability using score card. Rice was used as the main ingredient for the preparation of puttu, ada and pathiri. For chapathi and biscuit, wheat flour and maida were used respectively as the main ingredients. The product prepared with 100 per cent main ingredient was taken as the control. All products were prepared exclusively with cycas seed flour. The cycas flour was also incorporated into the basic ingredient at 30 to 70 per cent for the preparation of the products. Among the different products prepared by supplementing cycas seed flour, except chapathi, all products were found to be acceptable to the judges. The nutritive value of the products prepared by supplementing cycas flour was computed per serving. In puttu, ada and pathiri, the nutrients like protein, crude fibre, fat and calcium content increased with increase in the quantity of cycas seed flour. In the case of biscuit and chapathi, increased supplementation of cycas seed flour improved the crude fibre and fat content. Incorporation of cycas flour at the rate of 30 to 50 per cent with rice flour and maida was found to be ideal for the preparation of acceptable products.ThesisItem Open Access Development and quality evaluation of enriched moringa (Moringa olerifera Lam) based soup mixes (ESM)(Department of home science, College of agriculture, Vellayani, 2012) Saranya, S; KAU; Rari John, KThe study on “Development and quality evaluation of enriched moringa (Moringa oleifera) based soup mixes (ESM)” was carried out with the objective to develop enriched moringa based enriched soup mixes and to evaluate organoleptic, functional, nutritional and shelf life quality. Moringa fruit pulp and moringa leaves were selected as base materials for the study. Two processing techniques viz drying-blending and pulping-dehydration were adopted for the development of soup mixes. In drying- blending method the moringa fruit pulp, moringa leaves, tomato and onion were dried separately at 700C for 4-8 hours, powdered, blended together with other ingredients such as soya flour, milk solid and corn flour in different proportions. In pulping- dehydration method the moringa fruit pulp, moringa leaves, tomato and onion were made into pulp using a mixer grinder and dehydrated in the dryer at 700C for 7-8 hours. The dried pulp was powdered, sieved and blended with other ingredients. The base materials (moringa pulp and moringa leaves) were added in the soup mixes with different proportions (30, 35 and 40). Four combinations of ESM were developed by using organoleptic and preference score from three combinations of the four treatments. P1 C1 - Moringa pulp alone incorporated combination (Drying and blending) P1 C2 - Moringa pulp with leaf incorporated combination (Drying and blending) P2 C1 - Moringa pulp alone incorporated combination (Pulping and dehydration) P2 C2- Moringa pulp with leaf incorporated combination (Pulping and dehydration) Organoleptic qualities of the ESM such as appearance, colour, flavour, texture and taste were assessed by a panel of ten judges using score card. The sensory evaluation revealed that moringa alone incorporated combination formulated by using drying and blending method were scored highest value in almost all attributes and the other three combinations were also good. The chemical composition such as moisture, acidity, total ash, peroxide value and fiber were analyzed in the ESM samples. In the case of moisture and acidity per cent, the P2 C2 (moringa pulp with leaf incorporated combination using pulping and dehydration method) recorded highest value. The total ash content of the ESM was equal in moringa pulp with leaf incorporated (drying and blending) and in moringa pulp alone incorporated (pulping and dehydration) combinations. The formulated ESM samples were not recorded any peroxide value; it indicates that they are good in quality. The fiber content was high in moringa pulp with leaf incorporated combinations for both the two processing techniques. Nutritional qualities of the developed ESM such as energy, protein, carbohydrate, beta carotene, vitamin C, iron, calcium, sodium and potassium were also analyzed. Energy, protein, carbohydrate, calcium and potassium showed significant difference between the treatments and also between the processing techniques and combinations. Beta carotene, vitamin C and sodium content were found higher in moringa pulp with leaf incorporated combinations. Iron content of the ESM samples did not show any significant difference between the treatments, processing techniques. The developed ESM samples were packed and kept for shelf life studies for three months at ambient condition. The moisture and acidity values were increased from first month to three months (90 days). But these values were increased only within the limit. The peroxide content was not observed up to second month of storage. There after negligible value of peroxide was recorded in the soup mixes. The microbial growth was not observed during the storage period. The microbial count was found only at the 90th day, the negligible number of bacteria was found only in the moringa pulp with leaf incorporated (pulping- dehydration) combination. The consumer preference study was also conducted among fifty consumers selected at random revealed that more people preferred the moringa pulp alone incorporated (drying- blending process) combination. And the other three combinations were also good in quality. The cost of the production of 100g of formulated ESM was ranged between Rs. 52- 59/-. Results of the findings confirm that P1 C1 (moringa alone incorporated using drying and blending process) showed best in organoleptic and consumer preference parameters. Among the two processing technique drying and blending process was good in organoleptic qualities, nutritional and chemical parameters.ThesisItem Open Access Nutritional status and nutrition cognition of adolescent girls in the coastal area of Thiruvananthapuram(Department of home science, College of agriculture, Vellayani, 2012) Suma, N S; KAU; Geetha, PA study entitled the “Nutritional status and nutrition cognition of adolescent girls in the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram”was conducted to evaluate the nutrition counseling on the knowledge and adoption of health and nutrition practices by the adolescent girls. The study was carried out in Vizhijam and Vallakkadavu in Thiruvananthapuram district. For pretest and posttest of cognition and practice, suitably structured pretested checklist was used. The dietary practice was assessed through food use frequency studies before and after the counseling programme.The data pertaining to the socio economic and personal characteristics, health and nutritional profile of the respondents were ascertained with the help of a structured and pretested interview schedule. The collected data were tabulated, analysed statistically and the results were interpreted. Most of the respondents were from nuclear family with small family size and having medium level education. Majority of the families were having low level of educational status and low monthly income. Majority of the family possessed television and radio in their homes and only 40 per cent of the respondents were members of social organisations. Participation index of the respondents in the programmes related to various organisations revealed that 50 per cent had medium level of participation index. Anthropometric measurement revealed that body mass index of 95 per cent of the respondents were found to be some forms of energy deficiency. Triceps skin fold thickness of the respondents indicated that 54 per cent of them were low fat deposit. Hemoglobin level of the respondents revealed that only 46 per cent were mildly anemic 49 per cent forms of anaemia were moderately anaemic and 4 per cent were severly anaemic. Clinical examination of the respondents reported that majority of the respondents were having nutritional deficiency symptoms. Food habits of the respondents revealed that majority of them were non vegetarians.Leftover food was consumed by all the respondents. Regarding the special foods given during different stages of life cycle revealed that majority of them were not giving any special food. Food intake of the respondents revealed that the food group which met the RDA least was pulses, green leafy vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products and sugar and jaggery. Nutrient intake of the respondents revealed that calcium, iron vitamin C and folic acid were far below the RDA stipulated. Nutritional status index of the respondents indicated medium and high nutritional status index among 86 per cent and only 17 per cent had low level of nutritional status index. The pretest scores revealed the lack of knowledge of the respondents about various aspects of general awareness on adolescent nutrition, importance of nutritious foods and health and hygiene. The counseling programme of three days duration was conducted for the benefit of the respondents to impart required information on the above areas. The counseling programme had significant effect on the gain in knowledge as well as change in adoption of practices. Correlation of selected independent variables of respondents on the cognition revealed that there was significant correlation with nutritional status index and participation index. Comparison of mean score of pretest and posttest knowledge, and practice revealed that counseling programme had significant improvement in the awareness of the respondents.ThesisItem Open Access Standardisation and quality evaluation of rice based fermented dairy products(Department of Home Science, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2012) Swati, Sarabhai; KAU; Suman, K TSummary, etc. The present study was undertaken to standardise rice based fermented dairy products and to enrich the standardised products with bits and pulp of fruits. The study also envisaged to evaluate the physical, chemical, nutritional, organoleptic and keeping qualities of the standardised products. Rice based fermented dairy products (RBFDP) were prepared using rice slurry made out of roasted and unroasted rice flour of raw rice, parboiled rice and germinated rice in different proportions with or without milk. With a view to find out the most appropriate combination for the preparation of RBFDP, the 18 treatments were evaluated for various organoleptic qualities like appearance, colour, flavour, odour, texture, taste, after taste and overall acceptability and compared with the characteristics of plain yoghurt (control). In different treatments tried for the preparation of RBFDP, the mean scores for different quality attributes showed a decreasing trend with increase in the quantity of rice slurry. The products prepared with milk and rice slurry made out of unroasted flour of raw, parboiled and germinated rice in 50:50 proportions were selected as the most acceptable treatments for the preparation ofRBFDP. The selected RBFDP was enriched with bits and pulp of pineapple and mango separately @ five per cent. Based on the organoleptic scores, RBFDP prepared out of unroasted flour of germinated rice enriched with bits of pineapple and RBFDP prepared from unroasted flour of raw rice enriched with pulp of mango were selected as the most acceptable ones. The selected RBFDP and fruit enriched RBFDP along with control were stored for 14 days under refrigerated condition (4°C) and evaluated for nutritional qualities initially and at the end of 14th day of storage. The physical, chemical and microbial qualities of the selected products were evaluated initially and at weekly intervals. A significant decrease was noticed in protein, fat and starch content of RBFDP and fruit enriched RBFDP during storage. Enrichment with fruits improved the fibre p-carotene and vitamin C content of RBFDP. The products were found to be a fair source of thiamine and riboflavin. The products had appreciable amounts of calcium and phosphorus which decreased significantly during storage A decrease in the curd tension and a subsequent increase in viscosity of the RBFDP and fruit enriched RBFDP was recorded in seven days of storage. By 14th day of storage the curd tension increased and the later remained unchanged. Syneresis was noticed only during the initial evaluation. The moisture content and pH of RBFDP and fruit enriched RBFDP decreased during storage with an increase in the titrable acidity thereby influencing the organoleptic qualities of the products. An increase in the total soluble solids CTSS) of RBFDP and fruit enriched RBFDP was noticed during storage whereas a decrease was observed in plain yoghurt (control) Presence of contaminating bacteria was not detected in any of the samples during storage. Mold and yeast were not' detected in the products till 7th day of storage. But in fruit enriched RBFDP presence of mold and yeast were detected during final evaluation. Viable count of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius ssp thermophilus decreased in 14 days of storage. The viable count of cultures noticed in RBFDP made out of germinated rice was comparable with control. Cost of production of RBFDP and fruit enriched RBFDP was found to be lower than the cost of plain yogurt and fruit enriched yogurt available in the market.ThesisItem Open Access Promoting consumption of green leafy vegetables among rural women through participatory approach(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2012) Krishnendu, J R; KAU; Prasannakumari, BThe present study entitled “Promoting consumption of green leafy vegetables among rural women through participatory approach” was conducted with the objective of promoting consumption of green leafy vegetables among rural women through an intensive educational programme employing participatory techniques and to assess its impact.The assessment of personal and socio-economic characteristics, dietary habits, collection of traditional recipes and knowledge about uses of green leafy vegetables, current supplementary feeding programme of the selected five anganwadi centers were done on the selected sample of the one hundred respondents. The respondents were selected from the five ICDS centers namely Athiyannoor, Aralummoodu, Pathamkallu, Vazhimukku, and Kaithottukonam in order to impart nutrition education programme for promoting green leafy vegetable consumption and also to promote inclusion of leafy vegetables in the supplementary feeding programme of the selected five anganwadi centers. The impact evaluation of nutrition education programme was assessed after a gap of three month. The findings of the socio-economic survey done revealed that majority of the respondents belonged to the age group less than or equal to thirty five years and belonged to Other Backward Caste (about 60 percent). Analysis of family structure revealed that majority of the respondents belonged to nuclear type of families and had a family size of 1-4 members. While analyzing the land holding size, it was found that eighty six percent of the respondents had their own land. Most of the respondents were (sixty four percent) not engaged in any livestock rearing and forty six percent of the respondents did not grow any green leafy vegetable at all. About eighty percent of the respondents lived in their own house and about fifty four percent of the respondents were having tap water facility for drinking purpose. Regarding educational status it was found that majority of the respondents had education up to pre-degree level. The employment status of the respondents shows that majority of them were unemployed. Most of the families had monthly income between 7323-9787 rupees and belonged to middle income group. Dietary habits of the respondents indicated that ninety percent of them were habitual non-vegetarians. Majority of the respondents (about fifty three percent) took food outside home occasionally. A majority percentage of respondents were using green leafy vegetables in the form of thoran. The frequency of use of green leafy vegetables revealed that most of the respondents used curry leaves and coriander leaves in their diets. The conduct of the supplementary feeding programme in the selected anganwadi centers was studied with the help of anganwadi worker. It revealed that poor utilization of green leafy vegetables in the supplementary feeding programme in the five selected anganwadi centers. A number of traditional recipes and various uses of green leafy vegetables were collected from the respondents. Five green leafy vegetable recipes namely chekkurmanis cutlet, drumstick leaves with scrambled egg, wheat rawa kichdi, weaning mix and amaranth squash were selected from these and subjected to acceptability tests among a selected panel of judges. Chekkurmanis cutlet was the highly accepted one while weaning mix was the least accepted product. None of the green leafy vegetable recipes were too low in mean score, this revealed that almost all green leafy vegetable recipes were liked by the panel members.Assessment of pre knowledge and attitude scores of respondents showed that majority of respondents had poor level of knowledge and attitude about the use of green leafy vegetables. The nutrition education programme was conducted to make the respondents aware of the importance of green leafy vegetables in their daily diet and inclusion of green leafy vegetables in supplementary feeding programme of the selected five anganwadi centers. The nutrition education programme was conducted with the help of nutrition education classes, charts, a video show on leafy vegetables prepared for the purpose of the study, leaf lets, kitchen gardening, demonstration and discussion. The impact of the nutrition education programme was assessed after three months by conducting a post test. The results showed that there was highly significant gain in knowledge and change in attitude of the respondents thus pointing out the positive impact of the nutrition education programme. The post test conducted revealed a significant change in the consumption of green leafy vegetables by the respondents. Locally available leafy vegetables were found to be included in the supplementary feeding programmes of the five selected anganwadi centers. The anganwadi workers also reported that they would use the leafy vegetables from the leafy vegetable garden for the feeding programme when the plants had grown. The scope of nutrition communication programmes using a participatory approach for bringing about positive change in the consumption of green leafy vegetables is evident from this study. The study proved that this programme can be successfully implemented in all the anganwadi centers of our state. The increase in the actual green leafy vegetable consumption will surely help to alleviate the micronutrient deficiencies prevalent in our state especially among women and children.ThesisItem Open Access Determinants of household food security of selected traditional vegetable growers of Thiruvananthapuram(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2012) Athulya, M S; KAU; Rajani, MThe present study was carried out in the four selected blocks namely Kazhakuttam, Nedumangad, Vamanapuram and Nemom of Thiruvananthapuram district, where a considerable percentage of traditional vegetable growers are available. From the selected four blocks Pothencode, Karakulam, Peringamala and Kalliyoor panchayath were selected respectively from each block. A total number of hundred growers; twenty five each from the four selected vegetable tract belonging to the respective blocks comprise the sample. From the hundred families, thirty women were selected as the micro sample and their nutritional status were assessed.The objective of the study was to assess the trend and to analyse the determinants of house hold food security among the traditional vegetable growers belonging to the selected vegetables tracts of Thiruvananthapuram district.Tools were constructed to ascertain the socio- economic status and personal characteristics of the respondents. Monthly expenditure on different food items were observed by purchase inventory. Food use frequency, food consumption pattern and food habits of the family were studied with the help of diet survey.For the micro sample, anthropometry measurements, actual food and nutrient intake and morbidity details were recorded.A considerable percentage of the respondents in the study reported the use of leased in land for cultivation.The food availability and accessibility data was collected through food purchase inventory survey of three months, which revealed that majority of the respondents were not purchasing or procuring enough food needed to meet their requirement based on the recommended allowances for a balanced diet as suggested by ICMR (1999).As far as the micro sample was considered, it was found that their diet did not meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). A high percentage of RDA deficit was noted in protein and iron intake.The result of the study revealed that based on food security hunger core module formulated by USDA (2000). The result shows that, 11 families were found to be food secure and 62 per cent were food insecure without hunger. Families who are food insecure with moderate hunger were eighteen per cent and with severe food insecurity were nine per cent. The findings of the study revealed that age, family type, monthly income, educational qualification, number of meals per day and expenditure on food and PDS utilization are the major determinants of the food security.Therefore it can be concluded that a considerable percentage belonged to food insecure group and that requires appropriative corrective measures. Hence it was suggested that nutrition education as well as motivation programmes for supplementing the family income may be executed to improve the house hold food security.ThesisItem Open Access Food security in farm labour households of kuttanad(Department of Home Science, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2012) Anusha, S; KAU; Indira, VThe study entitled food security in farm labour households of Kuttanad was undertaken for assessing the extent of food security and to identify the factors influencing the food security of farm labour households. From each of the seven agro ecological zones of Kuttanad, 20 farm labour households were selected randomly for the study constituting a total sample size of 140 households. A detailed study was conducted by identifying four women and four pre school children from each agro ecological zone totalling 28 each. The food security of the selected households was ascertained by assessing the three dimensions of food security namely access, availability and utilisation of food. Food access and availability were determined by assessing socioeconomic status, food consumption pattern, food purchase inventory and food adequacy of the households. Utilisation was determined by assessing the nutritional status of family members. Overall food security was also determined using the food security module suggested by USDA. Nuclear family system with 4 to 6 members was noticed among most of the households. Most of the adult family members were educated up to high school level and 71.89 per cent men and 54.51 per cent women were working as agricultural labourers. The monthly income of the households was found to be very low and they spent above 50 per cent of their income for the purchase of food materials. The housing and living conditions were found to be poor with no drainage and drinking water facilities. The food consumption pattern of the households indicated that all were non vegetarians and followed a three meal a day pattern. Most frequently used food items included cereals, vegetables, fish and fats and oils. Milk and milk products, meat and egg were used to a lesser extent by the households. Food expenditure pattern of the households indicated that 67 per cent spent 10 to 35 per cent of food expenditure for the purchase of cereals and 10 to 28 per cent did not spent any money for the purchase of milk and milk products, egg, meat and fish. Food purchase inventory of the households revealed that all items were purchased to a lesser extent compared to the actual requirement of the households. Food adequacy in terms of food intake per consumption unit indicated inadequacy of all food groups except flesh foods. The per capita intake of all nutrients was also found to be lower than the recommended levels. The nutritional status of family members through anthropometry indicated that 25 to 48 per cent children, adolescents and elderly had different grades of malnutrition. However, the nutritional status of adult members was found to be better with 72 per cent of adults having a normal BMI of 20 to 25 kg/m2. The actual food and nutrient intake of women and preschool children were found to be far below the RDA for most of the food groups and nutrients. Anaemia was prevalent among 90 per cent of women. Food security status of the households indicated food insecurity among most of the households. Only 49 per cent of the households were found to be food secure on the basis of overall food security. On the basis of food access, availability and utilization, food security was observed only among 25 per cent of the households. Among the different factors affecting food security family size was found to be the most important one followed by income, food expenditure and energy intake.