Spatial poverty traps and food security: Unpacking the linkages

India’s food and nutrition insecurity is worsening despite economic growth and a plethora of national policies. The problem appears to be concentrated in particular districts, creating a conflation of food insecurity with spatial poverty traps. Using a food systems lens, the concepts of poverty and food and nutrition security are decoupled. Primarily qualitative methods, alongside a food insecurity experience scale survey, and census data are used to conduct a comparative analysis of three selected blocks of Koraput district in Odisha. Results showed disconnects between the levels of poverty and food insecurity, suggesting a context-specific range of entry points for addressing the problem of food and nutrition security. Decentralised planning based on the agency of local communities is needed for effective, equitable, and sustainable solutions to food insecurity.