LANGAR CREDIT PROTOCOL: AN ISO-ALIGNED VERIFICATION FRAMEWORK FOR COMMUNITY-BASED FOOD SECURITY CONTRIBUTIONS TO SDG 2 AND SDG 12 IN LOW-DATA CONTEXTS

Abstract

Community kitchens throughout India, such as gurdwara langars, temple annadanam, sufi langars, and surplus food redistribution networks, collectively serve an estimated crores of meals annually to vulnerable populations. Although community kitchens make significant contributions to food security and sustainable consumption, they remain institutionally invisible within national and global Sustainable Development Goal monitoring frameworks.

The Langar Credit Protocol was developed, analytically validated, and empirically tested using design science research principles. This framework, intended for third-party verification, aligns with ISO standards and is designed for pilot implementation in low-data, community-based environments. The research methodology integrates requirements engineering through systematic extraction and adaptation of 105 clauses from ISO 20121, ISO 14064-3, and ISO/IEC 17029, precedent analysis through synthesis of 19 validated techniques from eight established MRV frameworks, and iterative design cycles. The resulting protocol defines six verifiable sustainability indicators mapped to specific SDG 2 and SDG 12 targets, with a three-tier assurance structure differentiating performance using unweighted scoring. Empirical validation via a survey of 422 educated professionals demonstrated strong stakeholder perception of feasibility with 87 percent agreement on indicator feasibility, 89 percent on tier clarity, and 92 percent on training adequacy.