Improved varieties of seeds are basic requirements for enhancing local production and productivity.

Food security situation in Nepal

It is estimated that two third of Nepal’s population is suffering from food insecurity at some point during the year (USAID/Nepal, 2010). Around 16.4 per cent of total population (3.7 million people) were at risk of severe food insecurity in 2009 (WFP, 2009). More than 46 per cent of children below 5 years of age suffer from malnutrition - 45 per cent are underweight and 43 per cent have stunted growth (USAID/Nepal, 2006). Nepal’s food insecurity persists mostly in the mountains and the hills. Out of 75 districts, 40 were food deficit in 2008/09 (MOAC/FAO/WFP, 2009; cited in MOAC and WFP, 2010) and among them, 13 districts in mid and far western hills and mountains were most severe.

In Nepal, food insecurity can be attributed to farmers’ capacity to adapt with changing climate, poor agriculture infrastructure; inadequate irrigation facility and inputs such as availability of extension services, improved seeds, and links with reliable markets; income level; and physical access to affordable and available food commodities. Moreover, Pyakuryal and Upreti (2011) strongly argue that poor agriculture development is due to the lack of access to and control over production factors by large number of farmers. Skewed land distribution among the farming communities is a major factor where 45 per cent of farmers are operating in less than 0.5 ha of land and 8 per cent of farmers are occupying 31 per cent of total agricultural land with more than 2 ha of land holdings (CBS, 2004).

Practical Action’s learning

Practical Action’s past and present works in Nepal reveal that food security of the poor can be improved through improving access to resources, technologies, and infrastructure supported by appropriate skills and market linkages. Achieving food security requires an integrated approach where production, income generation, infrastructure, awareness, and skill development must be practiced side by side. Off-farm and on-farm income generation activities provide opportunities for the poor to enhance cash income with which they can purchase the food commodities of their

at the local level

preference. More specifically during the implementation of EU funded Improving Livelihood Security of Socially Excluded Communities in Nepal - ILISSCON and HELP Food Security Projects, Practical Action has generated following learning:• Inconsistent development approach has led to the

current food insecurity situation in some parts of the country. A proper local development planning helps to solve local food insecurity.

• ThehumanitarianapproachforfoodsecurityinNepalmust be avoided as it is not a sustainable approach unless it leads to the implementation of development activitiesbasedontheneedsofthecommunity.Thehumanitarian approach should be the last option, if all other systems break down, as in times of disasters. Past experience shows that aiming at food security only through humanitarian approach makes the community dependent on external support; discourages local production and skews economic systems; and undermines local values of food which contradict with the principles of food security.

• Accesses of the poor to productive resources suchas land help enhance the food security. Leasehold farming has become a means to access the land by poor households in terai districts where land is available. Once people have access to local resources, they

THE PRESENT NEEDsecurity food

Where limited farm-based income generation activities exist, off-farm skill development activities are equally important for improving the income of household members.

need support for appropriate technologies, agriculture infrastructure and market, and service linkages.

• Where people lack on-farm option for food security,income generation activities either in the village or out of the village is the only way to meet the food need. So skill development for income generation for resource poor households is vital to secure food.

• Community members are heterogeneous. Differenthouseholds are at different levels of food insecurity. Therefore,onesolutiondoesnotfittoallhouseholds.There is a need to have a range of activities in anintegrated approach targeting needs of different households to fulfill their food requirement.

The present need

TheWorldFoodProgramme(WFP)definesfoodsecurityas a situation “when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”

Market centres are required to enhance the access of the communities to sell their products for income generation and to enhance the access to inputs, goods, services, food, and information to enhance local production and productivity.

Practical Action believes in working with the three pillars of food security simultaneously in an integrated way to ensure food security of the poor as emphasised in above definitionofWFP.Thesethreepillarsare:1) availability and stability of adequate and healthy food of people’s preference; 2) physical, economic, and social access to food; and 3) utilisation of the available food. Unless these pillars simultaneously exist at the local level, food securitycannotbeacheived.Theimportanceorpriorityofthe pillars may vary between communities or households. In some cases, availability and stability of adequate and healthy food could be a high priority, whereas in other cases, physical, economic, and social access or utilisation of the available food could be a high priority. Nevertheless, all the pillars should be equally emphasised for sustainable food security at the community level.

Practical Action emphasises on the following approach to maintain the three pillars for food security:

Enhance local production and productivity –Thisisthemostimportant part of the foundation which accentuates to enhance local production and productivity based on local agro-ecological potential. Local production enhances the physical access of the communities to food and maintains the stability and sustainability of the food supply. Local production provides opportunities to the communities to grow food crops of their choice based on their economic, social and cultural preferences, and the potential based on the local agro-ecological environment.

Enhance income generation opportunities – Because of natural resource limitations, not all regions can produce all types of food crops despite the people’s preferences. Where local production does not meet the food needs and preferences of the community, it is important to enhance the income to buy foods those are not available at the localenvironment.Theeconomicactivitieschosenshouldtake account of the local comparative advantages and the preferences of local people through either on-farm or off-farm income generation activities. Where there are

When self production is not sufficient for year round household food security due to limited and unproductive landholdings, the poor must spend their cash to buy food. Therefore, it is essential to introduce and promote local home based income generation activities.

inadequate local on-farm opportunities, skill training is required for off-farm activities that could be within or out of the community, village, or district.

Physical accessibility – This foundation of food securityemphasises on access to food and market through transportation, market facilities to access inputs, service facilities and local produces. When there is inadequate local production and the community has the purchasing capacity, they need to have access to food items coming from other areas. The physical access also helps thecommunities to sell their products to increase income and buy necessary inputs for local production. Where physical access is not adequate, food security programmes should focus on the development of transportation and marketing facilities for enhancing access to food materials and markets which also enhances local production and productivity. Such activities are found to be supportive to increase food access of people, to reduce the cost of food, and help in local production and income generation.

Awareness to target communities – Awareness raising activities are required through which people know about quality and nutritional aspects of food and social access

Alternative means of transportation facilities such as gravity goods ropeway enhances the access of the communities to market, inputs, and food.

Training and awareness are imperative for enhancing production, productivity and income generation. They also make people aware of qualitative and social aspects of food security including their right to food.

Construction of irrigation canals provides cash for work to the poor communities. Cash for work is an immediate source of income providing options during hard times. However, emergency measures should be integrated and linked with household production and productivity system for long run sustainability of food security.

of food among the family members and the community. The community needs to be aware of their right toproper governance and adequate support for a conducive environment that allows them to fulfil their own food needs by themselves.

Food security safety net – In certain cases, the biophysical and socioeconomic environments may be the constraints to local food security, or perhaps the government is unable to build the foundations for food security. In either case, the state should make provision for an adequate safety net by storing adequate food materials of desired types and making it available to meet the food deficit.

The role of the government is crucial in ensuring foodsecurity of the people. Poeple have the right to receive every service, support, and a favourable environment from the government to help meet their food security through activities of their choice including production, income generation,andaccesstofoodandthemarket.Thestateshould develop a conducive political, legislative, physical, institutional, and economic environment at any level of governance to enhance local production and productivity; to boost people’s income; to facilitate the community’s physical access to food and markets; and to increase community awareness about food security. The statehas the responsibility in fulfilling the commitments and obligations made under the constitution and various other existing policies, strategies, programmes, and activities including the international commitments and obligations. Lack of inadequate policies prompts the gaps and should be bridged at the earliest possible.

PRACTICAL ACTION NEPAL OFFICEPO Box 15135Kathmandu, NepalE-mail : info@practicalaction.org.np Web : www.practicalaction.org/nepal

FOR DETAILS

Finally, local government or the planners at the national level should carryout assessments at the local level to understand the existing conditions of the afore mentioned pillars and foundation of food security and possible areas for intervention. Based on such assessments, each Village Development Committee (VDC) and District Development Committee (DDC) should have a ‘Food Security Strategy’. The strategy should address the holistic and integratedapproach that promotes local production and productivity, income generation, physical access for food and market, and awareness raising and education of the community on food security.

References

Government of Nepal (2007) Interim Constitution of Nepal 2063 (2007). Kathmandu: Government of Nepal

IFPRI (2008) Global Hunger Index: The Challenge of Hunger2008. International Food Policy Research Institute. Washington D.C.

MoAC and WFP (2010) Crop and Food Security Update. Joint Report. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and World Food Programme. Kathmandu

MoAC (1995) Agriculture Perspective Plan (1995-2015). Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Kathmandu

NPC (2010) Three Year Plan Approach Paper (2010/11 –2012/13). National Planning Commission. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal

Pyakuryal, KN and Upreti, BR., editors (2011) Land, Agriculture andAgrarianTransformation.Kathmandu:ConsortiumforLand Reform and Policy Dialogue (COLLAP)

USAID/Nepal (2010) Ensuring Food and Nutritional Security in Nepal. A Stoke taking Exercise. Kathmandu

USAID/Nepal (2006) Nepal Demographic Health Survey Report. Kathmandu

WFP (2009) A sub regional hunger index for Nepal. Nepal Food Security Monitoring System. Kathmandu: World Food Programme. NeKSAP

Figure 1 | Pentagon Approach or The Integrated Approach for Food Security

Enhance income generation activities

at the local level

Provide adequate emergency safety measures at the

local level

Increase awareness and education on

food security at the local level

Develop access to market, services, and information at

the local level

Aiming at local level food security as fundamental for

development

Enhance production and productivity at

the local level