BaYu Sambaad: Centering children and youth in climate agenda

More than 100 children and young people from across Nepal convened in Kathmandu today for the Balbalika tatha Yuwa (BaYu) Sambaad, a children and youth-led national dialogue on climate action ahead of the international Sagarmatha Sambaad. With nearly half of Nepal’s population under the age of 24, the event underscored a powerful reality: children and youth are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and they are calling for concerted and urgent climate action.

Jointly organised by the Government of Nepal and United Nations Nepal including UNICEF, FAO and UNDP with a consortium of youth networks, namely Nepalese Youth for Climate Action, Mountain Youth Hub, World Food Forum Nepal, Global Youth Biodiversity Network and Clean Energy Nepal, the event placed children and young people at the centre of the climate conversation. Representatives from the government, civil society, development partners, private sectors, media and climate experts joined the dialogue to listen to, learn from and stand with young people.

“Climate change is not a future concern, it is today’s reality”, said 20-year-old Nischal Bhatt. “We, young people, have the passion and power to bring change," he said, adding," We urge for an enabling environment where we can contribute to a climate just and resilient society”.

Despite contributing the least to climate change, children and youth bear the brunt of its consequences from exposure to extreme heat, heavy rainfall, climate induced disasters, polluted air and water, to increased health risks, poor nutrition and learning disruptions. In Nepal, climate change has been linked to a rise in vector-borne diseases, food insecurity and school closures, all challenges that disproportionately impact children.

“Every child has the right to grow up in a safe and healthy environment. Yet, climate change threatens children’s rights every day,” said Dr Alice Akunga, United Nations Resident Coordinator to Nepal ad interim. “But today’s Sambaad proves that children and young people are not just victims - they are powerful agents of change. Their voices must shape our climate response at every level.”

The BaYu Sambaad featured an exhibition of child- and youth-led climate solutions, video show, expert sessions on climate resilience, and two intergenerational panel discussions. The first explored the impact of climate change on essential services like education, health and water . The second aligned with the themes of the upcoming Sagarmatha Sambaad – scheduled from May 16 to 18 – highlighting the connections between climate change, mountain ecosystems and the future of humanity. The Sambaad also included testimonies of children, adolescent and youths from across the Nepal.

A key outcome of the BaYu Sambaad is a declaration developed by the participating children and youth, outlining their demands, commitments and proposed actions for a more climate-resilient Nepal. This declaration will be submitted to the Sagarmatha Sambaad Secretariat ahead of the Sagarmatha Sambaad, ensuring the perspectives of children and young people directly inform Nepal’s climate policy, including the development of the third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and preparations for COP30.

“Nepal is proud to be a global leader in putting youth and children at the center of our climate commitments,” said minister of Forests and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, chief guest at the event. “Our second NDC already reflects this, and is among the most inclusive globally in terms of the needs of children and youth, and we are committed to making NDC 3.0 even more so," he said, adding that the BaYu Sambaad is an essential platform to translate  young people’s voices into action – in policy, in practice, and in our path toward a greener, more resilient Nepal.

Chair of the programme Dr Rajendra Prasad Mishra, Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Environment, praised the initiative led by children and young people and stated that the conclusions from the BaYu Sambaad would guide Nepal’s policies and plans.

TFF mini summit 2021 to be held in Nepal

 Thought For Food (TFF) -- a food and agriculture entrepreneurial innovation engine committed to organising the largest and most diverse community of young innovators from more than 175 countries since the last 8 years -- is holding its mini conference in Nepal.

"With the dream of securing a better food future, TFF has been acting as an exposure platform for the enthusiastic changemakers through the TFF challenge every year," a press note issued by the TFF reads, adding that the TFF Challenge is an annual collaborative prize competition that creates successful and promising food and agriculture startups in all parts of the world. "The main purpose of the challenge is to assemble a group of people as a team to create, share, and work together to bring an answer and solution to one of the biggest questions of our time: How will we feed 10+ billion people on a hotter planet?"

This year, TFF Challenge has almost reached to its finale. The finale will be happening on October 2 as TFF Global Summit 2021. TFF Global Summit 2021 is a global main stage event at UN FAO’s World Food Forum and is held in support of the UN Food systems Summit and COP26, where the top 10 finalist team selected from more than 150 countries will pitch and share the crazy and excellent ideas of their innovation on how to feed 10 billion people on a hotter planet by 2050. The summit will be held physically in Rome as well as live-streamed globally around 192 countries.

The big excitement is here for you as TFF Nepal team is bringing the global summit of Rome in your home city. "To share the global energy, entrepreneurial knowledge, and excitement of the main summit with our Nepali youth changemakers, TFF Nepal team is organising a watch party, called TFF mini summit, where Nepali participants watch the TFF Global Summit 2021 live directly to our screens from the stage of UN-FAO, Rome, Italy, and feel the same vibe as if they are attending the global summit physically," it reads.

TFF Mini Summit 2021 happening in Nepal is a replica event of the TFF Global Summit 2021.

It is a 6-hours physical event where a diverse community of youth, students, startups, and budding as well as established entrepreneurs will join together to experience the thrill of the main global summit. The summit allows participants to watch the TFF Global Summit 2021 live directly to our screens from the stage of UN FAO, Rome, Italy.

This watch party will cover the finale of the TFF challenge where 10 teams from diverse geological areas will compete to accomplish the winning title of TFF Challenge, 2021. The participants will be encouraged and empowered to use their innovation and teamwork skills so that they can put their ideas into action. Experts from diverse backgrounds will join the main summit who will share their expertise and mentor the teams. The TFF challenge, 2021 will showcase the top 10 most impactful and visionary startup innovations which were able to reach the finale, to the TFF summit. It will be an extraordinary event where all the participants, mentors and experts will get to see how and what the teams will come up with within the sector of nutritious food and sustainable agriculture.

The mini summit initiated by TFF Nepal and supported by Kathmandu College of Management (KCM), Sarawagi Group and NASO, aims to prepare and inform participants about the TFF community and the annual TFF challenge. It is a great opportunity where we can represent the enthusiasm and energy that the youth of Nepal possess, the press note reads.

An additional 3.9 million children under 5 could suffer from wasting in South Asia due to Covid-19 : UNICEF

An additional 3.9 million children in South Asia under the age of five could suffer from wasting – and therefore become dangerously undernourished – in 2020 as a result of the socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, UNICEF warned today.
According to analysis published in The Lancet, some 6.7 million children globally could suffer from wasting and over half – some 58 per cent or 3.9 million – would be from South Asia alone. “It’s been seven months since the first Covid-19 cases were reported and it is increasingly clear that the repercussions of the pandemic are causing more harm to children than the disease itself,” said UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore. “Household poverty and food insecurity rates have increased,” he said, adding that essential nutrition services and supply chains have been disrupted. “Food prices have soared.”
As a result, the quality of children’s diets has gone down and malnutrition rates will go up, he added.
Wasting is a life-threatening form of malnutrition, which makes children too thin and weak, and puts them at greater risk of dying, poor growth, development and learning. According to UNICEF, even before the Covid-19 pandemic, some 47 million children were already wasted in 2019, over half of whom – some 25 million – lived in South Asia. “Without urgent action, the global number of children suffering from wasting could reach almost 54 million over the course of the year,” the UNICEF said, adding that it would bring global wasting to levels not seen this millennium.
The Lancet analysis finds that the prevalence of wasting among children under the age of five could increase by 14.3 per cent in low- and middle-income countries this year, due to the socio-economic impacts of Covid-19. Such an increase in child malnutrition, combined with disruptions in vitamin A supplementation and breastfeeding, would translate into over 10,000 additional child deaths per month globally.
The estimated increase in child wasting is only the tip of the iceberg, UN agencies warn. Covid-19 will also increase other forms of malnutrition in children and women, including stunting, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight and obesity as a result of poorer diets and the disruption of nutrition services. The UNICEF reports from the early months of the pandemic suggest a 30 per cent overall reduction in the coverage of essential – and often life-saving – nutrition services.
In South Asia, these service disruptions have been more severe. For example, during the initial weeks of lock-down, the treatment of severe wasting ground to a halt in India and Nepal, while a fear of infection and lack of protective equipment for health workers led to an estimated 40 per cent and 75 per cent decline in admissions to treat severe wasting in children in Afghanistan and Bangladesh, respectively.
Furthermore, most countries in the region had to postpone vitamin A supplementation, and so millions of children under five years are missing the immune-boosting effects of vitamin A during a time of greatest need. While essential nutrition services are now resuming, they have not yet returned to prior capacity.
“We are also deeply concerned about the potential impact on breastfeeding practices,” UNICEF regional director for South Asia Jean Gough said, adding that it is essential that mothers are encouraged and supported to continue breastfeeding, even if they have Covid-19 infection. “Breast milk provides the best nutrition for babies as well as protection from a range of life-threatening infections.”
In a commentary to The Lancet report, also released today, the heads of UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the Covid-19 pandemic is undermining nutrition across the world particularly in low- and middle-income countries, with the worst consequences being borne by young children. More children and women are becoming malnourished due to the deteriorating quality of their diets, the interruption of nutrition services, and the shocks created by the pandemic.
Humanitarian agencies immediately need $2.4 billion to protect maternal and child nutrition in the most vulnerable countries from now until the end of the year. The heads of the four UN agencies appeal to governments, the public, donors and the private sector to protect children’s right to nutrition by:
• Safeguarding access to nutritious, safe and affordable diets as a cornerstone of the response to Covid-19 by protecting food producers, processors and retailers; discouraging trade bans; and designating food markets as essential services; 
• Investing decisively in support for maternal and child nutrition by protecting breastfeeding, preventing the inappropriate marketing of infant formula, and securing children and women’s access to nutritious and diverse foods;
• Re-activating and scaling up services for the early detection and treatment of child wasting while expanding other life-protecting nutrition services;
• Maintaining the provision of nutritious and safe school meals by reaching vulnerable children through home delivery, take-home rations, cash or vouchers when schools are closed; and
• Expanding social protection to safeguard access to nutritious diets and essential services among the poorest and most affected households, including access to fortified foods.
“We are encouraged by the efforts being taken across South Asia to resume nutrition services,” Jean Gough said, adding that it is essential that we combine efforts across health and social protection to prevent more children from becoming wasted, and to identify and treat those that do.

Locusts may remain in Nepal for over a month, to hit food security

Experts have projected that the outbreak of locusts in Nepal may last for more than a month, and it may hit food security.
The entry of locust swarms into the country after fall armyworm and the Covid-19 pandemic is going to pose food security in Nepal. Food insecurity has also been compounded by coronavirus containment measures like lockdown, which has disrupted production and supply chains.
“A swarm of adult and premature locusts entered Nepal from Bara district via India yesterday,” former director general of the Department of Agriculture Dr Dilliram Sharma said, adding that it may remain in Nepal for around a month. “A premature locust can survive for a month while a mature one can survive around two weeks.”
“If a matured locust cannot lay eggs, it won’t survive for more than two weeks and it has to fly back to Rajasthan in order to lay eggs,” he added.
Likewise, locust, which usually migrates in large numbers – some 80 to 100 million – and destroys crops voraciously, however has entered Nepal in a swarm of few hundred thousands only. “So it could be controlled using insecticides.”
But the locusts, which had entered Nepal from southern plains are now traveling toward the western hilly regions as well. The swarms of locusts were also sighted in various other districts like Rupandehi, Palpa, Bara, Sarlahi, Parsa, Dang and Kathmandu.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is considered the most dangerous of all migratory pest species in the world. It threatens people’s livelihoods, food security, the environment and economic development. They can reproduce rapidly, migrate long distances, devastate crops and pastures and can easily affect more than 65 of the world’s poorest countries. Nepal might be in for a massive food insecurity, if locusts start ravaging crops amid this Covid-19 pandemic.
The FAO report reads that the desert locust has the ability to change its behaviour and appearance, under particular environmental conditions – unusually heavy rains – and transform itself from a harmless individual to part of a collective mass of insects that form a swarm, which can cross continents and seas, and quickly destroy a farmer’s field and his entire livelihood in a single morning.
Before entering Nepal, the locust must have been sighted in India and Nepali experts failed to monitor their movement, and the government also had claimed that the locust will not enter Nepal. But the government estimation came wrong, as it had happened in the case of coronavirus.
After reports of millions of hectares of land under attack by billions of locusts in Africa, China, Pakistan, and India, the government had formed a five-member task force in late May to study the possibility of their arrival in Nepal. However, a preliminary study by the task force had said that locusts are unlikely to invade Nepal.
Experts also said that the movement of the swarms will depend on the direction of the wind. The wind has been blowing west to the north for the last two days.
According to the FAO, an adult desert locust can consume roughly its own weight in fresh food per day that is about two grams every day. “A one square-kilometer size swarm contains about 40 million locusts, which eat the same amount of food in one day as about 35,000 people, 20 camels or 6 elephants,” the FAO report reads.
After sudden attacks from locusts reported in different districts yesterday, the Agriculture Ministry called an emergency meeting, inviting government officials and experts from all seven provinces, and asked them to be on high alert. “Nepal had experienced its first locust attack in 1962,” according to the ministry. “However, the worst locust attack was observed in 1996 when swarm incursions destroyed 80 per cent of crops in Chitwan and partially damaged crops in Makwanpur, Mahottari and Bara districts.”

Nepal and Green Climate Fund, FAO join hands

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) under Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) have agreed to provide financial grant assistance of $39.3 million (approximately Rs 4,688.2 million) for the implementation of Building a Resilient Churia Region in Nepal (BRCRN) project. The grant assistance will be mobilised through the budgetary system of the government, according to a press note issued by the Finance Minister.
The project aims to enhance the climate-resilience of ecosystems and vulnerable communities in Nepal´s Churia region through integrated Sustainable Natural Resource Management (SNRM) approaches, it reads, adding that the project will cover 26 river systems of the province No 1, 2 and Bagmati provinces and aims to benefit approximately 200,681 households. “This project will benefit to women, indigenous people, dalit and vulnerable people of that area.”
The main components of the project are scaling up climate-resilient Sustainable Natural Resource Management (SNRM), strengthening institutions and planning for climate-resilient SNRM and improving knowledge, awareness and local capacity for climate-resilient SNRM, it further reads. “The project will be implemented for a period of six-and-a-half years.”
The Ministry of Forest and Environment will be the implementing agency for this project.
This is the first time that GCF fund is being utilised by the government through its budgetary system. The agreement was signed by joint secretary at the Finance Ministry Shreekrishna Nepal on behalf of the government and representative of FAO in Nepal and Bhutan Somsak Pipoppinyo, on behalf of GCF/FAO.
The government has expressed its sincere appreciation to the GCF/FAO for this assistance and its continued support to Nepal.

Nepal receives $39.3 million grant from Green Climate Fund

Nepal received its first significant funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for a project aimed at helping the country adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.
The 24th board meeting of the fund in Sangdo, South Korea today has approved the first funding proposal of Nepal, one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of the climate crisis. “The meeting has given the green signal to awarding a $39.3million grant to the project titled ‘Building Resilient Churia Region in Nepal (BRCRN),” according to a press note. “The current funding has been approved for the project which will be implemented on the ground to help climate-vulnerable communities and ecology to adapt.”
The project – that will last for 7 years – will be implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), in partnership with the Ministry of Forest and Environment, in the fragile Chure range, which has faced massive degradation in the past.
The approved project – a multi-dimensional one as it not only talks about the resilience of vulnerable communities and conservation but also early warning systems – will help locals in adapting to the changing climate as the Chure range is a significant zone for the people living in the low-lying districts in Terai for its services like water and forest.
As a poor and mountainous country, at the higher risk of climate change and induced disasters, Nepal looks up to international support for climate actions – adaptation and mitigation – in order to gain resilience, and also to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was set up in 2010 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to support the efforts of developing countries to respond to the challenge of climate change.
According an NGO working for sustainable development and environmental justice in Nepal Prakriti Resources Centre, this is the first-ever that the GCF has extended such substantial funding to the country for climate change-related projects. ““In the past, we have achieved some funds from the GCF, but this is the first time the fund has approved Nepal’s funding proposal,” the NGO informed, adding that it is an important achievement for Nepal. Prakriti Resources Centre has been involved in international climate negotiations for years.
Nepal had also received fundings from the GCF twice in the past. First in In 2016, Nepal received a grant of $2.9 million – via the United Nations Environment Programme for preparing its National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) – under the GCF's Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme. The programme to enhance country ownership and access to the funds was also known as Asia’s first GCF-financed project at the time.
Secondly, Nepal received another funding from GCF’s Readiness Support that provides up to $1 million per country per year for strengthening the country’s institutional capacities to access the funds. “Approval of funding for the project for climate actions is a positive development for a climate change vulnerable country like Nepal,” according to GCF Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme under the Finance Ministry.
Nepal is currently preparing at least three projects for accessing grants from the GCF. WWF Nepal has been working on a project proposal which will be based in West Seti area. Likewise, the UNDP Nepal is working on a project proposal to safeguard lives and livelihoods against the project to protect lives and livelihoods against flood and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) targeting finance from the Green Climate Fund.
International Union for Conservation of Nature-Nepal is also developing a project proposal for building ecosystem and community resilience which is likely to be submitted for approval in coming March, the first one to go for approval among others in the pipeline.
However, these all are international agencies-supported projects. Accreditation of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, one of the four national entities nominated by the government in February to gain the GCF status, in February has given new hopes for the country that the government bodies can also apply for similar grants for climate actions projects.
The GCF accreditation to the AEPC means it can access up to $50million in GCF funds for low-carbon, climate-resilient development projects and programmes in Nepal.

Government fixes price for goats, mountain goats

The government has today fixed the price – Rs 100 per kg less than the current market price – for live goats and mountain goats for Dashain and Tihar festivals.
Nepal Food Management and Trade Company (NFMTC) has set the price of live goats at Rs 550 per kg, whereas the price for mountain goats and sheep at Rs 730 per kg. Last Dashain, the government entity had sold live goat at Rs 510 per kg and mountain goat at Rs 710 per kg.
The government provides live goats and mountain goats at a lower rate compared to the private traders considering the convenience of consumers at the festive season. “But only one goat will be provided per family for the festive season.”
The private traders have been selling live goats, mountain goats and sheep at Rs 650 per kg.
According to the state-owned company, the government is planning to sell around 2,500 goats for the festive season through NFMTC that has started importing goats. “Likewise, the company will also sell around 2,500 mountain goats.”
“Around 3,000 goats and mountain goats have already arrived in the valley and will be available in fair price shops of NFMTC from tomorrow,” according to the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection.
Nepal imports around 40,000 to 50,000 goats during the festive season. While on an average, around 20,000 to 25,000 goats are supplied to the market through local production, the number is expected to rise this year.
Currently, around 500 to 600 goats are being supplied daily in the market, according to former president of Nepal Livestock Entrepreneurs Association Deepak Thapa.
Goat import from India has stopped in the past five months with the strict enforcement of quarantine measures but the situation has been eased ahead of Dashain, he said, adding that domestically goats are brought from Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Rolpa, Rukum, Mustang, Salyan, Pyuthan, Dhangadhi, Jhapa, Morang, Panchthar, Bara and Khotang districts.
During the festivals, consumption within the valley alone hovers around 1,800 goats, mountain goats and sheep per day in Dashain. “More than 75,000 he-goats, mountain goats and sheep are required to fulfil the Kathmandu Valley's demand for meat during the Dashain festival,” according to the state-owned company.
Nepal’s annual per capita meat consumption is estimated at 12 kg. It was 9.8 kg in 2008 and 9.7 kg in 2000. Despite the growth, Nepal is still far behind other developing countries, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). “Mutton accounts for 20 per cent of Nepal’s meat consumption.”

More budget needed to achieve 'Zero hunger'

National Planning Commission (NPC) today launched 'Towards Zero Hunger in Nepal: A Strategic Review of Food Security and Nutrition', making a strong case for increased attention and investment in food security and nutrition.
The Strategic Review Report – released by deputy prime minister and health minister Upendra Yadav and NPC Dr Krishna Prasad Oli – was produced following an independent study under the supervision of an inter-ministerial advisory group led by the planning commission. It provides a consolidated picture of the food security and nutrition status, challenges, opportunities and recommendations towards achieving 'Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger in Nepal by 2030'. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) in collaboration with FAO and UNICEF, provided technical support for the strategic review process.
In Constitution of Nepal enshrined the 'right to food' of all citizens, and subsequently the government commitment to this is elaborated in the Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act endorsed in 2018. As part of the government's continued commitment, the report will be a key tool to support execution of this Act, with a specific action plan to achieve SDG2 targets to ensure that 'no-one is left behind'.
Yadav releasing the report said that the review results are vital to promote access and availability to safe, nutritious and affordable food, which we strive to have locally produced. "By ensuring a holistic approach to increase local production that combines traditional food varieties with modern agricultural technologies, we now have the opportunity to improve the way we work together, so that every citizen has access to locally available, affordable and nutritious food and we achieve a nation free of hunger," he added.
Speaking on the importance of the Zero Hunger in Nepal: A Strategic Review (ZHSR), Oli said that the government now has the opportunity to strengthen political commitment both at the centre and the periphery, by including SDG2 and recommendations from the ZHSR in all national policies, plans, strategies and budgets at provincial and local levels.

Role of trade key in achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Trade will play a key role in achieving the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and both governments and the private sector need to be more active in ensuring trade’s full potential in contributing to these goals, speakers at the WTO’s annual Public Forum said.
The SDGs were the focus of discussion during a number of sessions at the three-day Public Forum from September 26 to 28, the WTO’s flagship outreach event. The Forum provided a unique platform for senior officials, leading global businesspeople, academics and civil society representatives to come together and discuss some of the major trade and development issues of the day.
The SDGs put significant emphasis on the role that trade can play in promoting sustainable development. There are direct references to WTO activities in many of the SDGs, ranging from ensuring food security and sustainable agriculture to conserving marine resources and promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Agriculture's role in meeting the SDGs was the centre of discussion at a Public Forum session on September 27 organised by the Geneva Office of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). Speakers noted that several of the SDGs directly relate to agriculture and that modernising agricultural production will be key to achieving this. WTO members have already agreed to eliminate export subsidies for agriculture, one of the SDG targets, at their 2015 Nairobi Ministerial Conference.
Director of the FAO's UN Liaison Office in Geneva Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett said that agriculture is changing in 'unprecedented ways', with growing demand for reliable and consistent food products and corresponding attention paid to sustainable development issues related to this production.
However, greater partnering between governments, international institutions, the private sector and civil society is needed to deliver further results that contribute to effectively achieving the SDGs.

One in every four Nepalis consumes inadequate food

A quarter of the population consume inadequate food, according to a survey.

"Some 25.3 per cent of the population had inadequate food consumption during the latest cycle, a slight deterioration since the previous cycle but a significant improvement compared to the same period last year, reported the Nepal Food Security Monitoring System (NeKSAP) household survey.

"The highest proportion of households with inadequate food consumption (33.6 per cent) was in the mountain districts," it revealed, adding that the average household food stock was 341 kg. "With current food stock levels households can meet their food needs for roughly 3.9 months."

The NeKSAP District Food Security Networks (DFSNs) has also classified 11 village development committees (VDCs) in Dailekh and Darchula districts as Phase 3 highly food insecure or crisis.

In Dailekh the primary reasons for the high level of food insecurity include the loss of roughly 80 per cent of the main winter crop – that is wheat – as a result of hailstorms and a decrease in income from the sale of agricultural products by 40 per cent to 60 per cent, whereas in Darchula, flood led to the current situation, it added. "Overall, an estimated 37,130 people are affected."

Reported coping strategies include selling of livestock and assets and skipping meals; out-migration has increased by 20 per cent to 40 per cent in Dailekh. Furthermore, DFSNs in 12 districts have classified 147 VDCs as Phase 2 moderately food insecure or stressed in this period.

Likewise, Ministry of Agricultural Development, WFP and FAO joint crop assessment the fiscal year 2012-13 estimated the production of main winter crops, wheat and barley, at 1.9 million metric tonnes (MT) and 37,000 MT respectively, an increase by two per cent and six per cent respectively over a fiscal year 2011-12. However, the estimated national crop production was 8.74 million MT, a decrease of 7.6 per cent compared to last year. Overall, there was a net positive national cereal balance for human consumption, with a surplus of 408.4 thousand MT. Nevertheless, 33 districts, mostly in the Mid- and Far-Western Hill and Mountain regions, are food deficit.

However, the rest of the country has had a seasonal improvement in the food security situation, largely due to the recent harvest of the winter cereal crops like wheat and barley, the report prepared Jointly by the Ministry of Agricultural Development Food Security Monitoring Unit and WFP Food Security Monitoring and Analysis Unit – for the period from April to June – said. " The number of VDCs experiencing varying levels of food insecurity have fallen to 158 from 209 in the January-March period."

Some parts of the country are likely to experience a deterioration in the food security situation during July-August, but it should improve with the start of the maize and paddy harvest during September-October."

Household income pattern

KATHMANDU: The survey also revealed that the largest share of household income source was daily wages (29 per cent) followed by crop sales (19 per cent), remittances (14 per cent), and private enterprise (13 per cent). According to central bank, the remittance inflow during in the last fiscal year 2012-13 stood at Rs 434.58 billion, an increase of 20.9 per cent compared to a fiscal year ago.

Rice imports jumps by 311 per cent

Once a rice exporting country Nepal has started importing rice in huge quantity in the recent years.

Despite the record high production in 2011, rice imports surged by 311 per cent in 2012, according to Crop Situation Update produced jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture Development, World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The country imported 524,592 metric tonnes (MT) of rice worth Rs 13.96 billion in the first 10 months — January to October — in 2012, it said, adding that 241,917 MT maize worth Rs 4.73 billion was imported in the review period. "Overall outlook for winter crops and summer crop production, however, for fiscal year 2012-13, especially, wheat and barley remains moderate."

Due to late plantation and poor soil moisture, production of winter crops was expected to decline but winter rain — in the second week of January — revived the normal production expectation for wheat.

In India, the 2012-13 summer paddy production is below the record high production of 2011-12 by some 17 per cent though its food grain production estimates for 2012-13 stand higher than the five-year average by some four million MT. Low production in India is expected to escalate the price in the market.

The FAO and International Grains Council (IGC) estimate global paddy and maize production at 728.7 million MT and 876 million MT, respectively, it said. At 728.7 million MT, paddy production is set to surpass the 2011 historical record by 4.9 million MT, which is 0.7 per cent higher.

The 2012-13 summer cereal crop output is estimated at 6.8 million MT, with 4.5 million MT of paddy, two million MT of maize and 0.3 million MT of millet. "It represents a reduction of 10 per cent overall, with 11, eight and 2.5 per cent drops for paddy, maize and millet, respectively, compared to the 2011-12 summer output," they added. "However, against the five-year average, the 2012-13 summer output marginally exceeds by 0.75 per cent."

Growing conditions of rainfall and production estimates for the 2012-13 summer crop were similar to that of 2009-10, when late and erratic rainfall resulted in significant losses for paddy and maize production.

"Lack of timely fertiliser supply also affected summer crop production in 2012," the report said, adding that retail prices of most food commodities showed a normal fluctuation in December 2012, as compared to the same period of the past four years. "Farm gate price of paddy increased by 18.5 per cent (by Rs 2.50) compared to 2011, whereas wage rate index of agricultural labour increased by 30 per cent."

Over two dozen far west villages face food insecurity

Dolpa, Humla, Bajura, Bajhang, and Darchula districts are likely to experience a deteriorating food security situation, according to a report.

The twenty-five Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Dailekh and Rukum that are currently under Phase II require close monitoring as the situation might further deteriorate to Phase III — highly food insecure — said District Food Security Networks (DFSNs).

However, food security situation over the next quarter is expected to remain stable in most parts of the country except for the far western hills and mountains and Karnali, where seasonal deterioration is projected due to the depletion of household food stocks, and rise in food prices, it said, adding that recent harvest of summer crops coupled with incomes from high value commodities, remittances, and wage employment have contributed to seasonal improvement in household food security across the country.

Likewise, the food security situation has improved — during the months of October to December 2012 — significantly as compared to the previous quarter — July to September 2012 — and the situation is reportedly stable overall, according to the Nepal Khadya Surakshya Anugaman Pranali (NeKSAP) DFSNs of 72 districts across the country.

"Exceptions were found in 25 VDCs, mostly in Rukum and Dailekh districts, where pocket areas have been classified as 'moderately food insecure under Phase-II'," it said, attributing the failure in maize crop production coupled with limited employment opportunities for the deterioration of food security situation.

For the rest of the country, the food security situation has improved due to the summer crop harvest and increased availability of other income sources that has increased overall household income and purchasing power through sales of high value commodities and a rise in wage rates.

The report stated good sales of high value crops like citrus, ginger, honey, large cardamom, and dairy products in the hills, whereas sugarcane, fish, nuts, and banana in Tarai, and apple and Non-Timber Forest Products like Jatamasi, Katuki, Sugandhawal in the mountains have contributed to an increase in household income.

According to Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), wage rate index has increased by 29 per cent as compared to the same period last year.

Despite the overall seasonal improvement in the food security situation, a significant number of the population, equivalent to a quarter of rural households, reportedly consume an inadequate diet, it added.

Dalits, wage labourers and households in the mountain region have a higher incidence of inadequate food consumption, the report said, adding that a joint crop verification mission of the Ministry of Agricultural Development, World Food Programme (WFP), and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), reported that the production of main summer crops of paddy, maize and millet has declined by 11.3 per cent, 8.3 per cent and three per cent, respectively as compared to last fiscal year 2011-12.

The total summer crop output for current fiscal year 2012-13 is estimated at 6.8 million metric tonnes (MT) — 4.5 million MT for paddy, two million MT for maize, and 0.3 million MT for millet.

The food security situation is expected to deteriorate in the far western hills and mountains especially in Karnali and in some VDCs of Rukum and Dailekh over the next quarter.