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Nepal in Obama’s anti-hunger plan
KATHMANDU, MAY 12 -
Nepal has been selected as one of the 20 focus countries for US President Barack Obama’s $3.5 billion ‘Feed the Future’ initiative.
Feed the Future is a comprehensive country-owned and agriculture-led approach that aims to significantly and sustainably reduce hunger and poverty in the developing world, a US embassy statement said on Wednesday.
The U.S. government has named food security as a major global priority.
USAID Mission Director, Dr. Kevin Rushing, met the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Nathu Prasad Chaudhary, and the Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Dr. Jagadish Chandra Pokharel, to inform them of the “good news,” the statement added.
“The United States is working closely with the Government of Nepal and the other donors to be sure we can meet President Obama’s objectives to reduce chronic hunger and poverty in Nepal,” Dr. Rushing said.
Although more than 80 percent of Nepal’s population works in the agriculture sector, production of staple crops like wheat and barley has steadily declined.
“Sixty-six percent of Nepali households report food shortages and nearly half of children under five are undernourished,” the statement said.
“One billion people worldwide are hungry,” said USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah, while announcing the selections in Washington, D.C.
Nepal shows potential for rapid and sustainable agriculture-led growth and opportunities for regional coordination through trade and other mechanisms.
Feed the Future will tackle the root causes of global hunger by sustainably increasing agricultural productivity to meet the demand for food, supporting and facilitating access to strong markets, providing employment opportunities, and increasing incomes so the poor can purchase food and reduce under-nutrition through development and diplomatic efforts.
Partners in Nepal will include a variety of actors from national and local government agencies, civil society organisations and the private sector, said the release.
Posted on: 2010-05-13 08:26
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