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Food insecurity runs riot in hills
KATHMANDU, AUG 11 -
In 2009-10, around 3.6 million Nepalis faced severe food insecurity including 0.6 million of the Mid & Far Western Hill and Mountain regions (MFWHM), said a survey by World Food Programme (WFP) and Nepal Food Security Monitoring System.
The winter harvest of wheat and barley was hit by natural disasters like drought, snowfall and hailstorm in late March-April in MFWHM. Production losses of more than 50 percent were reported in Bajura, Achham, Kalikot, Rukum and Dailekh.
Six VDCs in upper Dolpa slipped into chronic food shortage as households could not replenish their depleted food stock, the survey states. While the households lost more than 200 yaks to snow avalanche in Feb 2010, their collection of Yarchagumba also decreased by 40 percent, which ultimately shunned their prospects of buying food from elsewhere. However, an improved food security situation was reported in Doti and darchula due to a normal to moderate winter crop production, collection of herbs (Yarchagumba) and support from development aid agencies, adds the report.
Comparatively, the rest of the country witnessed a normal food supply due to normal production of winter crops like wheat, barley and potatoes; income from the sale of livestock and livestock products as well as sale of cash crops including vegetables and fruits, wage labour and income from tourism in Mustang, Gorkha and Rasuwa, according to the report.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC) reported that the 2009/10 winter crop production increased by 16 percent compared to last year. Following the poor summer crop production, the 2009/2010 national edible cereal balance has been estimated at the deficit of 316,465M T, which is 140 percent higher than last year and by far the largest deficit of the past decade.
The Nepal Security Monitoring System, a District Food Security Networks in the Mid and Far Western and the Eastern Development Regions have identified altogether 167 VDCs in 15 districts that are highly food insecure. The estimated population of food insecure decreased by only 1.7 percent in the Mid and Far Western regions this quarter as compared to the previous one.
Despite the harvest, while 74.9 percent of the population in Humla are facing a high level of food insecurity, 64 percent in Bajura are reeling under the same situation. Other districts facing a high level of food insecurity include Mugu, Kalikot, Jumla, Dolpa, Dailekh, Rukum, Achham, Doti, Bajhang, Baitadi, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, and Udayapur.
Posted on: 2010-08-12 07:50
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