Food Sovereignty and Food Security in Nepal

Food Sovereignty

Food sovereignty is the principle that farmers, as the true custodians of food, must have their participation and interests represented in every decision and policy related to food production. According to the Food Rights and Food Sovereignty Act, 2075 BS, food sovereignty refers to the rights of farmers in food production and distribution systems, including:

Participation in policymaking processes related to food.
Freedom to choose any business related to food production or distribution.
Selection of arable land, labor, seeds, technology, and tools.
Protection from the adverse effects of globalization or commercialization of agriculture.

Dimensions of Food Sovereignty

Sovereign producers.
Rights over the food system.
Culturally and contextually appropriate food systems.
Autonomy in the food system.
Localization and local control of the food system.
Elimination of external interference or dominance in the food system.
Development of agricultural knowledge and skills.
Protection from environmental adversities.
Development of food systems as a human and fundamental right.

Food Security

Food security refers to ensuring the availability and accessibility of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for a healthy and active life. As per the Food Rights and Food Sovereignty Act, 2075 BS, food security is a condition where every individual has physical and economic access to the food necessary for an active and healthy life. The World Food Summit (1996) defines it as a state where all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and preferences for an active and healthy life.

Four Dimensions of Food Security (AAUS)

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) World Food Summit (2009), food security rests on four pillars:

Food Availability: Ensuring consistent availability of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.
Access to Food: Ensuring citizens have physical and economic access to food.
Food Utilization: Ensuring the use of food that meets physical and cultural needs.
Stability: Ensuring stability in food availability, access, and utilization under all circumstances.

Difference Between Food Security and Food Sovereignty

Aspect	Food Security	Food Sovereignty
Definition	Ensuring all people have physical and economic access to food.	Ensuring farmers have the ultimate and decisive role in the food system.
Focus	Emphasizes proper availability and utilization of food.	Emphasizes rights, justice, and control in the food system through policy and legal frameworks.
Relationship	Food sovereignty is the foundation for food security.	Food sovereignty does not guarantee food security.
Approach	Promotes advanced technology and improved seeds for higher production and storage.	Advocates for environmental, social, and cultural aspects, emphasizing traditional crops, livestock, and seed preservation.
Responsibility	Both government and private sectors are responsible.	Only the government is responsible.
Nature	A fundamental human right.	A political and legal right.
Achievement	Achieved through availability, access, utilization, and stability.	Achieved through constitutional and legal rights.

Factors Affecting Food Security

Factors impacting production, utilization, storage, and distribution include:

Availability of agricultural land, irrigation, inputs, infrastructure, resources, and manpower.
Public health and food-related policies, plans, budgets, or priorities.
Education and awareness levels, social values, and norms.
Storage systems.
Geographical and topographical conditions.
Class-based discrimination in society.
Subsidies provided for food distribution.
Population dynamics of the country.

Food Crisis

A food crisis occurs when the supply of food does not meet demand, leading to insufficient availability and access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for a healthy life. It is a state where citizens live in fear of hunger due to inadequate production, storage, distribution, and access to essential food items. In a food crisis, people are unable to access food that meets their physical, social, and cultural needs, compromising quality and satisfaction.

Causes of Food Crisis

Political, policy-related, economic, and technical causes include:

Ineffective agricultural policies and programs.
Lack of effective implementation of food security and sovereignty laws.
Poverty and unemployment.
Lack of resources for agricultural infrastructure development.
Inability to attract investment in agriculture.
Growth of consumerist lifestyles.
Use of food for non-food purposes.
Low levels of education and awareness.
Lack of mechanization and diversification in agriculture.
Shortage of skilled technicians and manpower.
Inadequate irrigation facilities.
Encroachment, fragmentation, and dual ownership of agricultural land.
Inability to attract youth to agriculture.
Unequal and unscientific land distribution.
Increasing food demand due to rapid population growth.
Decline in agricultural production due to climate change.
Irregularities and corruption in food administration.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Food Security and Sovereignty in Nepal

Strengths

Inclusion of food security and sovereignty as fundamental rights under Article 36 of the Constitution of Nepal.
Incorporation of food security in state policies and responsibilities.
Prioritization in periodic plans, budgets, and programs.
Emphasis on food security and sovereignty in the Long-Term Agricultural Development Strategy (2072-2092 BS).
Enactment of the Food Rights and Food Sovereignty Act, 2075 BS, making it legally binding.
Establishment of institutional mechanisms like the Food Management and Trading Company.

Weaknesses

Approximately 8.1% of the population is deprived of consuming the daily required caloric intake.
Uncontrolled use of pesticides and chemicals.
Inability to expand public awareness programs for food quality control.
Weak monitoring, evaluation, and laboratory analysis systems.
Limited food availability and access in remote, hilly, and some Terai regions.
Uncontrolled price hikes of food items.
Decline in food production due to climate change and natural disasters.
Lack of awareness about health, hygiene, and dietary practices.
Inadequate data to identify food-insecure communities and regions.
Labor shortage in agriculture due to approximately 4.8 million people engaged in foreign employment.
Social discrimination in food distribution.
Erosion of agricultural land due to earthquakes, floods, and landslides.
Lack of research and innovation in agriculture.
Weak monitoring, evaluation, and regulatory systems.
Impact of climate change.
Low investment, limited arable land, high market prices, and increasing dependency.

Efforts and Arrangements for Food Sovereignty and Security in Nepal

Constitutional Arrangements

Food-Related Rights (Article 36):
- Every citizen has the right to food and food sovereignty.
- Right to be protected from life-threatening food scarcity.
Consumer Rights (Article 44):
- Every consumer has the right to quality goods and services and compensation for harm.
Basic Needs Policies (Article 51):
- Promote investment in agriculture, encourage climate- and soil-friendly food production, and ensure sustainable production, supply, storage, safety, and accessible distribution in line with food sovereignty.

Legal Arrangements

Food Rights and Food Sovereignty Act, 2075 BS, and Rules, 2080 BS.

Institutional Arrangements

Ministries: Agriculture and Livestock Development; Industry, Commerce, and Supplies; Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation.
Provincial and local governments.
National Planning Commission, Food Management and Trading Company, Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, SAARC Food Bank, and cooperatives.
National Food Council, Provincial Food Councils, and Local Food Coordination Committees (as per the Act).

Programmatic and Operational Arrangements

World Food Programme.
Agricultural loan programs, cooperative farming, irrigation programs.
Golden Thousand Days Programme.
Food distribution programs in remote areas.
Food for Education and Mid-Day Meal programs.
SAARC Food Reserve.
Market monitoring and regulation.

Current Status Analysis (Data-Based)

Global Hunger Index (2024): Nepal ranks 68th, indicating moderate hunger and food insecurity.
Approximately 36% of children suffer from stunting and low weight due to malnutrition.
High poverty rate (20.27%) limits economic access to food.
Only 15% of land is cultivated, with traditional farming, lack of irrigation, and declining soil fertility reducing productivity.
62% of households depend on agriculture, but only 45% produce enough to last a year, and 68% use their produce solely for self-consumption, weakening food security.

Measures to Ensure Food Security and Address Food Crisis

Promote modern agricultural technology, irrigation, and improved seeds.
Enhance employment opportunities, social security programs, and effective food aid distribution to reduce poverty.
Conduct awareness campaigns on nutritious food and implement nutrition education in schools.
Focus on sustainable agriculture and natural resource management to mitigate climate change impacts.
Ensure effective implementation of the Food Sovereignty Act and strengthen coordination at the local level.
Promote modernization, commercialization, and diversification in agriculture with a focus on scientific farming systems.
Expand irrigation services to additional arable land through appropriate technology.
End encroachment, fragmentation, and dual ownership of agricultural land.
Invest in preparing skilled agricultural technicians and manpower.
Simplify agricultural loans and insurance.
Develop policies and programs to attract youth to agriculture.
Provide subsidies for food supply in remote hilly and mountainous areas.
Develop coordinated distribution systems across all three tiers of government.
Strengthen accessible distribution systems through private, community, and cooperative partnerships.
Conduct awareness programs on food utilization.
Discourage non-food use of food items.
Develop infrastructure for food production, storage, and distribution.
Implement programs to adapt to climate change.

Provisions in the Food Rights and Food Sovereignty Act, 2075 BS, and Rules, 2080 BS

Hunger: A state of malnutrition and life-threatening risk due to lack of access to food.
Reporting hunger to ward offices.
Local governments to provide immediate food, basic health services, and request resources from central or provincial governments if needed.
Local governments to conduct livelihood programs, enhance food supply, ensure storage, form task forces with volunteers and organizations, and prepare in advance.
Local governments to survey households using the Ministry’s format (Schedule-1) to identify target households scoring below a threshold.
Use of international methods like Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, Integrated Dietary Diversity Scale, and Integrated Food Security Phase Classification to identify target households.
Wards to compile data, submit to the executive for a consolidated list, publish a 30-day objection notice, maintain records in Schedule-2 format, update annually, and submit to central and provincial agriculture ministries and councils.
Local governments to issue Food Assistance Cards (Schedule-3) to target households, renewable annually by ward offices.
Central government to set minimum support prices for crops via gazette notification; local governments to set prices for unspecified crops.
Farmers to apply for Farmer Identity Cards at ward offices; wards to submit applications to the executive, then to the ministry for classification; local governments to issue cards (Schedule-6) valid for 3 years, renewable every 3 years; cards to be returned if farming is discontinued.
Farmers with identity cards to receive non-overlapping subsidies and benefits from all three government tiers.
Conduct targeted agricultural development programs and provide subsidies for agricultural insurance.
Compensation provisions through a committee chaired by the Chief District Officer.
Ministry to develop food plans; local governments to implement food and nutrition security programs, establish food security information systems, adopt climate change mitigation measures, arrange food storage and transport, operate public food distribution centers or fair-price shops, establish a National Food Council chaired by the Agriculture Minister, and appoint inspection officers.

1.9 Food Sovereignty and Food Security

Food Sovereignty and Food Security in Nepal