NEPAL: Drought compounds food insecurity in western regions
Pastor Dale Morgan
*NEPAL: Drought compounds food insecurity in western regions*
24 Jun 2008 13:43:12 GMT
Source: IRIN
KATHMANDU, 24 June 2008 (IRIN) - More than 300,000 people in nine hill
districts of far western and mid-western Nepal face a precarious food
situation after the crops failed this year due to drought, the UN's
World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
Although the Himalayan nation is largely dependent on food imported from
neighbouring India, the local grain output provides vital reserves in
many food-deficit districts.
However, the crop yield this year has been so poor it has left many
without coping mechanisms, according to the UN food agency.
"The food security situation for many communities living in these
regions is very worrying," WFP's country director Richard Ragan told
IRIN in the capital Kathmandu.
Nepal is divided into five development regions - east, west, central,
mid-west and far west. Of these, the latter two are considered the least
developed due to their difficult terrain and remoteness.
These food-deficit districts include Accham and Bajura in the far west
and Kalikot, Mugu, Dolpa, Humla, Jajarkot, Dailekh and Rukum in the
mid-west. Most lack navigable roads and are 500-700km north of the capital.
The districts also have the country's highest rates of child
malnutrition, according to government health statistics.
Food shortage risks
"[The] food crisis could get worse this year because of the combined
factors of drought-led crop failures and high food prices," said
Rajendra Khadga Chettri, director of Support Activities for Poor
Producers of Nepal (SAPPROS), a local NGO involved in agricultural
technology and irrigation projects, which helps food-insecure communities.
"Hunger and starvation are increasing samong villagers. In addition,
more villagers are at risk of food shortage as their food stocks will
not even last for two months," said Chettri.
WFP field monitors reported that nearly 50,000 people in three districts
of Bajura, Dailekh and Jajarkot were experiencing an acute food security
situation.
Since the beginning of June, an estimated 252,000 people in Kalikot,
Dolpa, Bajura, Accham, Dailekh, Rukum and Jajarkot are facing food
insecurity with little chance of recovery.
Price hikes
WFP believes the food situation could remain serious for the next two
months, as households run out of meagre food stocks.
Moreover, rising food prices throughout the country could exacerbate the
problem.
According to a WFP assessment, the mountainous nation is high on the
list of countries where rising food and commodity prices could have a
huge impact on the population.
This is primarily due to heavy dependence on food and oil imports and a
high level of chronic food insecurity and poverty. More than 41 percent
of the 28 million inhabitants are under-nourished and 31 percent live
below the poverty line.
About 2.5 million people in rural Nepal in immediate need of food
assistance are highly vulnerable to food price increases and already
have very low food intake levels, according to the report.
"An additional 3.9 million people are at risk of becoming food insecure
due to increasing food prices," added WFP's Ragan.
Local food traders report that over the past six months alone, the price
of cooking oil has risen by 30 percent, rice by 23 percent and kerosene
by 17 percent.
"The food items now cost more and this has pushed most families into
severe food insecurity as they have limited cash to buy the food they
desperately need," said Chettri.
Government action
"We have been conducting a joint assessment [with WFP] and sent our
teams to nine districts in the far west and mid-west regions and will
take emergency measures once we have all the information," Hari Dahal, a
senior government official and spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture
and Cooperatives, said.
He explained that the government and WFP had already made rice
deliveries to the affected communities and would now conduct a rapid
food security assessment mission.