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structural features, but the dominant mode of interven� ons is technical
in nature. The Ministry of Agriculture and Coopera� ves is considered
to be responsible for ensuring food security of people, which is however
mandated for food produc� on only. Other actors par� cularly I/NGOs and
donor agencies like WFP also have food security interven� ons. However
nearly all interven� ons are exclusively produc� on focused. As discussed
earlier, food produc� on is necessary condi� on but not suffi cient for food
security. Moreover the centrally designed produc� on focused interven� ons
are obviously less relevant or useless for resource poor people, par� cularly
landless or marginal cul� vators who live in complex, diverse and risk prone
niches adop� ng mul� ple livelihoods por� olios.
The provision of subsidized food for the hungry masses should be a
temporary measure to tackle food crisis arising out of sudden shocks such
as fl ood emergencies that aff ect the households temporarily and must
be ended as soon as the crisis is over. However, in our case, food aid has
become a standard and ins� tu� onalized response to chronic food insecurity
problems with increasing fl ow of subsidized foods.
Nepal Food Corpora� on a semi-autonomous government ins� tu� on and
World Food Program of the United Na� ons have been involved in providing
subsidized food par� cularly rice targe� ng to food insecure households of
the hills and mountain regions of Nepal for more than four decades. The
implica� ons of such a provisioning are mul� dimensional as it creates
dependency among recipient communi� es and sidelines the priority of state
authori� es to create sustainable founda� on of food security. By discouraging
policies and programs that would contribute to build a founda� on of
sustainable livelihoods of people in highly vulnerable areas, food aid in no
way has benefi � ed communi� es in the longer term. Neither has it become a
reliable means of food safety for the rural poor. The recurrent and increasing
fl ow of food from outside has not supported the vulnerable people's desire
of secured livelihoods rather it has con� nuously been undermining them.
It is largely not contributory to food security rather deepening the problem
by sidetracking the a� en� on of policy makers, donor agencies as well as
development workers from per� nent issues of structural transforma� on.
Conclusion:
Food insecurity is a perennial problem of poor and excluded communi� es
and households passing through one genera� on to other. Denied access
to produc� ve resources and thus the food due to socio-cultural and
economic exclusion is basic cause of persistent problem of food insecurity.
The mainstream interven� on schemes ignore this fundamental reality and
search for a 'quick fi x' either through provisioning of subsidized food or
introducing produc� on-focused technology packages which are less relevant
and ineff ec� ve for the poor and excluded. Robust schemes of promo� ng
structural transforma� on to ensure access to produc� ve resources and
opportuni� es for the poor and excluded only could bring las� ng solu� ons of
this perennial problem.
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Changing paradigms of aid eff ec� veness in Nepal