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irregular unskilled daily wage labour and thus earn much less. A common
strategy among the worse-off groups is also the working migra� on of men
to India. The study revealed that the insurance eff ects of food assistance
were minimal. There is a lack of transparency as villagers assume that
the selec� on of VDCs for the distribu� on of support was determined by
powerful poli� cal leaders. Lack of transparency, and longer-term planning
on side of the WFP, which is itself dependent on donors’ funding decisions
hinder the proper applica� on of food assistance as a full-fl edged safety-net.
It reveals the food assistance’s transfer eff ects were mainly posi� ve for both
household’s assets-preserva� on and contribu� on to assets-crea� on.
Food assistance through FFW does help people secure their assets during
the crises, and increase their overall feeling of well-being and security.
Contrary to the accusa� on that food assistance would result in the decline of
recipients’ ability to deal with shocks, the study shows that food assistance
does not replace other mechanisms of food acquirement but that it rather
is an addi� onal source of food on which people can rely for their short-term
relief. The ul� mate goal of food assistance can therefore be described as
en� tlements protec� on, and the reduc� on of vulnerability to food insecurity
through an ac� ve en� tlements promo� on, including fostering people’s
ability to cope with shocks and crises on their own. Safety-nets can be
regarded as a valuable fi rst step towards this goal. However, in order to cover
the en� tlements promo� on aspect safety-nets should be complemented by
cargo-nets, which ac� vely support people in climbing out of poverty through
assets-crea� on. Obviously, food assistance can always only be a part of the
solu� on and must be embedded into broader developmental programmes,
designed in coopera� on with the government, the donors and civil society.
Such a strategy must be based on the needs of food insecure popula� ons.
Chandan Sapkota narrates “Food Security and Aid in Nepal.” He says that
the steady rise in global food prices has crossed the highest threshold of
food crisis now. Not only food prices but also infl a� on is piercing the Nepali
economy. The World Food Program reveals 3.7 million Nepalese are at foodrisk
as Nepal Government men� ons a na� onal food surplus of 110,000
tones in FY 2010/11. S� ll, 38 districts in Nepal face defi cit food produc� on.
This consistent skyrocke� ng of food price could push more people below
absolute poverty line. Domes� c produc� on defi cit is the major reason for
the price hike. It generated shocks in local produc� on. The declining supply
of agricultural goods at the global level aff ects food prices in local market as
well. The prices are expected to remain at higher levels impac� ng vulnerable
and low-income people. Hence government and donors have a cri� cal role
in both lowering food prices and protec� ng vulnerable popula� on from
harsh poverty and malnourishment. Since achieving MDGs is one of the top
priori� es of donors, the mul� -dimensional impact of food process will have
an impact on the progress to MDGs and warrants developing partners’ focus
and major interven� on. The amount of aid to food remains un-es� mated so
far in Nepal. But mul� lateral and bilateral donors such as WFP, USAID, DFID,
ADB and WB, among others, are contribu� ng to address food insecurity
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