book1

in the country. Aid should primarily focus on increasing produc� on and
produc� vity in 38 food defi cit districts. Given the terrain land in hilly districts,
right kind of interven� on with respect to local context like providing in-kind
assistance either food or other necessary households in return of manual
works can be considered to reduce the unemployment as well.
He formulates a number of sugges� ons to overcome food crisis in Nepal.
First, there should be higher investment on increasing agricultural produc� on
and produc� vity so that produc� on defi cit can at least be narrowed down.
Second, provide unhindered distribu� on of agricultural items in the market
while controlling carteling. Regular monitoring of product market by
government and implementa� on of successful cases of good governance
by donors can address market ineffi ciencies and distor� ons. Third, set up
ins� tu� onal measures to facilitate smooth regional agricultural trade to
meet Nepal’s food demand. Fourth, addressing emergency situa� on in the
country presupposes the crea� on of a fully func� onal regional food bank.
The 14 th SAARC Summit held in New Delhi in 2007 agreed to establish SAARC
Food Bank, which is expected to serve as a regional food security reserve for
SAARC member countries during normal food shortages and emergencies.
Finally, it is high � me poli� cal leaders, and offi cials at Na� onal Planning
Commission, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture & Coopera� ves,
and Ministry of Commerce & Supplies woke up and acknowledged the
fact that rising food prices and a poten� al food crisis pose a real economic
threat and could engender poli� cal instability. In this context, donors and
government have to look at short term and long term op� ons to tackle food
insecurity.
Ganga Da� a Acharya interlinks hunger and poverty as close and
interdependent phenomena. Inadequate access to produc� ve resources
such as land, irriga� on, seeds, inputs, credits and markets or other sustained
means of incomes is the root cause of hunger and malnutri� on. Globally,
food insecurity is largely a situa� on created not by lack of food but by poverty
and exclusion which deny people access to food. This is true for Nepal as
well. Due to the persistent exclusionary value system and prac� ces, all types
of produc� ve resources-land, forest and water- as well as other livelihood
opportuni� es available in the socie� es have virtually been captured by the
high-caste male elite classes. With the adop� on of Structural Adjustment
Programs (SAP) in mid 1980s, nearly 30 years of rampant hegemony of the
market-led model of economic growth has been in prac� ce in Nepal that
has clearly demonstrated the increased privileges for the few, increased
concentra� on of wealth in hands of few elites and increased inequality
resul� ng into persistent problem of chronic poverty and food insecurity.
The food insecurity problem of Nepal largely bears structural features,
but the dominant mode of interven� ons is technical in nature. Nearly all
interven� ons of Ministry of Agriculture and Coopera� ves or WFP or Nepal
Food Corpora� on, all are exclusively produc� on focused and the centrally
designed produc� on focused interven� ons are obviously less relevant
or useless for resource poor people par� cularly landless or marginal
XXVI