World Food Day: Urgent call for food system transformation in Nepal

We are celebrating the 44th World Food Day today. The slogan for this year is ‘Right to Food for a Better Life and Better Future’. Meanwhile, food security is becoming a critical global issue. Factors such as extensive wars in the Middle East, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, internal strife, mass migrations, Covid-19, bird flu, other pandemics, and—most significantly—climate change are exacerbating food scarcity worldwide.

Despite the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end hunger by 2030, one in 11 people experienced hunger in 2023. This figure continues to rise, driven by internal conflict in Sudan, the ongoing war in the Middle East, farmer protests and wildfires in Europe, instability in South America, and political unrest in South Asia. Additionally, record-breaking temperature increases, extreme rainfall leading to landslides and floods, reduced rainfall frequency, and growing infestations of insects and pests are heightening the risk of food shortages. As a mountainous agricultural country heavily dependent on irrigation and affected by misguided policies, Nepal faces an even greater threat of food insecurity.

In Nepal, all four food systems—agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and fisheries—are under threat due to development-focused, productivity-centric plans and policies. The country’s increasing reliance on agricultural imports, coupled with extreme climate conditions, poses a significant risk to food security. Recently, record-breaking rainfall in Nepal caused substantial agricultural losses, with the government estimating a Rs 6bn loss in the sector. Floods devastated paddy crops during the harvest season, causing immense hardship for farmers. Paddy, which is highly vulnerable to climate extremes, continues to be promoted by the government over more resilient crops. Some of the biodiversity losses I encountered last year include the following:

Case I: In a recent discussion with the Chepang community of Ichhyakamana Municipality, I discovered that the Chepangs are no longer consuming Canna (Canna discolor), commonly known as ful tarul. Canna used to be abundant in every Chepang village, and they regularly ate its rhizomes by either boiling them or making alcohol from them. These roots were once a staple food source for the Chepang people but have now been replaced by rice, which has become the primary food in every Chepang household.

Case II: Last September, while in Kaushe, Sindhuli district, I fell ill with a fever and wanted to have millet soup. When I asked for finger millet flour, I was surprised to learn that millets had gone extinct in that area. The locals explained that they once cultivated millets, but with the introduction of proper irrigation, millet was replaced by paddy. Now, no one grows millets there.

Case III: In my hometown of Molung, Okhaldhunga, we used to grow Niger (Guizotia abyssinica), locally called Jhuse til, as an intercrop with millets. However, over the last decade, Niger has vanished from the area. During the last Dashain, I visited several households in the village in search of Niger seeds but found none. After an extensive search, I finally obtained 1 kg of seeds from the nearest market in Rampur.

These cases illustrate the decline of traditional crops and species due to faulty agricultural extension services and the increasing influence of private companies on the sector. Rather than promoting the comparative advantage of our geographic diversity, the government invests in chemical inputs and imports hybrid seeds, disrupting long-standing local production systems. As a result, production costs have risen, and many farmers are abandoning agriculture. In 2023, our imports decreased compared to the previous year, a statistic shared with pride by officials. However, the real reason for this reduction was the export restrictions imposed by other countries. Last year, India restricted rice exports, causing prices to spike, and the Nepali government had to plead with India to ensure a steady supply. This situation highlights our vulnerability to food insecurity and underscores the urgent need for a transformation in our food systems.

By definition, food system transformation involves the radical rethinking of the key outcomes of food systems. In Nepal’s context, this transformation can be achieved through the localization of food systems, returning to self-sustained production practices, and strategically leveraging the country’s geographic advantages. The Constitution of Nepal, 2015, guarantees the right to a local food system as a fundamental right. Based on this provision, the Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act, 2018, and its accompanying regulations in 2023 were formulated. However, implementation has been weak. While the increasing share of remittances in the GDP has improved food security statistics, this improvement remains fragile and temporary.

Masanobu Fukuoka, an activist, farmer, and agriculturist, asserts that food grown nearby is best for human beings, while food obtained through struggle tends to be the least beneficial. He also emphasizes that food and medicine are not separate entities but rather two sides of the same coin. Yet, in our discussions of food security, we often focus solely on food availability, neglecting important factors like food quality, cultural relevance, and consumption patterns. This oversight has contributed to a rise in non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Recently, a report from BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Chitwan highlighted a concerning trend: while the number of new patients decreased in 2023, the overall number of cancer patients increased. Similar patterns are being observed in other hospitals across Nepal, raising alarm. Despite the policy focus on food sovereignty, critical aspects of food security—accessibility, utilization, and stability—have often been overlooked in practice. This presents a major challenge for Nepal, requiring urgent attention and action.

In the past, Nepal followed a self-sufficient family farming model, but policies and agricultural development strategies labeled it as ‘subsistence agriculture’. The concepts of modernization and productivity dominated policy papers and development agendas. Despite large government investments in subsidies, productivity did not increase significantly. The government introduced chemicals, fertilizers, and hybrid seeds, applying a one-size-fits-all approach to Nepal’s diverse agricultural regions. Although the government celebrated an increased seed replacement rate as an achievement, this came at the cost of losing rich biodiversity, adaptive indigenous knowledge, and local regenerative seeds. Today, we face a severe risk of food insecurity, a rise in non-communicable diseases, and heightened climate vulnerability.

We are in a crisis, but it is not the end. There remains a generation of farmers who possess knowledge of self-sufficient production systems. In local areas, many farmers still preserve regenerative seed varieties, and in rural regions, traditional cropping practices, which are more climate-resilient, are still in use. In so-called ‘undeveloped’ areas, we see diversified local food consumption systems that can serve as a foundation for sustainable development. What we need now is to document this invaluable knowledge, conduct research to enhance the productivity of these practices, create proper plans, and invest in expanding sustainable agricultural methods.

With systematic production planning, government-supported value addition technologies, and agro-tourism, we can harness the comparative advantages of a self-sustaining, chemical-free production system. Achieving this requires a unique food system transformation tailored to Nepal’s needs—one that prioritizes sustainability, resilience, and the preservation of indigenous agricultural knowledge.

The author is an agroecology researcher at Forestaction Nepal