Characteristics of the Region with Respect to Food System
SN
Food System
Component
1. Food Utilization
1.1
Nutritional
Value
1.2
Social Value
Key Determinant
Current Situations
Food diversity
Primary protein
Other proteins
Declining sharply with the promotion of mono cropping.
Pulses like lentils and horse grams are major sources of dietary proteins.
Milk, milk products and goat meat are sources of animal protein for the majority of the
population irrespective of caste/ethnicity. Eggs and poultry meat are also common but not for
some.
Modern milling technology for rice and wheat is common and vitamin deficiencies are more
common due to consumption of polished rice and floor.
Effect of food
processing on food
quality
Disease incidence
Social bonding/
Celebrations
Role of food in kinship
1.3
Food Safety
Esteem from
agricultural
production/farmers'
identification
Public awareness on
hygiene
Presence of pathogens
Contamination
Changes with
seasonality
Storage conditions
2. Access to Food
2.1
Affordability
Household income
Pricing
Proportion of food
purchased
Seasonal fluctuation
Policy support
2.2
Allocation
Ability to allocate
production to own
consumption rather
than sell
Control over own
production
Degree of market
influence
Government
intervention
Market efficiency
(Storage capacity,
integration etc.)
Value added to food
2.3
Preference
Preferred carbohydrate
Preferred proteins
Dietary deficiency of Vitamin A and B are more common
Each community has its own socio-cultural tradition of celebrating festivals which has significant
role in preserving certain types of foods in the district. Tarai communities prefer sweets and
carbohydrate rich foods during festivals. Hills communities prefer sweets and meat during
festive occasions.
Declining fast in all community; however, some are trying to preserve their identity by
organizing food festivals and other advocacy tools.
This is as Tarai district, and there is no niche product.
Households in the market accessible areas are more aware about the economic value of foods
but not the nutritional values.
No systematic studies have been carried out in this regards. However, some studies are being
carried out to establish effect of arsenic presence in groundwater used for drinking water for
human and animals in the region. Tube well water considered free of pathogen but hygiene and
sanitation are poor
Residual effects of many inorganic pesticides have been reported in the foods, particularly in
the fresh vegetables and fruits. No systematic testing
Agriculture is rain-fed and agricultural production is dependent on rainfall patterns and
seasonality. Irrigation systems provide supplemental irrigation. Groundwater use common.
Mostly conventional, very few effluent farmers have access to modern storage facility for grains
at household level.
Study shows that household income has not increased to meet the household demands for
purchased food items.
The sales price index of most of the food items has not increased compared to the prices for
other food and non food items to be purchased by the farming households. Even the income of
effluent farming households has been decreasing every year despites considerable increase in
the production.
About 50 per cent of the households in the district are producing sufficient foods while the rest
50 per cent produce foods for 3-9 months. Those who are unable to produce sufficient foods for
their family requirements, ninety per cent of them are purchasing foods from the market.
Prices for most of the agricultural commodities fluctuate in the local markets. Average prices
received by the producers farmers is nearly half of the prices consumer pay for the same
commodities in the lean season.
There is no explicit price policy to support the farmers. Sometimes, government announces
minimum price for rice for the sake of providing moral boost to the farmers of some district but
has no government procurement programs.
Majority of the small producers cannot allocate their production for their own consumption due
to debt burden on them. Most of the short term loans taken from the bank, particularly from the
ADB/N, the repayment period is short and every honest farmer is forced to sell her/his produces
immediately after the harvest at cheaper low prices.
Most of the share croppers and farmers taking production loans from the organized financial
institutions had no control over their production and often forced to sell their produces in the
markets at the prevailing prices.
Households in the market accessed areas seem to be influenced by the markets than those in
the remote rural areas in the district.
Government has no policy to intervene the agricultural market and promoting free market
policy.
Government does have some infrastructure to protect the farmers. Due to lack of political
commitment, the Food Corporation is often handled by corrupt management and it has not
been able to provide any protection to the producers. It has been reported that NFC is operated
at 15 to 20 % capacity, mostly in the urban and city areas only.
There are very agro-industries run from the raw materials produced domestically in Nepal. Most
of the agro-industries are encouraged to import agricultural raw materials and there is no strong
policy to discourage them at present.
The food habit of the majority of the people irrespective of caste/ethnicity and socio-economic
conditions, the staple food is carbohydrate.
Majority of the rural people cannot afford animal proteins even if the foods are produced in the
rural areas. However, in the urban areas, those who can afford animal proteins seem to be
Role of advertising
Preparation
preferences
Consumption patterns
3. Food Availability
3.1
Production
Size of land holding
Tenancy arrangement
Degree of self
sufficiency
Principal crops
Importance of cash
crops and spatial
variation in production
Potential for crop
diversification
Use of improved
technologies
Degree of seasonality
Labor availability or
constrained
3.2
Distribution
Other biophysical
constraints
Infrastructure
Presence of
storage/safety net
Household storage
Is distribution skewed
or balanced? How?
Age or gender
differences
3.3
Exchange
Importance of
exchange for hh food
consumption
Trade more external or
internal (to district)
Role of remittances
Chief exports
Chief imports
consuming more milk, eggs and meat compared to their rural counter parts.
Yes, advertising has grossly affected to every one both in the rural and urban areas.
Government has chosen "Noodle" as an" indicator" of food security in Nepal. Now-a-days, both
the school going children and street children are encouraged to eat junk foods, and government
is promoting the commercial interest of the businessmen in the country.
People have been easily compromising their food preference in the family, work place and
parties. This is one of the greatest weaknesses our secular culture in Nepal.
The food habit of the majority of the people has been changing very fast with the influence of
so-called western culture not only in the city but also in the remote rural areas of the country.
Average land holding size is not small compared to other Tarai districts of the country.
Most of the so-called landlords are still not cultivating land themselves, although tenancy
practice is illegal after 2054 BS. Considerable number of households is still cultivating lands on
share cropping and other terms and conditions in the district. However, since few year backs,
many landlords in the district have not been able to visit due to prevailing conflict situation.
More than 50 per cent households are producing sufficient foods for their family irrespective of
the caste/ethnicity of the households.
Rice, followed by wheat and maize are principal cereals grown in the district.
Besides cereals, pulses like lentil, sugarcane and banana are also grown as cash crops in
certain pockets of the district and there is wide spatial variation in the productivity and
production of these crops.
Yes, if farmers are not encouraged to go for mono cropping and there is high potentiality for
increasing the cropping intensity in the district by growing suitable minor crops in the same
cultivated lands.
Farmers in the ensure irrigation facility and market accessed areas are planting improved
seeds and chemical fertilizers, pesticides but not using the improved agricultural technology
package for increasing the productivity of crops they are growing.
Yes, crop production is mostly rain-fed and most of the crops are grown during rainy season
leaving most of lands fallow during the rest of the seasons.
Due to seasonality of agriculture, most of the younger generation is not staying in the village.
Those who were still engaged in the farming are also fled due to force recruitment by the Maoist
rebels in the village.
Lower rate of returns and lack of necessary incentives the younger generation is no more
interested in farming to continue farming.
Basic infrastructures such as irrigation, access road, communication, markets, and even
capable households are not putting adequate efforts to produce for food in the district.
Government has no policy to develop new infrastructure nor has any safety nets to provide food
security to the households who cannot produce sufficient food in the district.
Those who are producing food have conventional storage system in the village. It has been
reported that nearly 30 per cent food is being lost during the storage in the village.
Study shows that the impact of liberalized agricultural policy has negative impact on the food
and livelihood security of the poor and marginalized farming households in the district. The
costs for inputs have often exceeded the prices of agricultural commodities produced by the
farmers. This has naturally skewed the distribution of benefits accrued from the policy shift of
the government.
Study shows that overall work loads of women in the households have increased considerably
and their role in decision making at the households has not increased significantly. However, in
most of the cases, the joint decision making process is being developed and women are
generally feeling more liberalized and empowered in the recent past in the villages.
The conventional exchange system has been decreasing everywhere and every thing is being
monetized. Study shows that among the food deficient households, only 10 per cent
households still managing food deficit through borrowing and exchange of labor or other assets
for buying foods in the district.
The district is food surplus district. Therefore, foods are generally exported outside the district.
The study does not show significant contribution of remittances in the household economies of
the people. However, rice, sugarcane, and milk are the chief source of family cash in come in
the district.
Rice, Lentil, Sugar, and Bananas are the major agricultural commodities from the district.
Seasonal fruits except bananas, potatoes are major imports for the district.