Ensure Food Security

Bini Dahal

Food is the first thing that comes to our mind as it is essential for life. We need nutritious foods to eat in order to remain healthy and live longer. Such foods are considered a prerequisite for proper development of children. Although people have fundamental right to food, hunger remains to be a persistent and ever-increasing problem worldwide. 

The 2022 Global Hunger Index (GHI) rankings have highlighted the status of hunger in 121 countries. The index is based on four main components -- undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality. The score is divided into 0-9.9 which is considered as low hunger, 10-19.9 which is moderate, 20-34.9 serious, 35-49.9 alarming and above 50 extremely alarming.

This time Nepal is ranked 81st position with a score of 19.1, indicating moderate hunger conditions. The Himalayan nation had ranked 76th and 73rd in 2021 and 2019, respectively. Over the years, the country has been able to see some progress by elevating from serious hunger to the moderate one. But unexpected conditions like the COVID-19 pandemic went on to pose a serious threat to low-income people and their food security situation. Among its South Asian counterparts, Nepal’s ranking is not that bad. However, if proper attention is not given, the rank and the score are sure to fall down. 

Sri Lanka has topped the regional list with a score of 13.6, followed by Nepal (19.1), and Bangladesh (19.6). Likewise, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan have 26.1, 29.1 and 29.9 scores, respectively. These nations are in the ‘Serious Hunger’ category. A major controversy that this index had to face is about India. Having ranked 107th position, India has apparently termed the index as the one suffering from serious methodological issues, reasoning that it is fixated on calculating hunger based on children. The Indian government has also condemned the report for trying to ignore the efforts the country has put into ensuring food security of its people. 

The Global Hunger report is very clear with its recommendations. It demands food system be transformed and be made equitable, inclusive and sustainable. These are truly some huge aspirations whose fulfillment is not as easy as we think. Realistic as it is, countries will have to tackle the tricky problems of food security. Issues like climate change are found consistently disrupting agriculture production, putting poor people in a very difficult position. The Nepal government has been trying its best to increase agriculture production through improved and available irrigation systems in different regions across the country. These efforts have to be made sustainable. Such activities should also be monitored enough to ensure it is contributing to a transformed food system. 

With 2030 nearing, there is greater pressure for countries like Nepal to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet, GHI itself indicates that as of now, eradicating hunger is a big challenge for us. So, this also puts Nepal and other countries' SDG achievement efforts in a questionable position. Therefore, it is essential for developed countries and international organisations to provide assistance on the same. Developing countries will have to put extra effort into transforming their food systems with required plans, policies, programmes and budgets in place. Involvement of organisations along with public participation is necessary. Let there be abundant nutritious food for everyone to improve their health and wellbeing.