Govt to handle food security monitoring system

The World Food Programme (WFP) today signed an agreement with National Planning Commission (NPC) and the Ministry of Agriculture Development (MoAD) to transfer and institutionalise the national food security monitoring system under the ownership of the government.

The Nepal Food Security Monitoring System, popularly known as Nepal Khadya Surakshya Anugaman Pranali (NeKSAP), has the primary objective of collecting, consolidating and analysing food security data to be used by decision makers, allowing them to take coordinated and timely action to alleviate food insecurity in the country.

It was established in 2002 by WFP, and is currently managed in collaboration with the ministry. "NeKSAP has evolved over time based on a strong collaboration between various national institutions," said WFP deputy country director Nicolas Oberlin. "The new agreement will further strengthen the system and fully capacitate the government to design evidence-based food security policies and programmes to tackle food insecurity in the country."

NeKSAP collects and analyses food security data and disseminates information from across the country, covering household food security, emerging crises, food markets, agricultural production and nutrition. District Food Security Networks established in 72 of the 75 districts, are at the core of NeKSAP. They comprise of officials and representatives from district-based government agencies, development partners like NGOs, and UN agencies, as well as civil society.

The district networks assess and monitor the food security situation in the respective districts using a standardised food security phase classification approach.

The WFP is providing technical and financial support to the government, with financial assistance from the European Union. The planning commission will provide overall policy guidance and ensure inter-ministerial coordination, while the ministry will take the lead in implementing the project as the key technical institution.

The hand-over process will be gradually implemented, to ensure full ownership of NeKSAP by the government by 2016.

More than 3.5 million people are currently considered to be food-insecure in Nepal, and 41 per cent of the population is estimated to be undernourished. The WFP is currently providing food assistance to over one million people in the country.