Framework Document - World Food Programme · • Sanitation and safe water MoHP Poor or non‐existing ... of which is used for such products as Crop and Livestock Situation Reports,

Nepal Khadhya Surakshya Anugaman Pranali (NeKSAP) Nepal Food Security Monitoring System

Framework Document

Prepared by: The Government of Nepal, the UN World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization joint mission

January 2010

Introduction

Food security monitoring and EU food facility The Government of Nepal has given high importance to ensuring food security for all its citizens. The country’s Interim Constitution of 2007 has given recognition to food sovereignty as a basic human right. Recently, policy makers have shown increased interest in revitalizing the national food security monitoring system. Food security has figured prominently in planning and policy documents so that the 2007‐2010 Interim Plan devoted a major chapter to aspects of food security ranging from the right to food and equity, availability, access and utilization issues (the latter through nutrition and food safety), to early warning and disaster preparedness and response. Despite policy interest and field level efforts, the food security situation has deteriorated in recent years in parts of the country. The country has been especially hard hit by the rise in food prices and recurrent episodes of drought. Consequently, the food self‐sufficient ratio is in decline with the current food grain shortage for the 2009 fiscal year estimated at approximately 400,000 Mt. In response to the high food prices, the European Union has financed three substantial project activities under its food facility. The first one, to be implemented by FAO, provides additional agricultural inputs and builds capacity of producers in order to raise agricultural productivity. The second one, implemented by WFP, provides productive safety nets to vulnerable populations as a result of natural disasters and high food prices. The third component, implemented by WFP with FAO technical assistance, increases the extent to which national institutions participate in, and gradually take ownership of, major components of food security monitoring for Nepal. This Framework Document sets out how this third component can be achieved.

Framework Document Page 1


MoAC / WFP / FAO joint mission Over time, various government and international organizations have been involved in monitoring activities through field level data collection on food security status, crops condition, weather situation, market outlook, nutritional status and local development activities generating income, etc. The most comprehensive food security monitoring system in the country is the NeKSAP (Nepal Khadhya Surakshya Anugaman Pranali) which has been established by the UN World Food Programme in collaboration with various national institutions. The NeKSAP collects information and analyzes field level data for food security monitoring as well as early warning information to inform food policy. Core of the NekSAP are the District Food Security Networks which perform local level food security monitoring and analysis tasks using the food security phase classification methodology (see Annex 1). As part of its food facility, the EU is funding the strengthening and roll‐out of the district food security phase classification approach in Nepal and setting up a food security monitoring unit within the MoAC. The project aims to build government capacity by institutionalizing the NekSAP. In order to achieve this, a joint mission was organized. The mission reviewed existing information system practices, identified gaps and proposed opportunities to strengthen and build on these existing systems in order to develop a comprehensive system firmly embedded in the government structure. A key objective of the mission was to assess the NeKSAP, suggest improvements and propose an action plan on how to transfer and institutionalize this system to the Government of Nepal with possible linkages to other relevant information systems. The expected outputs/outcomes of the mission were as follows: • a strategic plan for institutionalizing the NeKSAP within the GoN • a detailed work plan on strengthening and institutionalizing the NekSAP up to December 2010 with

roles and responsibilities clearly defined for relevant agencies • defined institutional arrangements • opportunities for linkages with and strengthening of existing information systems • specific information products to be delivered by the system based on information needs. Team composition and organization: The team was led by Mr. Fulgen Pradhan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and included Mr. Biju Kumar Shrestha, Under Secretary, National Planning Commission, Mr. Hem Raj Regmi, Senior Statistician, and Mr. Lalan Singh, Agricultural Economist, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Dr. Henri Josserand, Deputy Director, Trade and Markets Division, FAO, Mr. Siemon R. Hollema, Senior VAM Officer, Mr. Michael Sheinkman, Senior Regional Programme Advisor, Dr. Krishna Pahari, National VAM Officer, from the World Food Programme and Dr. Pushpa R. Mathema, national consultant. The mission took place from October 26 through November 13, 2009, in Kathmandu, as well as in two of the Far‐West Hill Districts (Achham and Bajura). A list of persons consulted is presented in Annex 2. The mission's work was organized along the following sequence of logical steps: Step 1 ‐ Define the basic components of a comprehensive food security monitoring system for Nepal. Step 2 ‐ Identify which components are already functional and assess their relative effectiveness. Step 3 ‐ Assess the quality of interaction between existing components and ways to strengthen them. Step 4 ‐ Identify important missing components. Step 5 ‐ Draw up an action plan to address missing components, strengthen existing ones, and integrate all into a national food security monitoring system suitable for analysis and decision making at high levels of the Government of Nepal.



Towards a comprehensive Nepal food security monitoring system

Basic components of a food security monitoring system Food security monitoring is complex. It requires information on many different aspects which in turn determine the overall food security outcome of a country, region, household or individual. If, say, a country produces sufficient food, this does not automatically mean that all citizens of that country are food secure. Similarly, even if a household can acquire sufficient food this may not mean that all household members enjoy an equal share of that food. To be food secure, sufficient nutritious food needs to be available and accessible at all times, as well as properly utilized. Therefore to monitor food security, data and information is required for all four pillars of food security: availability, accessibility, utilization and stability. Table 1 provides an overview of a set of key indicators that at a minimum are required to monitor the food security situation in Nepal. Table 1 ‐ Food security monitoring system components Food Security Component

Key Indicator National Institution Functionality

Food availability • Crop yield (area, production, diseases, weather impacts)

Min. of Agriculture and Cooperatives

Good

• Commodity trade (imports/exports)

Min. Finance, Min. Commerce

Medium

• Market supply MoAC, Min. of Supplies, Min. of Home Affairs, FNCCI

Poor

• Stock levels (private and commercial)

Min. of Commerce, NFC, WFP

Poor

• Food balance Dept. of Agriculture Medium • Livestock production Dept of livestock Poor Food access • Poverty incidence/gap/severity CBS Good (every 5 yrs) • Migration trends/remittances Nepal Rashtra bank Medium • Market prices Dept of Agriculture Good • Wages and employment Nepal Rashtra bank Medium Food utilization • Nutrition surveillance HMIS / MoHP Poor or non‐existing • Health and nutrition status NDHS / MICS surveys Good • Sanitation and safe water MoHP Poor or non‐existing • Caring practices and nutrition

awareness MOHP Poor or non‐existing

• Dietary intake Medium Stability over time • Natural and man‐made disasters DPnet, Min. of Home

Affairs Medium

• Weather data DHM Medium • Shocks and events DPnet Medium • Household coping strategies WFP Good • Policies and programmes NPC Good As indicated in Table 1, information on some key indicators are regularly collected and available while others are less regularly available or not collected at all.



Current components and relative effectiveness An overview of existing food security monitoring system components in Nepal is presented in Diagram 1. The situation can be characterized as one of co‐existence of two major sub‐systems, one ‐on the right side‐ composed of national institutions at the district, regional and central levels, and the other ‐on the left‐ consisting of a more focused and integrated set of actors working for the WFP NeKSAP. As one can see from Table 2, national institutions gather a comprehensive set of food security related information, some of which is used for such products as Crop and Livestock Situation Reports, but data transmission to central authorities is generally slow. It is also difficult to “pull together” all this information for effective food security monitoring and analysis. The WFP food security monitoring & analysis unit is focused on household vulnerability, and transmits information rapidly to one single center for processing, analysis and published synthesis. The relative efficiency of both systems is further discussed below. National Institutions As Diagram 1 and Table 2 clearly show, national institutions cover many important areas of food security monitoring and generate a great deal of information. Detailed additional information on national institution and international institutions working on food security analysis information is presented in Annex 3. However, national institutions have not consistently been guided in their work by a clear and strong statement of what a comprehensive food security monitoring system should consist of, and of how it should be used. The current components therefore, suffer from a number of weaknesses – at the district, regional and central levels: Diagram 1 ‐ Existing food security monitoring system components

• The existing components are not well integrated into an overall national food security monitoring

conceptual framework and system. • The means of data/information transmission for the existing components remain largely bureaucratic

and slow, although there have been instances of showing a capacity to achieve this very quickly when needed (e.g. daily reporting by fax of rice transplanting situation for the problematic 2009 main season).

• Aside from a regular collation of statistics to generate production estimates at the MoAC level, and ad



hoc requests for close monitoring of specific seasonal events, there is little systematic use of information along the lines of an integrated food security monitoring and early warning system.

• Some components are missing. These include a basic nation‐wide agro‐meteorological monitoring and early warning , a dynamic national food balance sheet for basic food commodities regularly updated during the current marketing year, and a functioning and reliable nutrition surveillance capacity.

Table 2 – Provision of Data by National Institutions S.No. Organization Product – Frequency Contents

Weekly Reports1 Weather condition particularly rainfall, drought affected crops, summer paddy, chaite (spring) paddy, maize, wheat, vegetables, fruit crop and others, percentage area planted by development regions and districts.

Fortnightly Report2 Crop situation including planting status, areas rainfall condition, pest and diseases condition, fertilizer availability by districts

1 Directorate of Agriculture Extension

Crop and Weather Situation Annual Report3

Overall annual situation review of crop and weather situation, quarterly crop situation, pest and diseases, fertilizer availability by development regions, drought and hailstorm affected crops and areas

Fortnightly Market Price: Wholesale and Retail

Agricultural commodities prices including vegetables and livestock products, retail and wholesale of selected markets and border market retail prices.

2 Directorate of Agribusiness Promotion and Marketing Development

Annual Agricultural Marketing Information Bulletin (Special Issue)4

General Information of the country, retail, wholesale and border prices, arrival and prices of fruits, vegetable, fish, meats at Kalimati and other markets, export/import data prices of dairy products, distribution and stock of rice, NFC, food balance sheet by district, food grains aid received, etc

Weekly Weather Summary5 Weekly rainfall total, normal percentage of normal precipitation last three weeks, last six weeks, weekly temperature maximum/minimum, mean temperature and departures from normal of 20 stations

3 Department of Hydrology and Meteorology

Annual Weather Summary of Nepal6

Annual, seasonal and monthly weather conditions, analysis of total precipitation, percentage of normal precipitation, departure during the year

4 Nepal Food Corporation7

Periodic Remote Districts food grains received, sales and stock report

Approved quota for fiscal year 2009/2010, previous year carry over, this year received so far, total available with NFC, Sales, Net stock

5 District Food Security Networks

Quarterly District Food Security Report and Household Survey Report

District integrated food security situation phase classifications, District household survey findings, production situation, food stock at household and market levels, employment opportunities, non‐timber and other crop sale, market price of rice, natural disaster, migration, out migration, malnutrition status, disease, civil security situation.

NeKSAP The most comprehensive food security monitoring system currently operational in Nepal is the Nepal Food Security Monitoring System (NeKSAP) which is currently managed by WFP in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The core of the NeKSAP are the district food security networks (DFSN) which are formed by staff and representatives from district‐based organizations and institutions, including the Chief District Officer, Local Development Officer, District Agricultural Development Office, District

1 Weekly report of Directorate of Agriculture Extension, 2066.05.05 (August 21, 2009) 2 Fortnightly report of Directorate of Agriculture Extension, 2066.04.23 (August 7, 2009) 3 Annual Crop and Weather Situation report of Directorate of Agriculture Extension, no date 4 Agricultural Marketing Information Bulletin (Special Issue, 2008) 5 Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Preliminary Weekly Weather Summary for Week No. 42 (16‐22 October, 2009) 6 Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Weather Summary of Nepal, 2008, June 2009 7 Nepal Food Corporation, Remote District‐wise Food grains Received, Sales and Stock for the period July/August‐October 24, October 26, 2009



Health Officer, local NGOs and civil society. These networks assess and monitor the food security situation in their respective districts based on a standardized food security phase classification approach, similar to the global IPC methodology (see Annex 1). Information gathered by the district networks is currently verified by WFP and published in a food security bulletin. In addition, WFP field monitors interview over 800 households each quarter to assess and track the household food security status. Market and price developments are monitored by making use of the price monitoring system of the department of agriculture and data from the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI). Crop and livestock status is monitored through the District Agricultural Development Offices and District Livestock Service Offices, and joint crop assessments conducted by MoAC, FAO and WFP. More information on the NeKSAP can be found on http://groups.google.com/group/NeKSAP?hl=en. The NeKSAP data and analytical framework follow a household‐oriented vulnerability analysis approach well suited to countries where a significant share of the population is at some level of food insecurity. Several issues call for attention: • Aside from DADO, other DFSN participants have not received instructions or guidance from their

higher authorities about the extent of their involvement in the DFSN, and on whether they should communicate the results of their quarterly district food security assessments to their hierarchy.

• The IPC methodology that is implemented by the DSFN is relatively sophisticated. A handbook on District‐based food security monitoring has been prepared jointly by MoAC and WFP in Nepali8. This was released recently and has not yet been distributed widely. So far, five District Food Security Networks have received in‐depth training in food security analysis and monitoring. The plan of action below sets out a plan to train all DSFN.

• Once the DFSN quarterly meeting and district food insecurity mapping exercises have been completed, the WFP Field Monitors quickly send the information to the WFP Food Security Monitoring and Analysis Unit in Kathmandu, where the information is checked, analyzed. The DFSN prepare a one‐page District Food Insecurity Bulletin in English and Nepali. These and the supporting data and information are verified and sent back to the relevant Field Monitors. DFSN information should be compiled by a national food security unit and not WFP.

• WFP Field Monitors represent a unique network of people well placed to collect data at the local level and transmit them rapidly to Kathmandu.

Interaction between National Institutions and NeKSAP System National institutions contribute to the NeKSAP in the following food security monitoring system component areas: crop monitoring (DoA), basic food price and market situation data (DoA, FNCCI), joint quarterly IPC assessments of the District Food Security Networks, and status of food stocks and distribution plans (Nepal Food Corporation). Approaches to strengthening the contributions and joint ownership of national institutions are discussed under institutional arrangements. The information sent electronically by the Field Monitors is automatically collated into a database in WFP/FSMAU Kathmandu; it is then organized further, analyzed and validated, extensively processed with GIS and desktop publication tools, and used to generate a set of NeKSAP products: nation‐wide Food Security Bulletins, Market Watches, Crop Situation Updates, and food security phase maps for Nepal (see NeKSAP information products on page 12). Humanitarian actors and some officials of national institutions (MoAC, Department of Agriculture, NFC, etc.) are well aware of the main NeKSAP publications, and consult them either regularly or occasionally. The NeKSAP mailing list has currently more than 500 members. In sum, there is very little duplication of work, but both systems (national institutions and NeKSAP system) function separately, at different speeds of information transmission, and with very different approaches to central data processing and analysis. As a result, it is difficult to ''pull together'' information from both

8 A Trainers' manual on district level food security analysis has also been prepared.


http://groups.google.com/group/NeKSAP?hl=en


systems, and some important components are missing (i.e. not covered by either system) or need to be strengthened.

Components that need strengthening 1. Basic National Food Balance Sheet Food security monitoring requires both micro (household level) and macro (national) approaches. Just as it is critical to understand the localized determinants and level of food insecurity in all parts of the country, it is crucial to have an up‐to‐date understanding of the supply/demand 'big picture', in particular with respect to trade policy aspects, such as basic food import requirements or, in the longer term, as an input into agricultural investment decisions. The components of a basic national food balance sheet are straightforward. They concentrate on the most basic foods (cereals and, in some cases, the cereal equivalency of pulses or tubers, when these represent a major share of the diet, in case of Nepal this would apply to potato which is currently not included in the annual food grain requirement calculation), and include the elements necessary to balance supply (availability) and demand (utilization) at the national level9. Availability includes: a. Domestic production (edible)

b. Net stocks c. Anticipated commercial imports

Utilization includes: a. Human consumption (population multiplied by historical or target per capita

consumption) b. Industrial and livestock feed uses c. Seed requirements d. Losses

The difference between utilization and availability represents a gap, which must be met through additional inflows, usually a combination of commercial imports and food aid. If the gap is not met the country will undergo a decrease in food consumption. Obviously, a national balance between availability and utilization does not imply that everyone in a country is food secure. However, the country balance sheet is an important macro indicator for food security monitoring at the national level, if it is updated on a quarterly basis, especially with respect to the implications of the basic food balance for trade policy interventions. Training in national basic food balance sheet analysis will be organized under an existing FAO TCP activity, and will take place in 2010, with technical assistance from the FAO’s Trade and Markets Division. 2. Agro‐Meteorological Monitoring From the point of view of food security, Nepal is highly vulnerable due to high rates of exposure to (a) localized and widely spread natural hazards in both the short and longer‐term (for example, the effects of climate change are strong and visible) and (b) economic shocks, combined with a limited coping capacity caused by poverty, limited income diversification options, and relatively weak institutions. One of the basic elements of a disaster risk management strategy is a capacity to provide early warning of impending non‐localized crises, especially drought, or irregularity in main seasonal phenomena (for example, the main season's monsoon, in this case). Recognizing that the national network of rainfall stations is limited, basic national agro‐meteorological monitoring must also rely on the interpretation of data from regional weather monitoring systems, and combining extrapolated rainfall estimates (RFEs) which are available for the region, as well as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery, created from multi‐sensor satellite data. NDVI imagery are also available at the global, regional and national scales. FAO is planning to provide support to establish a basic national agro‐meteorological monitoring and early warning system.

9 A methodological note on national basic balance sheets is presented in Annex 4.



3. Nutrition and health surveillance The nutrition situation in Nepal is worrisome: Nepal is in the top 20 countries with highest numbers of stunted children ‐ almost 2 million children were moderately or severely stunted in 2008. Nepal’s low birth weight rate at 21% is higher than Mozambique, DRC and Ethiopia and roughly 0.5 million children are wasted (moderate and severe), with almost 100,000 in the severe category10. A comprehensive nutrition surveillance capacity is however missing. Strengthening the Health Management Information System, adding nutrition indicators to WFP’s household survey capacity and including nutrition indicators to the annual immunization surveys need to be explored. The next section sets forth a framework for the Nepal Food Security Monitoring System.

Framework for the Nepal Food Security Monitoring System (NeKSAP)

Objectives, components and features The primary objective of the Nepal Food Security Monitoring System (NeKSAP) is to collect, consolidate, analyze food security data and to effectively communicate the results to decision makers in order to achieve coordinated, appropriate and timely action to prevent human suffering due to food insecurity. The different components that form the NeKSAP are presented in the subsequent section that puts forward the NeKSAP framework. In formulating and institutionalizing the NeKSAP the following principles are important: National ownership: The NeKSAP will not function without considerable buy‐in from government line‐ministries and their district‐level representation. Therefore the food security monitoring taskforce recently established by the National Planning Commission will need to make concerted efforts to actively involve stake‐holders and provide strategic direction to the establishment and strengthening of the NeKSAP. Participation and partnerships: The NeKSAP will need to function as a network of national and international institutions. Partnerships will need to be formed around the production of different information products by establishing working groups, similar to the joint Market Watch that is produced by MoAC, WFP, FNCCI and the CIPF. The District Food Security Networks are based on the principle of voluntary contribution by staff from a range of district‐based organizations. The EU food facility project budget has no provision for monetary incentives or transportation allowances etc. for DFSN participation. Therefore DFSN membership is on a voluntary basis. Transparency / Verification: Information and data presented on food security need to be as reliable as possible. Source and methodologies used need to be verifiable and stakeholders need to have access to original data sets used to derive food security statements. Harmonization and consolidation Food security data is being produced by a range of different organizations. Harmonization in methodology used and consolidation of information is an important function of the NeKSAP.

10 UNICEF: The State of the World's Children, 2009



The Framework Diagram 2 proposes a framework for the Nepal Food Security Monitoring System. The ultimate aim of a food security monitoring system is to inform government and development/emergency actors in order to design and implement appropriate and timely policies and actions leading towards a more food secure Nepal. Schematically this is presented as the last column in Diagram 2. All food security monitoring and analysis components represented by the other columns have the purpose to improve policies and lead to coordinated, timely and appropriate action. Diagram 2 – NeKSAP framework

The NeKSAP framework consists of six different components: 1. Sectoral analysis: These are specific analyses and studies conducted in thematic areas relevant to

food security. The purpose is to gain better insight on how these sectors relate to and influence food security. Examples include agricultural studies, migration studies, ethnic and population studies etc. Sectoral analysis can be conducted by various related organizations.

2. Survey and census: The two main periodic surveys relevant to food insecurity include the Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLSS) and the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). These are five‐yearly monitoring tools providing a detailed assessment on the current status of poverty, nutrition and health. The NLSS 3 survey is taking place during 2010 and will collect nutrition and food security indicators, in addition to the standard income and expenditure indicators. These additional indicators include: anthropometric measurements, coping behaviours and food intake variety. In addition, the 10‐yearly population census provides an update on basic population indicators. The next census is scheduled for 2011. Small area estimates of poverty and nutrition can be generated using census data combined with the survey data as was done in 2006 by CBS/WFP/WB. These nationwide surveys are implemented by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

3. Macro and micro level analysis: These include studies that look at broad macro economic trends and socio‐political developments as well as profile studies conducted in specific areas or amongst specific population groups (e.g. dalits, slum dwellers, subsistence farmers etc). These types of studies can be



undertaken by various organizations. 4. Surveillance system: The surveillance system tracks the current status of a series of indicators. It

consist of different sub‐components: a. Macro‐level indicators: These include import/export, stock level, GDP growth, inflation rate,

employment rate, remittances, etc. Rasta bank, IMF, NFC supply this type of information. Regional indicators, including food prices, crop production and food grain stocks in India also fall under this monitoring component.

b. Food security maps: District food security networks prepare detailed food security phase classification maps based on a set of indicators. These maps provide early warning information at detailed level and include additional information on underlying causes and emerging issues. Maps depicting disaster incidence and crop status maps also fall under this category.

c. Community and household level indicators: WFP field monitors conduct between 500‐800 households interviews each quarter on a sample basis (see page 11). District food security networks asses and classify an extensive range of community level indicators.

d. Market and price indicators: The Agribusiness Promotion and Marketing Development Directorate (ABPMDD) of the Department of Agriculture collects market prices for key commodities from 21 markets across Nepal on a fortnightly basis. WFP field monitors collect market prices in district HQ markets in 35 districts on a monthly basis. The Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) collects daily vegetable prices (whole sale and retail) from key vegetable markets in Nepal. They also report on cereal prices in urban areas. The ABPMDD, WFP, FNCCI and the consumer interest protection forum publish a monthly joint market watch.

e. Nutrition surveillance: Growth monitoring of children under five is mandatory in all health posts in Nepal. This data is collected through the Health Management Information System (HMIS). Unfortunately, growth monitoring is rarely practiced in the health posts and the HMIS data are therefore not reliable. Further investigation is required on how to develop a nutrition surveillance capacity in Nepal. Ad‐hoc nutrition surveys have been or are in the process of being conducted by ACF, UNICEF and WFP. In addition, WFP collects MUAC measurements and data on child sickness and diarrhoea incidence as part of its quarterly household survey. The WFP field surveillance can be expanded to include additional nutrition indicators, such as child feeding practices and some measurement of their “level of activity”.

f. Crop monitoring: The District Agricultural Development Office (DADO) is responsible for collection of weekly crop situation data. Seasonal crop‐cutting exercises are conducted for the main cereal crops to verify the MoAC crop estimates. In the past years, MoAC, WFP and FAO have conducted joint Crop and Food Security Assessments to determine the extent of crop loss due to drought and flood and assess the food security impact. WFP field monitors collect quarterly crop status and outlook data and prepare district crop loss maps.

g. Rainfall and climate data: The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology publishes monthly weather and rainfall reports. Rainfall stations are however limited and other techniques will need to be explored, such as satellite imagery, to improve the rainfall information. WFP Field Monitors prepare district‐wide rainfall maps based on people’s perception whether rainfall was normal, below normal or above normal.

5. Assessments: There is excellent assessment capacity in Nepal. Motivated by OCHA a Multi Cluster Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA) tool has been developed to facilitate inter‐agency assessments. A core number of staff from various organizations have been trained in using this tool. WFP leads and provides technical support to these rapid assessments. Over the past several years, a joint crop and food security assessment (MoAC, WFP, FAO) has been implemented on an annual or semi‐annual basis. An UNICEF/WFP emergency nutrition assessment is currently underway in Far and Mid‐West. UNICEF is also planning to conduct a Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in these areas in 2010.

6. Policies and interventions: Information needs to lead to appropriate and timely action. Data therefore need to be made available in an accessible manner and an advocacy strategy is necessary to communicate the information and analysis to high level policy makers. Networks, media involvement,



IT technology, and effective distribution mechanisms will need to be developed.

NeKSAP information products The NeKSAP is currently producing a set of bulletins, early warning and mapping products. These include: Market Watch, Crop Situation Updates, Food Security Bulletins, Emergency Alerts / Emergency Updates, District Food Security Bulletins, Sector and Thematic Studies, and Thematic Maps. Opportunities need to be identified for increasing the involvement of national institutions in the NeKSAP processes and the joint production of periodic NeKSAP information products. 1. Food Security Bulletin The Food Security Bulletin is currently being produced by WFP on a quarterly basis. The content of the bulletin is predominantly based on data collected by the District Food Security Networks – e.g. food security phase classification map and district level and community surveys ‐ and household food security data collected by the WFP field monitors. The mission was favorably impressed with the quantity and quality of food security information collected through interviews with individual households in the districts visited. With support from the World Bank, WFP has aligned their quarterly household surveys with the sample plan of the Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLSS). The current sample plan will allow quarterly updates for several key food security indicators included in the NLSS 3 (such as coping behaviour and food consumption variety) for broad geographic areas (Mountain, Hills and Terai) and, on a yearly basis, by sub‐region. The results of the NLSS 3 will provide a baseline against which to compare the quarterly and annual results. In this way the regular food security data collected by WFP will become an extremely valuable tool to monitor the food security situation in the country. The sample design also takes into consideration the data requirements for the verification of the food security phase classification of areas and bi‐annual crop verification missions. It is important for the time being to maintain the independent role of the WFP Field Monitors for three reasons:

1. There is currently no other national institution with the mandate or logistical capacity to play the pivotal role of WFP field monitors, including collection of household food security information and provision of technical support to the District Food Security Network analysis.

2. To provide technical support to the members of the district food security network. 3. To provide independent verification and a certain level of credibility to the process of food

security information collection. The production of the Food Security Bulletin should be taken over by the Food Security Unit in the MoAC and be jointly produced by MoAC, WFP, FAO and NGO representation (e.g. Oxfam, Save the Children). For that purpose, a joint working group will need to be established. The Food Security Bulletin is currently only available in English. A Nepali language version is also required. 2. District Food Security Bulletin District Food Security Networks prepare a one page quarterly food security bulletin presenting the district food security phase classification, classification of food security indicators for different VDCs, an estimated number of food insecure populations, description of the current food security situation and an outlook statement11. These bulletins are prepared in Nepali and English.

11 These District Food Security Bulletins are normally prepared by the DFSN technical working groups. Subsquently, they are reviewed and approved by the District Food SSecurity Networks.



3. Market Watch The Market Watch provides an excellent model for cooperation between the Government of Nepal, one or more United Nations agencies, private sector institutions, and non‐profit organizations. The monthly bulletin is jointly published by four stakeholders: the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness Promotion and Marketing Development Directorate (ABPMDD); the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries/ Agricultural Enterprise Centre (FNCCI / AEC); Consumer Interest Protection Forum (CIPF) and the World Food Programme (WFP). Increased collaboration and contribution is required between the participating organizations. Incremental improvements and harmonization in data collection, transmission, storage and publishing by the ABPMDD should be considered under the EU food facility project. In addition, it is advised to create a separate project to support, expand and strengthen the price information system of the ABPMDD. 4. Crop Situation Updates WFP currently publishes a Crop Situation Update on a semi‐annual basis. This is done in collaboration with the MoAC, however, the Crop Situation Update is published only by WFP. Crop monitoring is extremely important given the extent of the population in Nepal dependent on agriculture as their primary income source and the inaccessibility of many mountainous and hilly areas, meaning that local crop production situation determinates to a large extent the food availability in a particular area. Early warning on impending crop failures should therefore be forwarded to decision makers as soon as possible. Similar to the Market Watch, the NeKSAP should work towards a joint MoAC, DHM, WFP and FAO publication of the semi‐annual Crop Situation Update. The preparation of the Crop Situation Update clearly involves collaboration with MoAC officials at both Central and District levels, to obtain crop production estimates, as well as field observations. All instances of collaboration are appropriately referenced in the publication. Recent issues rely upon MoAC preliminary estimates of crop production by national, sub‐regional and zone levels. Production estimates of Paddy, Maize, Millet, Barley and Potato are supplemented by data collected by WFP Field Monitors, including interviews with District Agriculture Development Offices (DADOs), discussions with farmers, other key informants and observations by the WFP field monitors themselves. The information collected by WFP is shared with and verified by the district based food security network. During most of these processes, there is information being provided or validated by district level officials of MoAC. Rainfall data presented in the Crop Situation Update is the domain of the Department of Hydrology & Meteorology (DHM) (see also below). There may also be scope for increased formal collaboration with the MoAC, Department of Livestock Services in the preparation and publication of the Crop Situation Update. Livestock plays an important role as savings and safety net in the food security strategies of rural Nepali families. Livestock diseases and losses continue to be included in the list of causes of vulnerability to food insecurity among households. The distress sale of livestock and other productive assets are indicators of household adopting destructive coping strategies to help them manage the threat of food insecurity. Publication should coincide with the major cropping seasons – summer and winter. The Crop Situation Update can be supplemented by a joint national crop and food security assessment in case of suspected major crop losses due to drought, floods or other events. Similar national assessments have been organized in the past several years by MoAC, WFP and FAO. 5. Monthly Weather Summary of Nepal The Department of Hydrology & Meteorology (DHM), Ministry of Environment regularly produces a “Monthly Weather Summary of Nepal”, and distributes it via their official website (http://www.dhm.gov.np). This report contains monthly rainfall data and maps depicting Total Precipitation and Percentage of Normal Precipitation (%).


http://www.dhm.gov.np/


Increased formal collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) within the NeKSAP will need to be established for the preparation of the Crop Situation Update and for other Early Warning purposes. 6. Emergency Needs Assessments, Emergency Alerts and Updates Emergency Needs Assessment is already an area of formal and informal collaboration between OCHA, WFP, FAO, UNICEF, (I)NGOs and relevant Ministries. It is recommended to conduct joint crop and food security assessment if there are indications of severe crop losses to determine the extent of crop loss and its food security/livelihood impact. The Crop and Food Security Assessment of May 2009, conducted in response to the 2008/09 winter drought in Nepal resulted in publication of a joint report, an achievement which is significant, given the different perspectives of the three institutions involved. The previous year, MoAC and WFP had collaborated on a Rapid Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA) which resulted in a joint report on the overall food security situation in nine districts of the Far and Mid West Hills and Mountains, including: Kalikot, Humla, Mugu, Dolpa, Bajura, Achham, Dailekh, Rukum, and Jajarkot. The Multi Agency Flood Impact Assessment, Koshi River Flood, Nepal, IASC Emergency Preparedness and Response Cluster System, September 2008, The Market and Price Impact Assessment, Nepal, WFP and NDRI, July 2008 and the Inter‐Agency Rapid Flood Assessment, WFP, UNICEF, Save the Children Alliance, August 2007, are all examples of major inter‐agency assessments following major shocks or disasters, including droughts, floods and high food prices. On an ad‐hoc basis WFP produces Emergency Alerts based on early warning information. Emergency Updates are also produced to inform the humanitarian community on impact and response. 7. Macro and Micro Analysis Macro‐analysis and micro‐analysis is already an area of extensive formal and informal collaboration between WFP and the Central Bureau of Statistics. The collaboration and joint publication of “Small Area Estimation of Poverty, Caloric Intake & Malnutrition in Nepal” in 2006 has benefited Government of Nepal planning efforts, the World Bank Poverty Alleviation Fund, and interventions of the World Food Programmes, as well as other stakeholders interested in reducing poverty and hunger in the country. This productive collaboration continues in the form of plans to include food security questions in the next round of the Nepal Living Standards Survey. WFP also completed a nationwide Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment in 2007. 8. Sectoral and Thematic Studies There have been important sectoral and thematic studies supported by WFP in the past few years. Each of which involved informal or formal collaboration with one or more food security stakeholders, including: Ministries of the Government of Nepal, United Nations agencies, private sector institutions, or non‐profit organizations. In some cases it resulted in joint publications, in others in exchange of data, in other descriptions of activities or citations of publications. The Cost of Coping, A Collision of Crises and the Impact of Sustained Food Security (August 2009) cited numerous jointly produced documents as it summarized how the population struggles to cope with multiple crises, including: natural disasters, civil conflict, climate change, the rapid rise in both food and fuel prices in 2008, and the recent financial crises of 2009. Passage to India: Migration as a Coping Strategy in Times of Crisis in Nepal, (November 2008) was a joint publication between WFP and the Nepal Development Research Institute (NDRI), an independent, non‐profit institution well‐respected for its rigorous scientific policy research. Similarly, the Market and Price Impact Assessment (2008) was a joint product of WFP and NDRI.


http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp189252.pdf







A Sub‐Regional Hunger Index for Nepal (July 2009) involved collaboration between WFP and FAO on calculations of data used to create the sub‐regional hunger index values. The Food and Agricultural Markets in Nepal (February 2007) was a collaborative effort and joint publication of WFP and FAO. 9. Nutrition Bulletin Nutrition is a key concern in Nepal with global acute malnutrition rates in many areas above emergency levels. There is however limited nutrition information available. Therefore, a nutrition surveillance system is a key NeKSAP component that will need to be developed, as explained above. The mission was not able to meet with Department of Health officials, but met several times with UNICEF staff involved with nutrition. The discussions centered on two topics: (1) opportunities to use the HMIS figures for number of children participating in growth monitoring programmes as an indicator to alert the District level Food Security Monitoring Committee of a potential change in food security status (2) potential use of data collected during the bi‐annual post‐Vitamin A campaigns in April and October of each year to update prevalence rates of malnutrition at sub‐national levels. The first would contribute to early warning and monitoring at District level and the second would provide valuable contribution to food security monitoring analysis at national level. There is a need for a semi‐annual joint nutrition bulletin produced by the Nutrition Department of the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, HKI, WHO and WFP will need to be considered. Perhaps the joint UNICEF/WFP emergency nutrition survey currently underway can provide the impetus for this joint bulletin. The nutrition gap analysis also provides recommendations in this area. 10. Thematic maps One of the key maps produced is the food security phase classification map of Nepal which is based on the information provided by the District Food Security Networks. Crop maps prepared by the WFP field monitors and DADO staff, as well as disaster incident maps (OCHA) are currently being provided. 11. Other information products One could consider other regular information products to be included as part of the NeKSAP. The quarterly bulletin on the 3F Crisis and the Impact on Education, jointly produced by UNICEF, Department of Education and the Research Input and Development Action (RIDA) is an example of recent information products contributing to better understanding the food security situation. Dynamic food balance sheets at the national level are another example of information products of great value to food security monitoring. These will be developed with support from FAO.

Institutional arrangements The NeKSAP institutional arrangements will need to include three sets of structures: (i) a technical structure to provide key analytical skills and strategic planning and policy recommendations at the central and district level, (ii) a consultative structure to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to be informed of the results of the analysis, verify results and provide feedback, and (iii) an advocacy and political structure to ensure that final results are communicated and disseminated and that appropriate action is taken. Arrangements will need to be developed at the central and district level.

At the central level The Government has decided to prepare a comprehensive national food security plan. This effort is being



supported by FAO. Under the National Planning Commission a Food Security Monitoring Task Force12 has been established. Its terms of reference include, inter alia:

• To evaluate the food security situation of the country; • To coordinate line ministries for preparing immediate action plans regarding food security; • To determine a food security mechanism; • To provide guidance for a mid‐term evaluation of the ongoing Interim Plan related to food

security matters; • To provide guidance for preparing policies, strategies, programs for the forthcoming plan; • To prepare a detailed Food Security Plan.

The overall coordination and policy guidance for the NeKSAP will be provided by the NPC Food security Monitoring Task Force. The Task Force will also be responsible for communicating the analyses, ensure coordination in response, and coordinating and activating participation of GoN institutions in the NeKSAP. At the operational level, a food security unit will be set‐up in the Ministry of Agriculture. This will be established within the Agribusiness Promotion and Statistics Division, for the time being. In the longer term, the Ministry aims to institutionalize a Food Security Division. The unit will consolidate available information and data on food security, analyze trends and prepare a series of information products. Some of the main responsibilities of the Unit are as follow:

• Prepare and assist in the preparation of plan of actions. • Ensure coordination among various working groups related to various components of food

security monitoring • Provide regular supervision of activities of working groups at the central, the regional and the

district levels • Arrange necessary technical support and capacity building of the various stakeholders • Pull information from various agencies to strengthen data base and analysis • Timely and effective transmission of food security information from the districts up to the central

and feedback to regional and district levels • Monitoring and periodic evaluation of performances at various levels

The staffing and qualifications and skills required will be as per Annex 5. The unit will maintain technical, consultative and political linkages with other institutions as follows: Technical linkages: The Food Security Unit will work closely with the Food Security Monitoring & Analysis unit of WFP. WFP is willing to second its technical staff on a part‐time basis to assist and build the analytical capacity of the unit. Through the DADO, strong linkages will be established between the central unit and the district food security networks (see below). Linkages will need to be established with the Central Bureau of Statistics, Survey Department, Department of Agriculture, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) and the HMIS for supply of secondary tabular and GIS data. In addition, linkages especially with regards to disaster incidence and response are important with the Nepal Red Cross Society. Technical linkages will be built around different information products that the NeKSAP will be delivering (see NeKSAP Information Products). Consultative linkages: Key agencies and ministry departments dealing with food security are invited to join a network and participate in technical meetings to provide feedback. These consultative linkages will be built around different information products to be produced by the NekSAP as discussed above. Advocacy and policy linkages: Information products will be disseminated as widely as possible through

12 Members include: Honourable Member of NPC in‐charge of Agriculture and Rural Development (Coordinator), Secretary, MoAC,

Secretary, MoLD, Secretary, Min. Commerce & Supplies, Joint‐Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Division (NPC), Secretary, Min. Finance, Secretary, Min. Health and Population, Secretary, Ministry of Finance.



means of hardcopy and internet. The mailing list of the NeKSAP google group will be one way that will be used to disseminate the information. District‐level information will be verified, analyzed and processed and subsequently made available to the district food security networks. The timely flow of reliable information within and between institutions at central level is one of the most important factors affecting the success of a national food security monitoring and early warning system. A media communication strategy will be developed. The proposed flow of food security monitoring information at the central level is depicted in Diagram 3. Diagram 3 – Flow of food security information

At the district level At the district level, District Food Security Networks (DFSN) will be established ‐ currently in place in 53 districts out of the 75 (see work plan for expansion plans to cover all 75 districts). The Terms of Reference and composition of the District Food Security Networks are provided in Annex 6. Currently, the DFSNs are chaired by the CDO or the LDO and the DADO forms the secretariat. For the purpose of consistency, it may be proposed that CDO could serve as the chairperson of these networks, with LDO as the co‐chair person and District Agriculture Officer as the member secretary. The WFP field monitor will provide technical support to the DFSN. Information generated by the DFSN is forwarded to the Food Security Analysis Unit at MoAC for verification, analysis and compilation. The DFSN prepares a quarterly food security status report which, after verification by the Food Security unit staff, will be forwarded by the DFSN to the District Development Committee to determine appropriate actions and make allocation decisions. In addition, the information is used by the Nepal Food Corporation in determining food grain subsidy needs and priority allocation as well as local NGOs for impact monitoring. Research appropriate means of accelerating the transmission and management of data from Districts to Central offices. The timely flow of reliable information from remote and scattered locations to a Central location is one of the most critical factors affecting the success of a national food security monitoring and early warning system. Of equal importance is ensuring the flow of information from Central authorities is flowing to the District and Regional committees. To build the commitment to sustain efforts to collect data in remote challenging locations, district officials need to be able to access the tabular data, analysis, and maps that



their efforts have helped to create. One of the challenges faced by managers of Food Security Monitoring Systems throughout the world is how to exploit advances in telecommunications to accelerate transmission of data from scattered remote locations where it is collected to a central location for analysis and presentation to decision makers. WFP has set up a system of data collection and transmission using satellite phones and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) mobile devices. Data is entered directly into the PDA during the interview and transmitted, via satellite phone, to a server based outside of Nepal. Data is downloaded from the server, via internet, and analyzed by WFP staff in Kathmandu. This system has proven effective and stable, receiving an internal WFP award for innovation. WFP Field Monitors will continue to use the existing PDA / satellite telephone system to transmit household interview data, because the investment in equipment has already been made and because data collected is available to WFP analysts in Kathmandu in real‐time. In addition, an advanced database system (e‐win) has been developed by WFP. This system allows storage and management of all kind of data, collected for any purpose at any time. The stored data is defined by its corresponding questionnaire, allowing the user to make frequent and easy changes to the questionnaires used for monitoring or any survey. In the past few years, CDMA and/or GSM communication links have been established in nearly all the District centers of Nepal. The mission observed that the Government of Nepal has already begun exploiting the presence of GSM and CDMA telecommunications at District centers to transmit data by fax and/or email, via connection to a Nepal‐based Internet Service Provider (ISP). WFP has the capacity to continue contributing innovative solutions to the challenge of using technology to accelerate data transmission from remote Districts to Kathmandu. WFP is already using inexpensive CDMA / GSM modems to provide email communications for its staff traveling on mission outside of Kathmandu. Recently, WFP staff has developed an interface for uploading information to the NeKSAP database(s) via an internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc). There is also the need to research the potential for transmission of data via Short Message Service (SMS) to a server based in Nepal (Kathmandu). SMS data transmission is ideal for transmission of small amounts of data at frequent intervals from many distributed points, such as market prices or rainfall measurements. Another potential barrier to adopting the current NeKSAP method of data transmission is the use of PDA mobile devices. The cost of an entry level laptop or netbook is now comparable to the cost of a reliable PDA. The mission recommends that WFP conducts research into the use of inexpensive laptops / netbooks with CDMA or GSM modem as an alternative to PDAs for entering food security data and uploading it to servers directly from district offices. The results of WFP evaluation of technical options will be of benefit to MoAC and FAO, as they prepare plans and budgets for equipment to be included in the budget section of the second phase project proposal.



Plan of Action The FSMS Action Plan is organized into: • Development of institutional arrangements needed at Central, Regional, and District levels • Provision of technical support • Capacity building to improve the effectiveness of the Government of Nepal's use of food security

monitoring information. • Preparation of food security information products • Surveys and assessments • Design of separate NeKSAP projects to develop or strengthen food security monitoring system

activities which are currently missing or weak, but are essential to ensure that the Government of Nepal avails itself of a comprehensive food security monitoring system.

A detail work plan for 2010 is presented in Annex 7. Institutional arrangements Within the first half of the year, the institutional arrangements would have to be defined and agreed upon at the central and district level. This includes at the central level setting‐up of the food security unit within the MoAC and official confirmation of the oversight function of the food security monitoring task force established at the National Planning Commission, as well as the formation of working groups consisting of relevant institutions responsible for the production of a particular information product similar to the existing monthly Market Watch. At the district level this involves the expansion and establishment of District Food Security Networks to all districts of Nepal, with the possible exception of the urban districts of the Kathmandu valley, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. This will be completed by June 2010. Support letter and formalization of district staff contribution to these DFSN are essential. Locally, task division and establishment of specific roles and responsibilities of the different DFSN members will need to be decided upon. Technical support Technical support to the Food Security unit will be provided throughout the year for food security analysis by seconded WFP staff to the unit. A functional database will be set‐up within the first part of the year, followed by ongoing database management and GIS/mapping support by WFP staff. This includes setting up improved data transmission facilities to transfer data from the DFSN to the Food Security Unit. A NeKSAP website will be developed with similar functionalities and layout to the existing NeKSAP google group (http://groups.google.com/group/NeKSAP?hl=en). FAO will provide technical assistance to MoAC staff in developing and maintaining a dynamic food balance sheet. Capacity building The NeKSAP employs a local adaptation of the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) methodology developed and promoted by FAO, WFP, and other international stakeholders in food security. To facilitate training of district level officials, MoAC and WFP have prepared a Nepali language manual of instruction on the use of the IPC methodology at the district level. They also developed a training manual. During 2010, WFP plans to use EUFF project resources to provide training at all relevant levels of the Government of Nepal, from the Central, to the Region and District levels. At the Central level, training of technical officers will serve two main purposes: it will give them a better understanding of the conclusions and implications of NeKSAP products, and it will allow them to make more analytical use of the information products. Also, at the Central level, training in food security monitoring and in the IPC methodology will involve high level policy analysts and decision makers. At this higher level, training will focus on the analytical aspects


http://groups.google.com/group/NeKSAP?hl=en


and on (a) the policy implications of certain trends in food security in the country, and (b) on the implications of various policy choices, on food security, as indicated by the FSMS. At the Regional level, training of regional level officials should cover food security monitoring concepts, indicators, the IPC methodology, and potentially useful methods of quality control of information moving from District to Central level. At the District level, officials from the members of a District Food Security Network will need orientation and training to understand their roles and responsibilities. In selected districts, WFP has conducted an orientation / training workshop covering basic Food Security concepts, indicators and how to measure them, analytical methods, and how to represent the current situation in graphs and on maps. Conducting similar workshops in all Districts will require a significant investment of time and effort. A training schedule will be developed that places priority on Districts at greater risk of food insecurity. Information products There are plans to develop and publish a series of joint information products. These are on a quarterly basis: the food security bulletin, the food security phase classification map, and the district food security bulletins, on a monthly basis the Market Watch. Following the main summer and winter harvest season, a Crop Situation Update will be produced. Other information products, e.g. quarterly food balance sheet, thematic map, nutrition bulletin, or emergency alerts etc. may be produced. Sectoral and in‐depth food security studies, baseline surveys and assessments are other information products that may be produced by different organizations and contributed to the NeKSAP network. Surveys and assessments A number of key surveys and assessments for food security, nutrition, poverty and livelihood analysis are planned for 2010. An important change is the way the WFP field surveillance data is going to be linked to the NLSS 3 survey. Project design Within the course of 2010 the plan of action foresees a number of additional projects contributing to strengthening the NeKSAP or its components. These will address current weaknesses in the NeKSAP or develop components that are currently missing. MARKET AND PRICE MONITORING As described above, the of Agribusiness Promotion and Marketing Development Directorate of the Department of Agriculture currently collects market and price data which are used to publish the monthly market watch. This system should be strengthened. It is recommended that the current project takes this into consideration and works towards small improvements in the data collection system and use of data. However, the mission recognizes that a more detailed capacity building project and additional funding will be required to implement any major changes to the market information system. RAINFALL AND CLIMATE MONITORING As listed under the Section Missing Components, a strong national rainfall and climate monitoring capacity is lacking. FAO will address this gap through developing a separate project which aims to establish a basic national agro‐meteorological monitoring and early warning system. NUTRITION SURVEILLANCE The recent nutrition gap analysis advocates for the strengthening of the Health Management Information System (HMIS) to analyze emerging trends in nutrition. The HMIS data include only those children weighed in health posts and is therefore not representative of the entire population. However, a dramatic increase in severe wasting among those participating in growth monitoring may reflect a potential emergency situation in areas monitored. Further discussion among institutions, including the Ministry of Health,



Nutrition department, UNICEF, Helen Keller International and WFP, are needed to design an appropriate and feasible nutrition surveillance system for Nepal. RESPONSE ANALYSIS The operation of the district food security networks has demonstrated the potential benefits of setting‐up a situation analysis capacity at the local level as it allows to reach decision makers and to provide them with information and practices that effectively support their decision process. Consequently, district stakeholders have requested the development of a response analysis tool that would integrate the existing district based food security monitoring and analysis system and that would help them to better link food security analysis to response design. Such a response analysis tool would contribute to increased capacity of local stakeholders (including local government officials and assisting development partners) to analyze the local food security situation and design appropriate targeted responses. SECOND PHASE PROJECT Building national food security monitoring and analysis capacity will not be completed within a one year timeframe. The current project only initializes the process by transferring part of WFP food security analysis capacity to the GoN and strengthening district level food security monitoring platforms. Longer term support will remain essential at this stage and therefore a second phase project will be required. GoN, WFP and FAO will prepare the project document for the second phase during the second half of 2010,

Annexes Annex 1 – Food security phase classification methodology Annex 2 – List of people consulted Annex 3 – National institutions working on food security analysis information Annex 4 – Basic national food balance sheets Annex 5 – Composition of the Food Security Unit (Qualifications / Skills) Annex 6 – District Food Security Network, Terms of Reference Annex 7 – Detailed work plan 2010


Nepal Khadhya Surakshya Anugaman Pranali (NekSAP) Nepal Food Security Monitoring System

Annex 1 – Food security phase classification methodology Since October 2006, quarterly food security maps have been produced in Nepal by using the food security phase classification approach. This approach is based on the tools and principles of the global Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) methodology which has been pioneered by FAO in Somalia. The IPC is a set of tools and principles for improving food security analysis and decision‐making. It aims at providing a common understanding for classifying food security situations according to a standardized scale using a set of indicators with defined thresholds. Based on convergence of evidence, areas are subsequently classified into five food security phases ranging from generally food secure to humanitarian crisis1. In Nepal, the food security phase classification adopts the principles of the global IPC but the tools have been adapted to fit specific food security monitoring requirements at the local level.

Analytical tools Reference table Following the global IPC approach, the Nepal food security phase classification distinguishes five phases of food insecurity: (1) Generally Food Secure, (2) Moderately Food Insecure, (3) Highly Food Insecure (starting affecting livelihood assets), (4) Severely Food Insecure (acute food and livelihood crisis), and (5) Humanitarian Emergency/Famine. A description of the phases is provided in Figure 1.

Figure 1 – Description of the food security phase classification Each of these phases is associated with reference indicators with predetermined thresholds. These indicators provide an objective means to distinguish between phases and to technically support the phase classification. Thirteen indicators were identified that are observable, measurable, and verifiable at the local level. An additional condition is for these indicators to be sensitive to detecting change in the household food security situation. The five phases with the assigned indicators and thresholds are consolidated in a Reference Table, as shown in Figure 2. The table is the analytical tool that guides the analysis for the food security phase classification.

1 More information on IPC is available at http://www.ipcinfo.org.

Framework Document Annex 1 ‐ Page 1

http://www.ipcinfo.org/


Figure 2 – Reference table



Analysis template An analysis template has been developed to facilitate rigorous, evidence‐based analysis and improve the transparency of the classification decision. The format of the analysis template allows for organizing data as well as including additional information to inform effective responses. The template format has been designed in such as way as to facilitate the situation analysis at the local level. The template is completed for a cluster of VDCs that present similar food security characteristics during the period of analysis. More information on the Food Security Phase Classification Approach in Nepal can be found at http://neksap.googlegroups.com/web/foodsecuritymonitoringatthelocallevel.pdf?hl=en&hl=en.


http://neksap.googlegroups.com/web/foodsecuritymonitoringatthelocallevel.pdf?hl=en&hl=en


Annex 2 – People consulted Dr. Yubraj Khatiwada, Vice Chairman, National Planning Commission Dr. R.D. Singh, Member, National Planning Commission Dr. Braja K. P. Shaha, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Mr. Richard F. Ragan, WFP Country Director Mr. U.K. Bhattrai, Joint Secretary, NPC Dr. Purusottam Mainali, Joint Secretary, MoAC Mr. Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya Joint Secretary, and colleagues, Ministry of Local Development Mrs. Dominique Hyde, WFP Deputy Country Director Mr. Pushpa Raj Shrestha, FSP Manager, WFP Ms. Bui Thi Lan, FAO Representative Mr. Lakshman Gautam, FAO Programme Officer Mr. Srawan Adhikari, FAO Project Officer Mr. Giuseppe Simeon, FAO/ECRU Mr. U.M. Malla, Director General and his Colleagues, Central Bureau of Statistics Mr. Vijaya K. Mallik, Director General, Department of Agriculture and his staff Mr. Bishnu Aryal, Deputy Director General, Department of Agriculture Dr. Bishnu D. Awasthi, Programme Director and his Colleagues, Agribusiness Promotion and Marketing Development Directorate Dr. Siddhi G. Shrestha, Programme Director, Directorate of Agric. Extension Mr. Lekha Nath Acharya, Programme Director, Directorate of Agricultural Training Mr. Suraj Pokheral, Programme Director, Ms. Neeru Dahal Pandey, Senior Agronomist, and Colleagues, Directorate of Crop Development Mr. Kamal Raj Gautam, Program Chief, Marketing Research and Statistics Management Program Mr. Ghanashyam Malla, Agri. Environment Section, NARC Mr. Birad Shrestha, Computer Specialist, Agribusiness Promotion and Marketing Development Directorate Mr. Ramesh Dangol, Statistics and Information Asst., Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Board. Mr. Thir Bahadur G.C., Under Secretary, Disaster Relief Section, Ministry of Home Affairs Mr. B.D. Thapa, Deputy General Manager, Nepal Food Corporation Mr. Kamal Budhathoki, Agro‐Meteorologist, DHM Mr. Saraju Kumar Baidya, Senior Divisional Meteorologist, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology Members of the Achham, Doti and Kailali District Food Security Networks Mr. Giap Dang and Mr. John Kennington, European Union Mr. Simon Lucas, Livelihood Advisor, DFID Ms. Gayatri Acharya, Senior Economist, World Bank Dr. William M. Patterson, Director, General Development Office, USAID Mr. Jed Meline, Deputy Mission Director, USAID Ms. Sheila Roquittee, Director, Program and Project Development Office, USAID Mr. Pragya Mathema, Nutrition Specialist and Mr. Zivai Murira, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF Mr. Dambar S. Nepali, Agriculture Extension Officer and his colleagues, Mid‐Western Regional Agricultural Directorate, Surkhet Mr. Raj Babu Shrestha, Executive Director and his coleagues, Poverty Alleviation Fund



Annex 3 – Food security institutions in Nepal

National Planning Commission National Planning Commission (NPC) is the apex advisory agency for the formulation of the national development policies, plan and evaluation of the periodic plans and programmes. Some of the main responsibilities of the NPC are as follow: • Formulate development policies and prepare periodic development plans; • Explore innovative approaches for sustainable development on the economic situation of the country • Advise the government on institutional development of monitoring and evaluation systems, to

monitor the implementation of programme and projects, and to carry out impact evaluation of plans, programmes and projects;

• Provide guidelines, advice, and suggestions to ministries, departments, other agencies and local bodies and assist them with plans, formulation of programmes and projects; and

• Provide guidelines for the collection of data and the conduct of action‐oriented research necessary for the evaluation of new policies and for the refinement of the planning process.

The NPC has five Divisions, including: Economic Management Division; Social Development Division; Infrastructure Development Division; Agriculture and Rural Infrastructure Division; and Poverty Monitoring Division. The Economic Management Division is responsible for macro policy analysis, programme and budget. In addition, this division also looks after industry, commerce, supply and tourism. Social Development Division is responsible for health, nutrition and population, whereas Infrastructure Development Division looks after water resources, energy, transport, housing, drinking water, information communication, science and technology. The Agriculture and Rural Development Division's responsibilities are agriculture, forest, land reform, local development, rural drinking water, small irrigation, rural road and also environment and sustainable development. The Poverty Monitoring Division is assigned to look after the monitoring and evaluation and poverty monitoring. Recently, the Food Security Monitoring Task Force has been convened by a member of the National Planning Commission with participation by secretaries of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Local Development, with Joint Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development division as its member‐secretary. The terms of reference of the Task Force are: • To evaluate the food security situation in the country; • To coordinate line ministries for preparing immediate action plans regarding food security; • To provide guidance for a mid‐term evaluation of the ongoing Interim Plan related to food security

matters; • To provide guidance for preparing policies, strategies, programs for the forthcoming plan; • To determine a food security monitoring mechanism; and • To prepare a long‐term food security perspective plan

Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives The main goal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) is to improve the standards of living of the people through sustainable agricultural development by transforming subsistence farming system to a competitive and commercial one. The major Divisions of the Ministry are i) Planning Division i) Monitoring and Evaluation iii) Gender Equity and Environment iv) Administration and v) Agribusiness Promotion and Statistics.



The Agribusiness Promotion and Statistics Division is responsible for the current agricultural statistics collection, processing and dissemination including regular crop and livestock situation monitoring and dissemination. This division collects information and data related to crops and livestock production, marketing information, weather, trade and other economic activities from various sources. With respect to crop, livestock and marketing situations, the information are collected through 75 district agriculture and livestock offices. The statistical activities are looked after by the Agricultural Statistics Section. This section has one senior statistics officer, two agricultural economists and other support staff. The staffs available are inadequate to carry out various responsibilities effectively, efficiently and on time. The section prepares and publishes a comprehensive report on "Statistical Information on Nepalese Agriculture" on an annual basis. This report contains areas, production and yield of various crops, production of livestock and its products, fishery production, information of inputs, marketing information, irrigation, population, food availability and requirement, weather data, government expenditure on agriculture, etc. Regular crop and livestock situation monitoring is one of the important activities of this section. The section receives information from all the 75 agriculture and livestock offices weekly and on a fortnightly basis. The Ministry prepares a bimonthly Crop and Livestock Situation Report. The report contains weekly actual rainfall data, generally expected weekly average rainfall data, and the number of days with more than 1 mm rainfall for 19 stations. It also includes crop and livestock situation reports‐ stages, conditions, and the likely impact of weather conditions and pest and diseases on crop and livestock production, situation of agriculture inputs, any disaster related to agriculture, etc for the two months. Brief situation reports by development regions and districts are also prepared. The finalization and dissemination of bimonthly reports are generally delayed. The delay in dissemination reduces the relevance of the information, which becomes historical. At the same time, the report contains subjective information and lacks precise and objective information. In MoAC, various committees are formed which are related to climatic change, relief programme, food coordination and food security. These are: • Disaster Management Coordination Committee (Focal Person, Joint Secretary, Agribusiness Promotion

and Statistics) • Climate Change and Adaptation Committee (Focal Person, Joint Secretary of Gender, Equity and

Environment Division) • Food Coordination Committee (Secretary of MOAC and WFP Representative Co‐chairs) • Food Security Working Group (Chairperson, Joint Secretary, MOAC) There is also a Geographic Information Section at MoAC, which carried out GIS based analysis and mapping activities.

Directorate of Agricultural Extension, Department of Agriculture The Department of Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is the primary organization responsible for the development of agriculture, particularly the crop sector. The overall objective of the department is to support and help achieve food security and poverty alleviation transforming agriculture through diversification and commercialization. The Department has 12 Programme Directorates. One of the main Directorates is Agricultural Extension Directorate. This Directorate among others is involved in crop monitoring activities.



There are 75 District Agriculture Development Offices and altogether 378 Agricultural Services Centers in these districts. The agricultural services centers collect information on weather and crop situation on a weekly basis and report to the district agricultural offices. The report contains planting situation by crops, crop stage, rainfall situation and damage and losses if any and reasons. The reports provide good information on crop situation. The district office however prepares very brief situation report and the reports are sent to Agricultural Extension Directorate at Kathmandu with the copies to Regional Agricultural Directorates and Agribusiness Promotion and Statistics Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives mainly by fax. The Agriculture Extension Directorate also prepares weekly crop situation report, which contains weather situation, planting stage, etc. by districts. It also prepares fortnightly crop updates with weather conditions, crops stage and condition, diseases and pest situation and availability of fertilizers. These are reported to MoAC. The directorate also prepares an annual report on the crop and weather situation by district. Reports are to be prepared on time and be made available to the regional offices and the concerned divisions of the ministry. The directorate is the main agency responsible for monitoring and supervision of these activities at the district level. The directorate staff needs capacity building including enhanced understanding of analytical methodologies and logistics support to make information relevant and reliable.

Agribusiness Promotion and Marketing Development Directorate, Department of Agriculture Agribusiness Promotion and Marketing Development Directorate (ABPMDD) of the Department of Agriculture is the major government institution responsible for carrying out various activities relating to agribusiness promotion and marketing of agricultural products. The Directorate has three technical sections, which are as follow: 1. Marketing Research & Statistics Management Programme 2. Agribusiness Promotion Programme 3. Agro Commodities Export Promotion Programme Some of the main functions of the Directorate are: • Construct and strengthen agricultural marketing infrastructures. • Collect and disseminate agricultural marketing information. • Formation of Agricultural Produce Market Management Committee (APMMCs) and handing over of

the management of agri‐market centers. • Create an environment for incentive prices for the farmers and help the consumers for improved

access to agricultural produce at reasonable prices. • Implement marketing extension programs. • Carry out relevant agriculture marketing research activities to support future marketing policies and

programs. • Facilitate and support agro entrepreneurs' associations for promoting agribusiness and export. • Provide technical backstopping to the field staff of the Department of Agriculture in the field of

marketing, prices and planning. Assist in the formulation of agribusiness and marketing policies • Conduct training for staff, district offices, traders and farmers The Directorate is collecting, among others, wholesale and retail prices of altogether 46 food grains, potatoes , vegetables, fruits, fish, oilseeds, ginger, garlic, chili, etc twice a month thru district agricultural development offices. Border retail price are also collected. Different media such as post, fax, and email are used in the transmission of the data from the districts to the centre. The main media is the post though more than 72 districts have telephone and 21 districts with email facilities. The data are received



late. The information are published in the Annual Special Issue of Agricultural Marketing Information Bulletin once a year, which contains, among others, time series data on annual average prices, monthly wholesale and retail prices of various commodities including meat, eggs, milk, etc. The bulletin also includes market arrivals in various markets including Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market, the largest wholesale market in the country. The other information available in the publication are trade data, food grains procured and distributed by Nepal Food Corporation, cost of production, food balance sheet, district wise food availability and requirements showing surplus or deficit. The district‐wise food grain availability and requirement include major cereals. However, potatoes are not included. Also not included is the movement of grains in and out of the districts. On the other hand, the Food Balance Sheets include production, changes in stock, export and import, uses for feed, seeds and wastages. The per capita supply per day, calorie, protein, fat etc. are shown in the balance sheet. The directorate receives information from all the districts. However, 21 districts are selected for the purpose of estimation of national average. The directorate supplies price information for 11 districts to the World Food Programme for the preparation of the Monthly Market Watch publication. The Directorate should disseminate the marketing information at least on a monthly basis to make it available for use by the various users. This requires some improvements in timely collection, transmission, and analysis and report preparation. The marketing information system of the Directorate needs to be reviewed and improved, in order to reach its potential for contributing to food security monitoring. There is a need to strengthen staff capability at central, as well as district level, through training, exposures visits, and seminars. At the same time, logistics support such as computers, vehicles and fax machines should be made available. The Directorate has the Marketing Research and Statistics Management Branch which publishes the cost of production and marketing situation of various crops by district. The Marketing Research and Statistics Management Programme is mandated, among others, to carry out various activities related to monitoring the situation of crops and livestock, including: • Collection of crop statistics; • Work on early warning of crop production; • Collection, analysis, and dissemination of retail, wholesale and farm gate prices of agricultural

commodities including inputs; and • Collection, preparation, and dissemination of district level food situation, food balance, etc. However, this branch is not currently carrying out these mandated activities. As stated above some of the activities related to price and food are done at directorate level.

This branch has one Chief Agricultural Economist, one Senior Statistician, one Senior Agricultural Economist, two Agricultural Economists and one Agricultural Extension Officer. In view of the responsibilities and the availability of qualified manpower this branch should be strengthened to implement the mandated activities. Some adjustments of staff already working in the field of marketing information and food balance at the directorate level can be helpful.

Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Committee One of the main and important activities is the collection and dissemination of marketing information such as market arrival by commodities and sources and prices. The arrival and the price trend of various vegetables indicate the fluctuations in supply and availability. Price information is collected by 07:00 in the morning. Information used to be broadcast through the national radio station daily in the early evening. However, national radio broadcasts have been discontinued from July/August 2009. The



information is now disseminated through local FM radios and newspapers. Also, market information is distributed to various government and non‐government agencies mainly through email. The current information is available also in the website www.kalimatimarket.com. Recently, the Board has introduced a notice board service. The number to be dialed is 1618070766666.

Department of Livestock Services The goal of the Department of Livestock Service is to contribute to the poverty reduction in the country through livestock development. The department has four directorates namely Animal Health, Livestock Services Training and Extension, Livestock Production and Livestock Market Promotion. There are five Regional Livestock Services Directorates, 75 district livestock services offices and Livestock Service Centers and Sub‐Centers. The Livestock Market Promotion Directorate is responsible for livestock marketing information collection and dissemination, provide market support services and improve technical capabilities of farmers and others involved in marketing and market management. It collects prices of milk and milk products, meat, eggs, live animals, hide and skin, raw materials for feed, etc from the district offices on a monthly basis. In addition, information on live animal arrivals to Kathmandu is collected on a regular basis. The Directorate publishes Livestock Market Bulletins both monthly and trimester (once every four‐months),,which include mainly monthly average prices by districts. The Department collects information on livestock situation from the district on a monthly basis. The information is submitted to the Ministry. There is the need for strengthening livestock situation monitoring, analysis and dissemination on time. This calls for, among others, system development, as well as capability improvements.

Central Bureau of Statistics The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) under the National Planning Commission Secretariat is the national agency for the design, collection, consolidation, processing, analysis, publication and dissemination of statistics. It also functions as the national coordinating agency. The organization has three divisions namely Social Statistics, Economics Statistics and Planning and Human Resources Management. The Social Statistics Division covers population survey, household survey, GIS and other social statistics. The Economics Statistics Division is responsible for manufacturing establishment census and survey, national accounts, agricultural statistics, environment statistics, price and business statistics. The third division looks after planning, coordination, human resources and administration. The CBS has 33 Statistics branch offices. Some of the main functions of the organization are as follow: • Provide necessary statistics to Government for the formulation of plans, policy and programmes. • Collection, processing and analysis of data related to the socio‐economic sector. • Develop definitions and scientific methodologies for reliable data collection and implementation. • Coordinate various agencies' data collection activities and avoid duplications. • Identify statistical information requirements of various Ministries of the Government • Investigate new improved methodologies and technologies in order to enhance the reliability and

relevance of data and information. • Coordinate with various agencies for maintaining consistency and uniformity for quality

of national level statistics. • Organize trainings, seminars and workshops in the field of statistics. The CBS conducts a population and housing census every ten years, an agriculture census every ten years, and a manufacturing establishments survey every five years. It carries out surveys of crop and livestock thru statistical branch offices. One district office covers more than one district. The information covers


http://www.kalimatimarket.com/


area cultivated and production of various crops, price received by the farmers, livestock production, and inputs. The aggregate information covers more than a district. Hence district level information is not available from this source. CBS relies upon the information available from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

Department of Hydrology and Meteorology The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) is under the Ministry of Environment. The department has four main Divisions such as Hydrology Division, Climatology Division, Meteorological Forecasting Division and Coordination Division. The Climatology Division has a Climatology section, an Agro‐meteorology section, a Wind and Solar Energy Section and a Data Section. The Meteorological Forecasting Division consists of three main units: a Communication Unit, an Aviation Unit and a general Weather Forecasting Unit. The DHM has nation‐wide networks of 337 precipitation stations, 154 hydrometric stations, 20 sediment stations, 68 climatic stations, 22 agro‐meteorological stations, 9 synoptic stations and 6 Aero‐synoptic stations. Various technologies such as wireless communication, meteor burst, radiosonde, Satellite Distribution Information System, weather fax and satellite picture receiving system are used to collect data. The main activities, among others, are: • Collect and disseminate hydrological and meteorological information for water resources, agriculture,

energy and development activities • Issue hydrological and meteorological forecasts for public, civil aviation, mountaineering expedition

and for the mitigation of natural disasters • Promote relationship with national and international organizations in the areas of hydrology and

meteorology The department has 337 rainfall stations. Around 30 stations provide daily rainfall data during monsoon season. 15 synoptic stations make available data every three hours thru wireless. It publishes weekly weather summary of 20 stations and annual weather summary. DHM has daily precipitation records of the country. Besides, there are various publications on hydrology and climatology. There is the need for rain‐fed agricultural seasonal forecasting. There is the lack of adequate trained manpower and facilities to work in the field of agro‐meteorological forecasting. There is only one agro‐meteorologist in DHM. Agro‐meteorological monitoring, analysis and forecasting is one of the main components of food security monitoring. This component should be integrated with the national food security monitoring system. The DHM provides information to National Agricultural Research Council (NARC) which is also responsible for agro‐meteorological crop yield assessment. The DHM has set‐up eight agro‐meteorological stations in different agricultural research stations. However, there are problems of adequate manpower with technical know‐how. There is the need of collaboration among NARC, DHM, and MOAC to come with agro meteorological crop yield assessment and early warning.

Ministry of Commerce and Supplies Ministry of Commerce and Supplies is the main organization for the management of supplies of basic essentials including food items and also monitoring market situation.

Some of the main functions, among others, of the Ministry are as follow: • Policy formulation, planning and implementation related to commerce, supply of essential



commodities, mines and mineral exploration. • Certification and promotion relating to standard & metrology. • Monitoring activities of corporations and companies in the areas of commerce and supplies. • Study and research in the field of internal and international trade. • Operation of government & public trades. • Treaty, Agreement, Bilateral & Multilateral intergovernmental trade negotiations and evaluation of

activities related to trade and transit. • Co‐operation and Co‐ordination with agencies related to national, regional, international trade and

transit. • Study, research, survey, analysis and training on supplies of essential commodities. • Protection of consumer rights & welfare. • Plan and programme development on food supply to ensure food security.

The Ministry is responsible for monitoring the food supply situation and distribution of food in the deficit districts. It is also actively involved in disaster management.

Nepal Food Corporation The Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) was established in 1974 under the Development Board Act, 1964. The corporation has 8 Zonal offices, 27 branch offices and 59 depots. Altogether there are 6 departments, which are: Planning, Sales and Distribution, Internal Audit and Monitoring, Procurement, Administration and Finance. The total staff strength is 601 of which the central office has 120 staff and the rest in the zonal, districts and depots. It has 160 warehouses with the total capacity of 97,620 Metric Tons.

The main functions of the organization are as follow: • Management of food grains supply for the effective implementation of the Food Policy of the

Government of Nepal • Procurement, transportation, storage, sale and distribution of food grains • Protect the interest of farmers and consumers • Maintain stock of food grains to ensure food security • Develop infrastructures such as storage, mills • Mobilization of food grains received under food aid from friendly countries and international

organizations During the Tenth Plan period 31,760 metric tons of food grains was distributed at subsidized prices in 30 inaccessible remote food deficit districts. The annual average distribution target for the current fiscal year is 11,980 metric tons. The target is fixed based on the demand from the district committees, total budget allocated by the government, previous year distribution volume and stock position. It maintains the emergency reserve stock of 15,000 metric tons. Besides, it is mandated to maintain SAARC reserve stock of 4000 metric tons.

Ministry of Home Affairs The Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) is the lead agency for disaster management in the country. The MOHA is mandated to be the focal point for disaster relief and rescue, as governed by the Natural Disaster Relief Act, 1982. Some of the main disaster management strategies are as follow: • Carry out rescue and relief works in disaster affected areas • Protect and reduce the loss of life and property • Mitigate the sufferings of the people



• Prepare hazard maps of disaster prone areas • Rehabilitate the disaster victims • Raise funds, resources and relief materials and distribute them to disaster affected areas • Raise disaster awareness among the people • Coordinate among different agencies involved in disaster management • Mobilize the non‐government agencies in rescue and relief works • Build capacity at different levels and provide training at the grass root level for the management of

disaster • Mobilize internal and external resources for rehabilitation and reconstruction • Assessment of damages, collection, analysis and dissemination of information • Form teams and send them to disaster areas for relief works

Disaster Management Committee There is a Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee chaired by the Minister for Home Affairs. The members are Ministers for Housing and Physical Planning and Health, Secretaries of various ministries and Commission, Nepal Army, Police, Red Cross Society. The Committee recommends the government to declare the areas affected as the disastrous areas. It also formulates policies regarding relief and rescue works and prepares programmes and implement or direct to implement the policies and programmes. Besides the agencies mentioned above, various international agencies are involved in disaster preparedness and management works. The important agencies are UNDP, USAID, WFP, GTZ, SCF, JICA, OXFAM, CARE, IRCS, and ADPC etc. At the district level, there is a District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC) headed by Chief District Officer with members from various political parties, Nepal Army and Police, representatives from agriculture, health, forest, irrigation, agricultural development bank, local development office and others. This DDRC is responsible for coordination of relief works at local community level, formulate district relief plan and programmes, monitor the relief works, and work as per the directives of the Central and the Regional Committees. The Local Disaster Relief Committee is the main agency in implementing the relief and rescue works at the local level. In order to manage and operate the rescue, relief and rehabilitation works on time effectively and efficiently there are provisions, among others, of the Central Disaster Relief Fund and the District Disaster Relief Fund. The natural disasters are mainly due to flood, landslides and drought. Their occurrences are quite frequent.

Department of Health, Child Health Division Child Health Division of Department of Health has three Sections: Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), Community‐based Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (CB‐IMCI), and Nutrition Program. The objectives of the Nutrition Program are: • To reduce protein‐energy malnutrition in children under 5 years of age and reproductive aged women • To reduce the prevalence of anemia among women and children • To virtually eliminate iodine deficiency disorders and sustains the elimination • To virtually eliminate vitamin A deficiency and sustain the elimination • To reduce the infestation of intestinal worms among children and pregnant women • To reduce the prevalence of low birth weight • To improve household food security to ensure that all people can have adequate access, availability

and utilization of food needed for healthy life



• To promote the practice of good dietary habits to improve the nutritional status of all people • To prevent and control infectious diseases to improve nutritional status and reduce child mortality • To control the incidence of life‐style related diseases (coronary artery disease, hypertension, tobacco

and smoke related diseases, cancer, diabetes etc) • To improve health and nutritional status of school children • To reduce the critical risk of malnutrition and life during exceptionally difficult circumstances • To strengthen the system for analyzing, monitoring and evaluating the nutrition situation The main functions of the Nutrition Section are: • Planning of the annual program for centre and districts; • Training management and conduction; • Educational material and logistic work plan preparation and Institutional coordination to ensure the

availability of logistic supply; • Regular and time‐bound supervision, monitoring, evaluation and feedback to the concern districts as

per need; • Coordination with the regional health director and donor agencies to monitor and evaluation of the

program for effective implementation; • Report submission to the concern agencies; • Support MoHP for the policy formulation regarding Nutrition programme; Outputs of Nutrition Programmes: • increased access to and utilization of iron tablets by pregnant and post‐partum women • reduced iron deficiency anemia among pregnant and post‐partum women • improved nutritional status of children, pregnant and lactating women through utilization of MCHC

program • reduced malnutrition among under‐fives through micronutrient supplementation and multi‐sect oral

approach • reduced night blindness among children and pregnant women through supplementation of vitamin A

capsule and dietary diversification • reduced iodine deficiency disorders through use of iodized packet salt • reduced burden of worm infestations among children and pregnant women through deworming

(albendazole) tablets • Increased awareness about breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices through

Breastfeeding week and Nutrition week activities. Some major constraints of Nutrition Programmes are as follow: • inadequate supply of iron tablets • insufficient number of salter (weighing) scales in districts • insufficient rehabilitation centers for severely malnourished children in all regions • inadequate human resources at central level • inadequate budget for replacement/maintenance of equipment • nutrition skill and knowledge not updated to health workers • weak supervision and monitoring • lack of periodic impact assessment • weak coordination among stakeholders



Trade and Export Promotion Centre, Ministry of Commerce and Supplies The Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TECP) is the one of the major organizations involved, among others, in the collection, processing and dissemination of foreign trade statistics. Some of the major functions of TEPC are as given below: • Suggest the concerned government organizations to formulate policies to develop and expand

country' trade • Organize national and international trade fairs to promote internal trade • Expand internal and external markets of agricultural and non‐agricultural rural products • Collection and distribution of information related to trade • Organize seminars, workshops and training on areas related to trade. • Develop trade information centre There is the management committee under the chairmanship of secretary for Ministry of Commerce and Supplies with representatives from Department of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, Nepal Federation of Commerce and Industry, two Professionals and Executive Director as Member‐Secretary. The centre has four divisions: 1. Trade Information, Statistics and Research with Trade Statistics and Analysis Section 2. Product Development Division 3. Market Promotion and Trade Fair 4. Trade Policies, Training and Administration At the central level, there are the provision of 43 officers, 53 assistants and 29 support staff. The centre publishes regularly monthly trade newsletters and four monthly trade bulletins. Besides, it had published Nepal Overseas Trade Statistics and A Glimpse of Nepal's Foreign Trade for the year 2007/08. The Nepal Overseas Trade Statistics include detail information on export to and imports from different countries by commodities including food. The centre has published "A Glimpse of Nepal's Foreign Trade" with detail information on exports and imports of the country.



Annex 4 – National basic staple food balance sheet

Methodological Note The National food balance sheet is a means to summarize the aggregate impact of a shortage in domestic production by comparing total domestic utilization, based on apparent consumption in a reference year, with supplies (assessed domestic production, stocks, anticipated imports) in a year when domestic production may have fallen short. In this case, the ‘reference year’ level for apparent consumption is expressed as the per capita consumption of basic staples ‐ usually the main cereals ‐ calculated as the average of total utilization over several years. Even though per capita yearly consumption levels vary across countries, it would be arbitrary for the analyst to set the level of how people perceive a loss due to a shortfall in production as something other than the difference between a food diet at a critical time and food consumption in a normal year. Average per capita consumption is, therefore, used as the status quo ex ante level of consumption for comparison purposes with a year of lower domestic production. Caveat ‐ The cereal or cereal‐equivalent balance sheet provides a quick overview of the expected aggregate food supply situation in the country during the coming marketing year. However, the final product, as in any synthesis, incorporates many assumptions and simplifications that the user needs to keep in mind, to draw sound conclusions: • the findings from a short and discrete CFSAM exercise undertaken shortly before the main harvest can

only be taken as best estimates at that point in time, and only as a very approximate forecast for the coming year. Ideally, the balance sheet should be updated when additional information becomes available, particularly with respect to domestic production and commercial imports; and

• as an aggregate summary for the country (or a region), a food balance sheet does not provide any information on the inequalities in access to food among the country’s population, nor does it, in itself, show whether food flows from surplus to deficit areas take place and, if so, with what degree of economic efficiency.

The balance sheet is expressed as follows: Projected utilization = Projected domestic supplies + Total import requirements1

Projected utilization (forecast total requirements) includes: domestic requirements – the quantities needed for human consumption, seed, animal feed, industrial use (for products not for human consumption), and closing stocks – plus post‐harv/est losses and exports. Projected domestic supplies include: opening stocks and forecast domestic production. The difference between projected utilization (total requirements) and projected domestic supplies needs to be made up by imports, which include government imports, private commercial imports and food aid. Food aid on hand and in the pipeline includes all forms of donor‐financed food imports (programme food aid from bilateral donors, food aid for development projects, and emergency food aid, if any). The CFSAM Team must establish the best possible estimates for all the elements listed above in order to arrive at an estimate for the uncovered import requirement, if any. The panel below provides some brief notes on the various elements of a balance sheet.

1 Import requirement only when projected utilization exceeds projected domestic supplies.



Notes on the main elements of a National Basic Food Balance Sheet Production estimates for total production of the main staples are based on area and yield estimates. Production forecasts for any second‐season crops, however, can only be projections based on historical data and information on how the planted area or the availability of inputs might vary from what was ‘normal’, taking account of any land that has become inaccessible for any reason and any changes in cultivation patterns. Stocks include public stocks (marketing board, national security stocks) and private stocks (traders, farmers). While public and traders’ stocks can be assessed through interviews, on‐farm stocks can only be roughly estimated on the basis of rural cereal production compared with needs over the last few marketing years. (N.B. Food aid stocks are not included here; they are counted in imports as food aid on hand). Food Use (human consumption) is the largest component of projected utilization. For previous marketing years, total apparent consumption of staple foods is calculated as difference between (i) the total available supplies (domestic supplies + imports), and (ii) the total utilization for all purposes other than human food consumption use. Per capita apparent consumption is then calculated. Projected requirements are then estimated using the estimated national population at mid‐marketing year for the coming year. Seed uses are estimated on the basis of anticipated area to be planted for next season, widely accepted standard seeding rates in the country or historical figures possibly adjusted according to conditions prevailing at the time, including anticipated replantings. Feed use is estimated from data on intensive and semi‐intensive livestock feeding operations, including the back‐yard livestock feeding. Industrial use generally refers to use of grains for production of biofuels. Processed foods are not included in this category, but under food use. Post‐harvest losses generally are based on the regional norms by crop adjusted by examining the storage, transport and handling conditions in the country. Exports (registered and unregistered) can take place even when the overall supply balance is negative, especially when surplus areas are much closer to deficit zones across the border than within the country, and when the foreign exchange needs are paramount. Estimates are based on historic trends, adjusted, if necessary, to forecast conditions. Commercial Imports often consist of a combination of public and private imports. Public cereal imports tend to be determined by a mix of policy choices, budgetary resources, and foreign exchange reserves. Private commercial imports, on the other hand, tend to be driven by the importers’ perception of national effective demand (i.e. the extent to which people have purchasing power to buy imported food), and their perceptions of the intentions of Government and food aid donors in relation to public importation of food. The interaction between public, food aid and private import strategies can be quite complex and yield both unexpected outcomes and substantial economic inefficiencies. Food aid (as used here) comprises all donor‐funded imports including programme food aid and targeted food aid for development and emergency programmes. It does not include commodities purchased locally for food aid programmes. It may include emergency government imports funded by special donor grants or even emergency loans. Great care is needed when establishing estimates for each item but the most critical and difficult elements are projected domestic production and projected private commercial imports. Estimating domestic production is particularly difficult in countries where there is a significant secondary harvest. Estimating commercial imports is always difficult and sensitive, as such imports depend not only on domestic prices and traders’ capacities but also on government policies, the availability of foreign exchange and traders’ perceptions of effective demand and the commercial risks involved. Those risks are influenced by government policies and any uncertainties concerning what the government and aid organizations may import and when such supplies might arrive.



Sample Staple Food Balance Sheet (’000 tonnes)

Maize Rice milled 1/

Sorghum /Millet

Wheat Cassava in cereal equiv. 2/

Sweet potatoes in cereal equiv. 3/

Total in cereal equiv.

Domestic availability [1] 1 712 44 63 4 692 440 2 955 Opening stocks 7 1 2 10 Production 1 705 43 63 2 692 440 2 945 Total utilization (required) [2] 2 062 44 63 62 692 440 3 363 Food use 1 791 36 62 60 382 287 2 617 Seed use 38 2 19 0 60 Animal feed & industrial uses 20 20 Post‐harvest losses 256 1 6 0 207 132 603 Closing stocks 60 1 2 63 Exports 0 Cross commodity substitution ‐103 4 ‐24 102 22 0 Import requirements [2 – 1] 350 0 0 58 0 0 408 Estimated commercial imports (Government plus private – registered & unregistered)

294 58 352

Food aid in stock & in pipeline 15 15

Uncovered import requirement 41 0 0 0 0 0 41 Notes: This example includes cassava and sweet potatoes, both converted in cereal equivalent, and also a line for cross‐commodity substitution effects by which surpluses in these two items reduce import requirements for maize and sorghum/millets. In other cases, this line can transfer identified deficits of non‐importable commodities, such as millets and/or sorghum, to additional import requirements of importable ones, such as maize. 1/ Paddy rice converted to milled rice at an extraction rate of 63 percent. 2/ Cassava cereal equivalent of 32 percent. Production based on the area harvestable within the 12 months of this marketing year. 3/ Sweet potato cereal equivalent of 28 percent.



Annex 5 – Composition of food security unit Position Main responsibilities Joint‐Secretary (Division Chief) Overall guidance, strategic direction, liaison with national food

security task force, etc Senior Agricultural Statistician/Food Security expert

Head of the Unit, responsible for management of the unit

Agriculture/market economist Analysis of trends on agricultural markets and prices and its relation with food security, drafting of market watch

Food Security Analyst Analysis of food security situation, drafting of information products GIS/RS analyst Analysis of spatial data in GIS environment and mapping of food

security and related indicators Data Analyst Data and information management, use of statistical software

packages Project assistant Assist in the management of office, collection of information, etc.

Within the initial year of developing the food security unit the functions of Market Specialist, Food Security Analyst and GIS/Mapping can also be supported by seconded WFP FSMAU staff.



Annex 6 – District Food Security Network Food security monitoring requires constant and periodic data collection. But producing these data at regular intervals for small, and very different, geographical areas is particularly challenging, especially when available financial and technical resources are limited. Therefore receiving inputs from knowledgeable local actors can increase the availability of information and create the basis for convergence of evidence to support a phase classification statement. The structure, functioning and membership of the DFSNs in each district is been decided by local stakeholders. The DFSNs are coordinated by the representative of one of the major local administration bodies either the Chief District Officer or Local Development Officer, with secretariat functions ensured by the local representative of the Ministry of Agriculture. For the purpose of consistency, it may be proposed that CDO could serve as the chairperson of these networks, with LDO as the co‐chair person and District Agriculture Officer as the member secretary. The networks meet quarterly to complete the analysis templates and produce a draft food security phase classification map of the district. Small technical working groups, formed by the WFP Field Monitor and two to three DFSN members are usually established to facilitate the work. The technical working groups are in charge of preparing a draft of the quarterly district food security map, completion of the analysis templates and preparation of the food security district bulletin. DFSN Partners/Members: Meteorological Office, Health Office, Livestock Office, District Administration Office, District Development Office, WFP, Statistics Office, INGO/NGO Representatives, District Agricultural Inputs Company, District Chamber of Commerce, and civil society representatives. Technical Working Group members: Planning Officer, Extension Officer, WFP field monitor, NGO staff. DFSN task and responsibilities: • Monitor the crop situation, market situation, inputs supply, food distribution, health and nutrition

status and level of food stock among all communities in the district • Coordinate and promote the exchange of information related to food security among district food

security agencies • Build consensus among member agencies regarding the food security situation of the district • Verify and validate the food security phase classification map on a quarterly or 6 monthly basis. • Approve the draft District Food Security Bulletin • Distribute reports, information, and maps to participating organizations and other concerned local

organizations. • Ensure timely flow of information to concerned regional and central level government and non‐

government organizations Technical working group task and responsibilities: • Ensure data collection is done by concerned member agencies • Compile the data and ensure consistency of the information • Provide technical support to members for data collection • Facilitate District Food Security Network Meeting • Prepare the draft food security phase classification map, fully complete the analysis templates and

synthesis reports • Compile the draft District Food Security Bulletin Role of DFSN Individual Member Agencies • Appoint Focal Person to the DFSN • Collect or share relevant food security information



• Ensure that the Focal Person attends the DFSN meeting • Complete the food security information sharing form



Annex 7 – Detailed work plan 2010

Component Activity Responsible agency

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Institutional set up – Central Level

• Adopt NeKSAP Framework / Plan of Action

NPC / MoAC / WFP

• Set‐up Food Security Unit in MoAC MoAC • Assign staff to FS unit ( Annex V) MoAC / WFP

• Procurement / hand‐over of

equipment WFP

• Draft and sign MoU MoAC / WFP

• Ensure NeKSAP expenses are

reflected in new annual budget MoAC

• Form working groups around specific information products (FS bulletin, Market Watch, Crop Situation Update etc)

NPC (FSMTF) / MoAC / WFP

Institutional Set‐up – District Level

• Expansion of DFSN to all districts of Nepal (excl Kathmandu / Lalitpur / Bhaktapur)

WFP / MoAC

• ToR FSDN WFP/MoAC

• Define task and responsibilities of

DFSN members

• Letter from Central level to DADO

with instructions to take on the role of the secretariat of the DFSN

MoAC

• Letter from Central level to

CDO/LDO informing them of the DFSN and sharing ToR

NPC (FSMTF)/MoAC/ Concerned line ministries

Technical support

• Database system set up in FS unit

• Accelerated data transmission

from FSDN to Food Security Unit



• GIS / mapping of FS phase

classification maps

• NeKSAP website development

with distribution list facility

• Balance sheet development

o local consultant FAO

o Training in Kathmandu FAO o Follow‐up by local consultant FAO

Capacity building

• National workshop on FS with the participation of policy level/decision making authorities

WFP / MoAC

• FSM Training at central level with the participation of major stakeholders at central and regional levels (DoA, Regional Directorate)

WFP / MoAC

• Pilot on district food security

monitoring training modules

• Food security monitoring training

to DFSN members in all 72 districts (excl. KTM valley districts)

WFP / MoAC

• Advanced training to MoAC food

security unit staff. WFP / MoAC

Products preparation

• Food Security Bulletin NPC / MoAC / WFP / others

X X X X

• District Food Security Bulletin DFSN X X X X

• Food Security phase classification

map DFSN / MoAC / WFP

X X X X

• Crop Situation Update MoAC/WFP/FAO

X X

• Market Watch MoAC/WFP/FNCCI/CPIF

X X X X X X X X X X X X

Surveys • Quarterly household surveys using

NLSS sampling frame WFP



• Crop production verification and

impact mission MoAC/WFP/FAO

• Emergency nutrition assessment UNICEF/WFP • NLSS 3 CBS / WB

NeKSAP projects

• Proposal for enhancing the market and price monitoring system of the Department of Agriculture

MoAC/WFP/ FAO

• Proposal for monitoring rainfall

and climate FAO

• Explore possibilities for nutrition

surveillance MoH/WFP/UNICEF/HKI

• Second phase project


Documents

Framework Document - World Food Programme · • Sanitation and safe water MoHP Poor or non‐existing ... of which is used for such products as Crop and Livestock Situation Reports,