Kathmandu. Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ramnath Adhikari has said that the Government of Nepal is committed to ensure the right to food as a basic human right as a welfare state.

Addressing the inaugural session and ministerial roundtable of the United Nations Food System Transformation Stake Tech Summit (UNFSS4) held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from July 27 to 29, he said the right to food has been provided as a fundamental right in the Constitution of Nepal and the Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act and Regulations have been issued for its implementation.

“It is not only a legal arrangement but also a political and moral responsibility that will guide national efforts,” he said. Minister Adhikari stressed the need for a small economy like Nepal to develop and strengthen the local food system to meet the challenges posed by landlocked, climate-prone and vulnerable hilly terrain, deteriorating ecosystem, biodiversity loss and increasing food and agricultural imports and increased consumption of unhealthy food.

Referring to various initiatives taken by the government to support and empower the local farming community and women and youth under the efforts to develop and strengthen the local food system, he said priority has been given to the production and value chain development of nutritious local and indigenous crops.

Minister Adhikari said that a campaign has been launched to use local products in school mid-day meals and it has a positive impact on teaching and learning by reducing malnutrition of school children, as well as supporting the rural economy and also helping in the development of a resilient local food system.

Similarly, he said that various practices of sustainable and resilient agriculture including environmental agriculture, organic farming, climate-friendly agriculture and agro-biodiversity conservation, agro-forestry system have been promoted.

Minister Adhikari also called for international cooperation in this direction as Nepal’s financial and institutional capacity to transform the current food system to make it sustainable, resilient and inclusive to address the challenges posed by food production and the overall food system due to improving food security and nutrition status and climate change as a low-income country.