Nepal Agriculture and Food Security Project (AFSP)

Start & End Date: 2013-2018

Country/Countries: Nepal

Multilateral Institution(s) Involved: World Bank

In the Mid- and Far- West regions of Nepal, 37% of people are below the poverty line compared to the national average of 25.16%, yields of major crops are typically 25% below the national average, and consumption of animal products, such as meat and eggs, is among the lowest in the world. Chronic maternal and child malnutrition is a serious problem, with malnutrition and stunting affecting about half of the nation’s children. The prevalence of hunger is also the highest in the South Asia region – in these remote areas, food availability and access is largely dependent on local production, yet productivity is one of the lowest in the region and barely enough to meet needs. Natural disasters, often triggered by extreme weather events, significantly impact agricultural productivity and livelihoods.

AFSP enhanced the food and nutrition security of vulnerable communities in specific areas of Nepal by increasing food availability and crop and livestock productivity, improving feeding practices, promoting diversified diets, and strengthening feeding and care practices for pregnant and nursing women and children up to two years of age. Further, the project supported nutrition-sensitive agricultural activities, including generating and adapting technology to increase yields and production intensities of nutritious crops and fish for farmers. Specific nutrition activities promoted behavior change through community-based nutrition programs to improve dietary intake.

AFSP reached 656,245 poor people (target of 560,000). The project reported an increased yield of more than 100 percent for all crops, with paddy at 180 percent, wheat at 124 percent, maize at 122 percent, potato at 112 percent, goat meat at 105 percent, eggs at 251 percent, and milk (cow and buffalo) at 111 percent. Improved dietary intake among women and children yielded similar results, with 89 percent of pregnant/nursing women meeting the minimum required animal protein intake against a baseline of 56 percent), 78 percent of pregnant/nursing women meeting the required fruit and vegetable intake against a baseline of 57 percent, and 80 percent of children ages 6–24 months meeting the infant and young child feeding indicators against a baseline of 42 percent.