Food and Nutrition Security Plan of Action (FNSP).

Food and Nutrition Security Plan of Action (FNSP) is national cross-sectoral document of Nepal covering the period of 2013-2023. The main objective of FNSP is to reduce hunger, malnutrition and poverty among the poorest households by improving sustainable agricultural-based livelihoods.
In the area of nutrition, the document provides for dissemination of food-based dietary guidelines for improving awareness of locally available food and its role in improving human nutritional status and health outcomes. Also, it aims for an improved dietary behaviour at household level; availability of nutritious family snacks at community level contributing to improved nutrition status of the local population; and conducting baseline food consumption and nutrition survey, including Dietary Diversity Index by representative regions and ethnic groups.
Further, key interventions considered under the FNSP to increase production and productivity of agriculture field crops, particularly cereals, pulses and oilseeds, are increased availability of and access to improved seeds of all crops; more responsive, wider reaching and more tightly focused extension services targeted mainly on producer groups and based largely on PPPs with private extension workers and supported by research that is more location-focused and more responsive to local needs; improvement of small-scale irrigation, including by transferring irrigation management to Water Users’ Associations; supporting market development for surplus production from home garden to generate income; supporting farmers in accessible areas to produce and market sub-tropical and temperate fruit, vegetables and spices; enabling producer groups to be part of an organized value-chain; increase in dairy production and productivity; increase in production and productivity of fodder and pasture; and enhanced fish production in lakes by community in-cage fish culture, and its replications in irrigation barrages and hydro-power reservoirs, community ponds and household ponds. In addition, FNSP also relates to trade envisaging comprehensive policy on food safety that embraces the entire value-chain including the producers, consumers, regulations on food business operators, exporters and importers; a modern Food Act (with directives, guidelines and standards) that is prescriptive, and creates an enabling environment conducive to the development of marketing and trade of agricultural products as well as ensures that all foodstuffs sold meet acceptable standards, prevents and punishes food adulteration, and promotes food traceability; and trained personnel and awareness including producers, processors, food handlers and traders, policy makers, regulators, food inspectors, and consumers, for health protection and promotion of trade. Finally, the FNSP also envisages the provision of grant as group productive asset build up to ensure that the poorest of the households develop sustainable livelihoods. The micro-finance is, therefore, mainstreamed in all of the productive components, e.g. livestock, agriculture, horticulture, forestry and fisheries, by providing grants to groups, which is to remain part of the group assets as a revolving fund- building on the successful approach adopted by the Poverty Alleviation Fund.
In the area of disaster preparedness, the document notes that Central Disaster Relief Committee and District Disaster Relief Committees provide opportunities to address food emergencies. FNSP also addresses diseases and pest control indicating that increased veterinary service coverage will be provided to this end.
The implementation of FNSP will be the responsibility mainly of devolved local government with coordination by different line Ministries and other stakeholders. The Poverty Alleviation Fund modality of implementation and financial management as well as M&E system will be adopted to implement the FNSP. Monitoring the FNSP will be part of the Fund’s revised monitoring system in partnership with Ministry of Agricultural Development. Specific monitoring indicators relevant to each of FNSP components have been developed, which need to be incorporated as part of the Fund’s and the Ministry’s monitoring system.