Nepal is an independent nation with a constitutional guarantee of food security. Since the establishment of democracy nearly three decades ago, many new development opportunities have opened up in the country. These opportunities can be pursued equally based on the needs, participation, and priorities of the citizens.

When making development plans and policies, it is necessary to understand that food security is an important fundamental right of the citizen. For this, the development of the agricultural sector is essential, because agriculture is the main basis of food security.

Nepal has been implementing periodic five-year development plans since 2013. In all those plans, agriculture and food security have always been the priority of the state. However, even after the establishment of democracy, many challenges have been faced in food security due to armed conflict, natural disasters, blockade with India, and epidemics such as COVID-19. Despite that, Nepal has done some important work in this area. Now, strengthening those efforts and spreading correct information and understanding about food security among the people is the great need of the day.

After the restoration of democracy in 2046, Nepal has made important policy reforms in various sectors. The most important achievement among those reforms is ensuring food security as a fundamental right of the citizen through the Constitution of BS 2072. The Constitution also embraces food sovereignty and guarantees access to safe, adequate and nutritious food to every citizen. In addition, the sole and shared responsibility of the federal, provincial and local governments on food security is clearly mentioned in the Schedules to the Constitution.

Based on this constitutional basis, the Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act was promulgated in 2075 BS. This has paved the way for the implementation of policy provisions. According to the Act, provisions have been made for the formation of Food Security Councils at the federal and provincial levels and Food Security Coordination Committees at the local levels. This has helped in implementing food security programs in an inclusive, participatory and accountable manner.

From the production perspective, the production of the main crop rice increased from 3.3 million metric tons in 2048 BS to 5.9 million metric tons in 2078 BS. Similarly, there has been a significant increase in fisheries, vegetable and fruit production. Since agriculture is the basic sector of food security, the National Farmers Commission has been formed to protect and empower farmers' rights. This commission has played an important role in institutionalizing the problems, needs and voices of farmers to the policy-making level. From a production perspective, the production of the main crop, rice, increased from 3.3 million metric tons in 2048 BS to 5.9 million metric tons in 2078 BS. Similarly, there has been a significant increase in fisheries, vegetable and fruit production. This has not only contributed to food availability but also to nutritional security. Expansion of supporting infrastructure and services is essential to increase production and productivity. The agricultural road network, which was about 9,000 kilometers in 2048 BS, has reached about 110,000 kilometers by 2081 BS. This has facilitated the supply of agricultural inputs and the transportation of produced goods to the market.

The expansion in the financial sector is also a positive aspect for food security. While limited services were available through 12 banks and financial institutions and 441 branches in 2048 BS, services have expanded to 112 banks and financial institutions and about 12,000 branches by 2080 BS. This has increased farmers' access to credit, insurance and other financial services.

The media sector also plays an important role in the development of the agriculture and food sectors. Currently, about 75 percent of the population has access to mass media. Similarly, electricity generation has increased from 27 

MW and 14 percent of consumers in 2047 to 3400 MW and 97 percent of consumers in 2080. With increased access to electricity, market management and export promotion have become possible through irrigation, processing, storage, humidification centers and electronic means. In addition, the use of alternative energy for sustainable and environmentally friendly farming is also increasing.

The fact that 79.9 percent of the population has access to basic sanitation and 53.9 percent to drinking water is also a positive achievement directly linked to food and nutrition security. The concept of agricultural mechanization and custom hiring centers has been put forward to address the labor shortage created due to youth migration. Such centers are working to easily provide necessary equipment to farmers, reduce costs, and especially reduce the workload of women.

Land access and ownership are extremely important issues in the context of about 62 percent of households in the country being dependent on agriculture. Land ownership in the name of women has increased significantly in recent years. Women's land access, which was less than 5 percent before 2048, has reached 8 percent in 2058, 19 percent in 2068, and 24 percent in 2078. This has helped strengthen family food security.

Internationally, Nepal is in a moderate food security situation with a score of 14.8 on the Global Hunger Index. Among children aged 6 to 23 months, 44.1 percent eat eggs or meat and 67.2 percent eat vegetables or fruits. Underweight among children under five years of age has decreased to 16.9 percent, wasting to 6.6 percent, stunting to 26.6 percent, and obesity to 2.1 percent. This is a sign of improvement.

Social security programs run by the government for the poor, senior citizens, and other vulnerable groups have had a major impact on food access. B.S. The old age allowance launched in 2051, the Safe Motherhood Program since 2061, the Child Protection Allowance since 2066, the President's Women Upliftment Program in 2075, and the Contribution-Based Social Security Program since 2076 are prime examples of this. 

As a party to various international treaties and agreements, the Government of Nepal has been formulating, amending, and improving laws in the areas of human rights, agriculture, food security, women and child rights, and trade. There is a deep connection between poverty and food security. The poverty rate in Nepal has decreased from 42 percent in 2052 to 31 percent in 2061, 25 percent in 2068, and 20 percent in 2080. Poverty reduction in itself can be considered as a significant progress in food security.

To put the provisions mentioned in the constitution into practice, first of all, ideological clarity, a strong structural arrangement, and ensuring adequate resources are necessary. However, due to political instability and the practice of coalition governments for a majority of the time, a long-term, factual, and coherent theoretical framework has not been developed. Its direct impact is seen in the effective implementation of policies. 

The necessary triangular coordination between the legislature, executive and judiciary has not been established to move policy clarity in the right direction. As a result, even the policy achievements that have been achieved have not been fully implemented. 

In the context of consumer rights, access to information and citizen choice, the attraction towards ready-made and processed food available in the market, especially among children and youth, is increasing rapidly. This has increased the risk of various health problems including non-communicable diseases. However, the government does not seem to have been able to pay the expected attention to the flow of accurate information on nutrition, raising public awareness and effective regulation of the media.

Although the country has entered a federal structure, clarity in the distribution of powers and responsibility between the federal, provincial and local levels has not yet been established. In addition, due to the lack of skilled technical manpower, the expected progress in entrepreneurship development, employment creation and income generation through the production, processing and marketing of crops and livestock that have potential according to geography has not been achieved.

It is a reality that due to social and cultural discrimination, daughters, daughters-in-law, women and members with disabilities have relatively less access to food available within the household. Changes in family structure due to migration have created additional challenges in food security. As young families migrate from rural to urban areas, children are being deprived of fresh, healthy and nutritious food. On the other hand, due to the shortage of labor, farming and animal husbandry in rural areas are declining, while income from remittances has increased dependence on the purity, price and quality of food purchased from stores. This has added to the risk to food security. 

With increasing globalization, sensitive issues such as agriculture and food security are also becoming limited within the scope of trade. This indicates that external influences are increasing on the sources of production, knowledge, technology and ultimately the entire agricultural value chain and kitchen. 

It is a reality that due to social and cultural discrimination, daughters, daughters-in-law, women and members with disabilities have relatively less access to food available within the household. In addition, there is a need to strengthen the structure and process of accountability in the absence of a clear framework on who is responsible for what if any citizen suffers from food insecurity.

Now, the government that comes after the election must establish food security and the right to food as a matter of national security. A clear division of responsibilities and a framework of accountability must be created between the federal, provincial, and local levels. To ensure food security and the right to food, necessary indicators, data systems, structures, and capacity development, and programs that promote food sovereignty at the local level (agricultural land conservation, local crop promotion, community seed banks, food banks, local market management) must be expanded and regulated.