Nepal urges global support for climate-resilient food systems, digital agriculture

Kathmandu, June 29

Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba has informed the international food stakeholders that Nepal has constitutionally guaranteed the right to food for its citizens.
Addressing a special ministerial session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) held in Rome, Italy on Sunday, she said, “Nepal considers the right to food as a fundamental right, and supporting laws have provided the necessary framework for its implementation and realisation. Furthermore, the execution of the Strategic Plan on Food System Transformation has strengthened this right.”

Speaking at a session on food rights and nutrition for the least developed countries, small island nations, and landlocked countries, organised as part of the FAO’s ongoing 44^th special session, she stated that the government has ensured safe and quality food through regulatory standards, laboratory surveillance, and consumer protection under the Food Safety and Quality Control Policy.

“A separate consumer court has been established to safeguard consumer rights which is a step towards supporting citizens' natural right to health and nutritious food,” said FM Dr. Rana.

She further shared that Nepal has made significant progress in child health and nutrition over the past two decades.

Stunting among children in Nepal has decreased from 57 per cent to 25 per cent, underweight children from 42 per cent to 24 per cent, and child morbidity from 15 per cent to 8 per cent.

Likewise, Nepal’s ranking on the Global Hunger Index has improved with hunger dropping from 37 per cent in 2000 to 22.4 per cent in 2024.

Foreign Minister Dr. Rana emphasised that campaigns promoting healthy eating habits, nutrition education integrated into school curricula, and awareness messages disseminated through the media have helped foster a preference for fresh and locally produced food among the younger generation.

According to her, despite notable progress in grassroots innovation, there is a need to improve access to artificial intelligence, digital agricultural platforms, and modern science and technologies in Nepal.

Similarly, Dr. Rana expressed concern that climate change poses a grave challenge to Nepal. It has resulted in melting glaciers, erratic rainfall, extreme weather events, and climate-induced disasters, which are significantly impacting agricultural production and livelihoods. "This is further weakening the ecological balance linked to mountain agricultural systems," she said.

The Foreign Minister called for increased international cooperation to ensure inclusive progress in nutrition and prosperity, particularly in terms of access to financial resources, technology transfer, and knowledge promotion.

She also emphasised the crucial roles of international organisations like FAO and UNICEF in this area.

However, FM Dr. Rana also warned that the outmigration of youth is depleting the rural labour force, while human-wildlife conflict in the hilly and Himalayan regions is posing a growing threat to livelihoods and food security.
“We must preserve and promote our rich agro biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and high-altitude crops. For this, we require targeted investment, technical support, modernisation of agricultural systems, and access to advanced technologies such as AI,” she said.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 30 June 2025.