Food and Nutrition Security through Sustainable Agriculture (FANSEP)

About the Project

Nepal’s economy is highly dependent on agriculture, accounting for about one-third of GDP and employing two-thirds of the population. In the selected 14 project districts, an estimated 40–60% of the population is unable to meet the minimum daily caloric intake. The sector is characterized by smallholder, traditional, and substance farming; however, farmers typically have limited use of improved livestock, seeds, crop varieties, or modern practices. They also are hindered by poor irrigation systems and high instances of pests and disease, in addition to a high risk of natural disasters, like floods and drought.

FANSEP Enhances climate resilience and improves agricultural productivity and nutrition practices in targeted smallholder farming communities. The project primarily targets vulnerable households, namely those that are earthquake-affected, acutely food insecure, disadvantaged, marginalized, and headed by women. The project focuses on crops, such as rice, wheat, maize, finger millet, and potato; highly nutritious crops, such as buckwheat, pulses, beans, and vegetables; and livestock species of poultry, goats, and cows and has introduced and promoted climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive agriculture practices, providing better-performing plant and animal genetic resources and building farmers’ capacities to improve agronomic and animal husbandry practices.  
 
The project also strengthens producer groups representing the targeted smallholder farmers, providing training around commodities of common interest and enhancing skills and capacities in good governance and leadership, group dynamics, decision-making, problem-solving, and risk management. Provided training addresses bookkeeping, meeting organization, agriculture seasonal planning, marketing, value addition, preparation of simple business plans, and simple monitoring and evaluation. Finally, building on experience gained from GAFSP’s Agriculture and Food Security Project on nutrition interventions, FANSEP directly works with communities, including female health community volunteers, using a community-driven, skills-based learning approach known as the Nutrition Field School to remove barriers to improved dietary and care practices by supporting a package of inputs and services complemented by a behavioral change campaign for improved use of foods and hygiene and sanitation practices, while increasing access to public health services.