Barriers to Food Sovereignty in Nepal

{ Image from :Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 15, 2012 — The People's Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) }

Interim Constitution of Nepal has placed food Sovereignty as fundamental right of people and supposed to be legislated in upcoming constitution. Nevertheless, many obstacles in policy and implementation  are discernible to establish food sovereignty in Nepal.

As a signatory of World Trade Organization(WTO) agreement with Open Market Policy, Nepal has policy to minimize subsidies and  make it zero in coming days. This will definitely strike at protection of farmers, mostly small and marginal farmers. As, the cost of cultivation is high in those farmers, this will encourage they to quit the profession. It has two fold effects, production will be lower and employment is reduced.

The priority of corporate world has elevated by many degrees now in farming sector.  Their capacity to fetch advance technology made this possible.Their target is to get high profit in short span of time. Therefore, many factor's like maintaining biodiversity, maintaining soil and environmental quality are not prioritized. As a result of which, the system may lose it's sustainability. Another weapon of corporate invasion and control over food system is burgeoning supermarkets.Use of junk food, fast food and  processed food has increased tremendously, which has also promoted the supermarkets.

World Trade Organization itself is blamed for affecting the food sovereignty of a nation. First, market access has made the Least Developed Countries (LDC) to compete with products of developed nation. Due to which the labor intensive ( high cost) production system of LDCs never can challenge the products of developed nations in price. This will obviously be discouragement for farming in those countries, badly affecting the food sovereignty.

Corporate bio-piracy is another issue with food sovereignty.Many piracy are being in name of Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Right (TRIPS) . This can lead ,farmers growing varieties or rearing breeds from many years have to pay royalty, discouraging them for farming.

Many factors are playing vital role to lose the biodiversity, which may ultimately lead adverse effect on environment and agricultural system. Boosting productivity is regular challenge to agriculture sector. Technological innovations are put forth to enhance the productivity. A latest of them is a biotechnology called  Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), whereby productivity is found to have increased. However, it has come with major limitation, mostly due to antagonistic effect on human health and challenging the diversity of indigenous crops. Likewise, due to commercialization in major crops, practices of mono-culture is increasing, resulting loss of biodiversity.Contract farming itself is creating barrier to food sovereignty. All the forces are diverted to obtain much gain from expected growing crop and minor crops are ignored.

Scientists are working and getting success on using agro-fuel as alternative energy of fossil fuels. Governments in US and Europe are giving subsidy to farmers for agro-fuel. As a result of this,  huge productive land is used for production  of bio-fuels. This may may effect other countries, which are dependent on them for food.

Global warming and Climate change due to Carbon emission is new challenge to Food Sovereignty. It has changed the cropping pattern and indigenous crops are under climatic threats. Biodiversity has lost by many degrees. The issue of sustainability is thus challenged creating new barrier for Food Sovereignty.

In conclusion, developing and maintaining food sovereignty is great challenge to developing and least developed country like Nepal. If attempts are not made immediately, country can suffer badly in days to come.