Dear members of this discussion forum, in brief: it is political will and policy that matters!
The questions of the moderators focus on extreme forms of poverty where people do not have access to land or required natural resources. Of course there is large knowledge and experience in this ongoing debate on how to reduce poverty, e.g. by providing access to resources and markets, advisory services and all kinds of smart agricultural technologies and social networking. However, EXTREME POVERTY can only be eradicated with a strong political will by a nation’s society and related laws and policies, helping eradicate this inhumanity. Improvement only happens with smart provision of subsidies in many aspects of daily life. One example INDIA has shown in September 2013 with its Food Security Bill. Of course there are also critical aspects to be considered, but the overall effect as such is strong and evident.
Since more than one year the NEPAL government has been preparing a similar Right to Food Act, based on article 36 of Nepal’s constitution. Also this example is important and may show future effects. Once respective policy instruments are sanctioned and regulations in place there are hundreds of well-known approaches and methodologies to fully eradicate not only the extreme forms poverty. - But the will to do this political step is essential!
So, I think for this debate it would be very interesting to share learnt lessons from India’s activities, covering the last five years on the basis of its National Food Security Act from 2013.
Who knows more on that? It would also help the interested people in Nepal to go ahead with its own program to fight extreme poverty.
Best wishes, Hans Schaltenbrand, rural development expert
Zurich, Switzerland
Mr. Hans Schaltenbrand