Food Security at local level through employment
Nuwakot- Sukman Langur lives in Lachyang-1 of Nuwakot District in central Nepal with his wife and seven children (five daughters and two sons). Although agriculture is his traditional profession, the yield from his land is barely sufficient for six months’ food for the family. The family, therefore, work as laborers in the construction industry in the Kathmandu valley. Moreover, his family is living a vulnerable situation on degraded, sloping land.
Sukman’s life changed when he began participating in an OFDA/USAID-funded Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations landslide treatment and mitigation project (OSRO/NEP/602 -FAO & OFDA/USAID). The project, which started in January 2017 in the Banaulipakha landslide area, worked with communities to implement landslide treatment and mitigation measures, such as constructing a gabion check dam to control run-off, stabilizing slopes with watling and using sand bags for gully control.
Participants were also trained on vegetable farming at the community level. Landslide mitigation sub-committee locals were consulted for local human resource mobilization from poor families, who can contribute to labor force, families affected by the landslide and 2015 earthquake. They suggested the FAO team to pay daily wages of NPR 800 to 1 000 for unskilled and skilled labour respectively.
Sukman worked as a skilled laborer for more than 40 days to construct a stone-lined water diversion channel to manage water drainage, and a tree nursery. “I earned NPR 40,000, which I used to purchase food for the family, pay for the children’s education, and buy medicines and other household needs,” said Sukman stating that he spent half of wages he earned on food which was enough for three months to feed his family. Through training on vegetable farming and seed package support, the community learned to produce fresh vegetable in kitchen gardens. The regular inclusion of vegetables in their diet provides nutrients. Sukman is hopeful of increasing the production of vegetables to sell in the market to earn extra income for his family.