One of the emerging critical problem which requires the real time information for food security:
One of the low cost and practical areas for using real time information in Nepal's mountain area is protecting crops and livestock against wild animals. Most farming lands in the mountains are surrounded by forests where wild animals destroy crops and prey livestock. Their harm has been increased due to increasing conservation activities. Some of the animals have increased life threats and scary feelings to the people living in the localities. Women and resource poor farmers have been suffered most from the wild animals. Many arable lands are abandoned from farming due to loss of the crops and animals and threats to humans. Providing real time information of the animals' roaming location by putting a GPS tag on their body parts would help the victims farmers including women to make plans to keep their crop and livestock safe. It is a low cost method as the cost of GPS tagging is not much nowadays. The information can be sent on farmers' phone. But the government and other development support agencies have shown little interest in the real time approach for food and human security. The conference paper given in the following link well demonstrated that the wild animals will be further problematic for food security in Nepal and similar other countries in Asia and Africa regions where wildlife protected areas are going to be increased for meeting the global target of allocating 30 % land territory for biodiversity conservation by 2030.
The material is published in the researchgate and can be accessed at this link .
(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344701483_Strategic_Policies_t…)
It has shared some surprising learning of a country highly dependent on foreign aids and international advisory support.
Thank you.
Cheers
Bhubaneswor Dhakal
Nepal
Dr. Bhubaneswor Dhakal