This is VINs biggest and most ambitious project so far. The concept is to improve the livelihoods of 1800 marginalized families in Okhaldhunga district through enhanced health and nutrition, increased economic growth, and environmental resilience and a sustainable ecosystem. The project activity includes permaculture, agro-forestry, community forest, construction of water storage tanks, livestock management, and planting a chiuri and five mulberry trees in each household.

 

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), agriculture provides the livelihood for 68 % of Nepal's population, accounting for 24 % of the national GDP. Nevertheless, Nepal struggles to produce an adequate supply of food for its citizens. Farmers have limited access to improved seeds, new technologies, and market opportunities. Declining agricultural production has depressed rural economies and increased widespread hunger and urban migration. 36% of Nepalese children under the age of 5 years suffer from chronic malnutrition, or stunting, which causes debilitating effects such as blindness, brain damage, and infectious diseases, which can result in lifelong damages.

 

While food security in Nepal has improved in recent years, 4.6 million people are food-insecure, with 20 percent of households mildly food-insecure, 22 percent moderately food-insecure, and 10 percent severely food-insecure, according the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (DHS).  Overall, households in rural areas of the country—where food prices tend to be higher—are more likely to be food-insecure than people living in urban areas, according to the survey.

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VINs Sustainable Livelihood and Food Production project will tackle this critical problem.

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