Multiple stressors, food system vulnerability and food insecurity in Humla, Nepal

Abstract

As the impacts of climate change (CC) have become apparent, Nepal has recently implemented a number of programs emphasizing climate sensitive resource management and development interventions. However, the attribution of vulnerability to CC alone may misdirect these programs because it is only one of multiple factors that affect rural livelihoods. Therefore, it is important to examine how CC interacts with historical socioeconomic, institutional and biophysical structures, as well as current policies and development to shape vulnerability. In this paper, we assessed the role of CC on food insecurity in the context of multiple interacting stressors in Humla district in west Nepal. Results suggested that the major features of climatic variabilities pertinent to food security included increasing dry spells, delayed monsoon and more frequent extreme events having direct negative impacts on agriculture. However, the most significant agricultural impacts were induced by socio-institutional changes. Environmental management through a community forestry program regulated livestock population, decreased manure supply to farms and significantly decreased soil productivity. This was synergized by a recent trend of school attendance among the young population which led to farm labor shortage and poor land management. Due to unequal land distribution, the low-caste households were more food insecure than households in higher tiers of the caste hierarchy. Their preexisting deprivation led to the adoption of modest or counterproductive coping strategies which would make them more vulnerable to future shocks. From these findings, we conclude that although CC is critical, it is not the only or the most significant factor of vulnerability. Its impacts are pre-configured by social relations, antecedent entitlement distributions and concurrent socio-institutional changes.