Remote districts of Sudurpaschim Province, including Bajhang, have long reeled under an acute food crisis. For instance, Saipal, one of the most food-insecure rural municipalities of the district, has around 2,800 people who must rely solely on government-supplied food subsidies; the food they produce cannot sustain them throughout the year. Villagers have to trek for three long days to get to the district headquarters, Chainpur, just to buy food items. Some households in lower villages manage to bring food and related items from Talkot Rural Municipality with the help of porters and pack animals, but even this is a risky venture for many other settlements.

The problems don’t end here. Monsoons and related disasters often exacerbate people’s woes. We are only halfway through this year’s monsoon, and Saipal has been experiencing acute shortages of rice, oil and other essential goods for the past month and half. In an area that is already geographically vulnerable, frequent landslides have buried some sections of the only mule track to Talkot and the district headquarters. It has also halted food supplies to the rural municipality, making many households run out of stock. Since the Nepal Food Management and Trading Company’s supply of subsidised rice in June, no further sacks of rice have reached the municipality due to landslides and poor transport links.

Haphazard excavation and shoddy construction of roads partly contribute to Bajhang’s food crisis. For instance, in 2024, a bulldozer that was used to open a track up to Jadlek on the Saipal border buoyed many settlers, but at the end of the day it only rendered the slopes unstable. What’s more, owing to haphazard bulldozer work, ancient foot trails that served villagers for generations have also disappeared.

Governments come and go, but don’t consider food insecurity in Saipal an urgent issue. Saipal settlers require more than 4,000 quintals of rice annually, but in 2023, the provincial government subsidised only 2,500 quintals. Because of inadequate supplies, people are forced to purchase the remaining amount at a higher cost. In the past, even as the 18 village development committees of the district grappled with food scarcity, rice stock in the godown of the local office of the Nepal Food Corporation rotted owing to road obstruction. Often, a tussle between the government offices and contractors who supply food to Saipal on behalf of the government also leads to food scarcity.

Immediate action is vital. Damaged road sections must be repaired to restore supply. When trails are impassable, there is a case for supply of food and essential goods through aerial routes. Filling the rural municipality’s existing depot with adequate rice will prevent food scarcity throughout the year. Doing so will not only meet the needs of the villagers but also help them purchase rice at subsidised rates. Local authorities must also understand that haphazard road construction can lead to food insecurity in high-altitude settlements.

Saipal’s case also warrants rethinking local food systems and climate-resilient crops to promote self-sustainability. Food insecurity contributes to chronic hunger, famine and poor nutrition, and in the worst scenarios, even death. Nepal cannot falter on its most basic constitutional duty to adequately feed all its citizens.