The World Bank has approved a grant of $20 million to support Nepal’s Food and Nutrition Security Enhancement Project.

The project aims to benefit more than 55,000 small-holder farmers in 16 rural municipalities in Nepal through improved agricultural productivity and nutrition practices and scaling up climate-smart agriculture practices.

“Achieving food and nutrition security and reducing poverty are national goals of the Government of Nepal, in line with commitments to realise the Sustainable Development Goals and Zero Hunger Challenge,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. “This operation supports the Government of Nepal’s efforts to enhance productivity and livelihoods and improve nutrition security of marginalised communities.”

The project has three components: climate and nutrition, smart agricultural technology adaptation and dissemination, income generation and diversification, and improving nutrition security. It aims to build on the success of the Food and Nutrition Security Enhancement Project, which is closing on June 30, 2024.

“The operation, financed by a grant from the Global Agriculture Food Security Programme (GAFSP) Trust Fund, is aligned with Nepal’s green, resilient, and inclusive development agenda and will help build the resilience of marginalised communities in food insecure and disaster-affected areas of Nepal,” stated Karishma Wasti, World Bank’s Project Task Team Leader.