Food Security in the HKH Region in Water and Energy Constrained World Paper presented by Golam Rasul, Theme Leader, Livelihoods at ICIMOD workshop on HIMAP on 15 October 2014

1. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Kathmandu, Nepal
Food Security in the HKHRegion in Water and Energy Constrained WorldPaper presented by Golam Rasul, Theme Leader, Livelihoods at ICIMODworkshop on HIMAPon 15 October 2014.

2. Outline
1.State of the Food Security
2.Drivers of change
3.Opportunities
4.Challenges
5.Emerging issues
6.Key questions

3. 1. State of the Food Security

4. Mountain Food Security is Complex & Diverse
Mountain food security & Livelihoods Management of rangeland, forests & water resources Livestock & fisheries Field crops, fruits & vegetables Off-farm income Reduced pressure on agriculture Food, cash Fuel wood, fodder, timber Meat, wool, milk cash and service Manure/ nutrients Fodder, shed & water Cash for inputs Cash for inputs Cash for food & non-food items Animal power Nutrient conservation & irrigation

5. Background
•Land use: 63% pasture, 21% forest, 11% protected area only 5% agricultural land
•Livelihoods-HH Income -48% from farm, 28% off-farm, 11% remittances, 13% from other sources
•Agriculture largely subsistence
•30 million people depends on livestock & pasture in the HKH region

6. Food Security
•Food insecurity & poverty is widespread
–40% HHare still under the threat of food insecurity & malnutrition
•-Food deficiency-65 to 80 % households food deficient -
•Generally own food production last for 5 to 6 months

7. Food security
Pakistan:
•National: 48% food insecure
•In Mountains: 57% India:Dietary Energy (Kcal/day/capita)
•National average = 2135
•In mountains = 2095 Nepal:(per capita food deficit/surplus)
•-Deficit -Mountain 37 , hill 23 kg
•-surplus -Terai24 kg

8. Multidimensional Poverty Index, India
0.40
0.47
0.19
0.49
0.49
0.24
Headcount
Intensity
MPI
Non-mountain areas
Mountain areas
Source: DHS, Government of India

9. Water & Energy poverty
•Poor access to irrigation & safe drinking water
–Only 37% HHin Manipur, India, has the access to safe drinking water.
–Agriculture largely rain-fed -low irrigation coverage 4.4 % in Nepal, 9% in India
•Huge energy deficit
–About 90% rural HHuse biomass for coking
–60% energy consumption comes from biomass.
–Per HHuse 17 ton fuel wood annually.

10. 2. Drivers of change

11. Fragility
Vulnerability
Marginality
Inaccessibility
Adaptation mechanism
Diversity
Niches
Mountain specificities
Food & Livelihoods Security in a changing context
•Subsistence system => commercial
•Increase in efficiency & productivity
•High value & Niche products, Non-farm
•Increased mobility-migration, remittances
•Human poverty
•Livelihood insecurity
•Food insecurity
•Gender & social inequity

12. •3. Opportunities
12

13. Opportunities
•Globalization and liberalization –opened up market for mountain niche products
•Subsistence agriculture moving towards commercialization
•Opportunities created for livelihood diversification –tourism, remittances, micro- enterprises

14. Trends in Agriculture
•Transition from Subsistence to cash crop: Horticulture, NTFPs, medicinal plants, potato, zinger, agroforestry, vegetables, spices, nuts,…
Potato has emerged as important cash crop in Bhutan & Nepal in mountain farmers seed potato crop
Potato field in Bhutan
Cardamom in India

15. Apple in India & Pakistan
Pineapple in Bangladesh
Grapes, Apricots in Afghanistan 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Assam
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu &Kashmir
All India
1990-912000-01
2005-06
Increase % of area under horticulture in India
Horticulture crops are 3 times more profitable (Rs.48,164/ha than the field crops (Rs.16,619/ha) [Sikkim, India]
Trends in Agriculture

16. Trends in Agriculture in HKH Region
•Diversification of high value cash crops: mushroom, Matsutake farming and Cordyceps collection in hills & mountains Bhutan & Nepal
Matsutake
Mushroom
Medicinal plants
Beekeeping

17. Growing non-farm sector
•Non-farm based rural employment is emerging slowly
•Tourism -In Nepal, tourism contributes 3.5 % GDP, generated employment for 0.4 million
•Remittance receiving Households-
54% in Upper Indus
74% in Koshi
58% Eastern Brahmaputra
21% Salween & Mekong

18. •4.Future Challenges

19. Demand on land for hydropower
•Energy is driving land & water use
•Energy demand is growing 3-5% annually
•Future of nuclear energy after Fukushima
•Demand for Hydropower & Bioenergyis growing

20. Hydropower in Indian Himalayan Region
•GOIaims to build 292 hydropower in IHRby 2030
•In 12thplan, about 100 hydropower schemes are planned in IHR
States
No of schemes
MW
HimachalPradesh
15
2457
Jammu & Kashmir
8
3923
Uttarakhand
24
6858
Darjeeling (West Bengal state)
3
240
Sikkim
11
2455
Arunachal Pradesh
26
9579
Assam
1
150
Manipur
2
1566
Meghalaya
2
504

21. Hydropower in Pakistan
•Pakistan has about 60, 000 MW hydropower potential
•Government is encouraging private investment to promote hydropower

22. Identified hydropower sites in KPK

23. Identified hydropower site in Gilgit-Baltistan

24. Demand on land for biofuel
•Demand for land for bioenergyis growing
–India-targeted 20% biodeselblending to produce 13 million tons of biodiesel annually from 11 million hectares of land.
–Pakistan-10% ethanol blending by 2020
–Increase ethanol production from 0.2 million tons in 2006 to 4.3 million tons in 2020-
•Biofuelproduction will have serious implications on land & water

25. 5. Emerging issues
•Hydropower & biofuelmay change the landscape of HKHregion
•Growing trade-offs food, energy & water
•Increased vulnerabilities & risks of food security
•Increased globalization may erode mountain biodiversity
•Outmigration-feminization of agriculture, shortage of agricultural labor, the abandonment of agricultural land
•Degradation of land, water, ecosystems
•Policies, institutions, technologies insensitive to mountain contexts-unequal exchange & resource flow

26. 6. Key questions
•How food, water & energy needs of mountain communities could best be met?
•How to balance land demand for food, water & energy?
•How to manage their trade-offs & exploit synergies?
•How mountain people can be part of & receive fair benefits from the development of land, water, & energy resources in the HKHregion?
•