Nearly 1 million face food insecurity risk in Nepal: FAO

FAO appeals for $20 million to aid farmers in the region

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called for urgent aid for farmers in earthquake-hit Nepal, where one million people face the risk of prolonged food insecurity, said a UN spokesperson here.

FAO has appealed for $20 million. It said in Nepal's six hardest-hit districts, half of all farming households have lost nearly all of their stored crops of rice, maize, wheat and millet, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing on Friday.

Two separate earthquakes and a series of aftershocks struck Nepal in April and May, killing more than 8,000 people and devastating large parts of the country.

The earthquakes also destroyed farming tools, kitchen gardens, supplies of fertilisers and also caused significant damage to small-scale irrigation, according to an FAO-led agricultural livelihood impact appraisal, Xinhua reported.

It found that some 16% of cattle and 36% of poultry were lost in the earthquakes, adversely affecting rural household consumption and income.

According to FAO, two-thirds of Nepalis depend on farming for their livelihoods, making agriculture a priority.

The most urgent needs for the current cropping season are seeds and fertilisers, followed by irrigation, tools and technical support.

Till date, FAO has received around $3 million for emergency relief, that accounts for only 13% of the $23 million it has asked for.