Food Security: Nepal Earthquake Cluster Brief, June 2015

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS

An estimated 1.4 million people need food assistance in 11 priority districts. Food security has deteriorated in all affected areas particularly in remote mountain communities where close to 70 per cent of households has poor or borderline food consumption – nearly 50 per cent have poor diet diversity. In some areas, 85 per cent reported reducing food portion sizes and 65 per cent reducing meal frequency.

Losses of stored cereals and seeds are high. Nearly 50 per cent of households in six districts (Sindhupalchowk, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Rasuwa and Dolakha) reported having lost over 75 per cent of their rice and/ or millet seeds. Livestock losses due to the earthquake are signifi cant (16 per cent loss for cattle, 36 per cent for poultry and many more livestock were injured).

Some 236,000 farming households are in urgent need of seeds, fertilizers and irrigation repairs for the summer cropping season starting in June to July and the winter cropping season starting in October.