September 24: The World Bank has approved a grant of US$20 million to support the Government of Nepal’s Food and Nutrition Security Enhancement Project (FANSEP)-II.

Issuing a statement on Friday, the World Bank said that 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 realize the Sustainable Development Goals and Zero Hunger Challenge,” the statement quoted Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank’s country director for the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri  Lanka, as saying.

“This operation supports the Government of Nepal’s efforts to enhance productivity and livelihoods and improve nutrition security of marginalized communities,” he added.

According to the World Bank, FANSEP-II 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, added the statement.

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