To ensure access and control over resources such as labour, land, water and forest, FIAN Nepal will have a clear stance against land and water grabbing, support sustainable farming and right based tenure systems. FIAN Nepal will also document and campaign on cases of forced evictions, land grabbing, agro fuel expansion, eco-destruction, pollution, agri-inputs while also contribute to the adoption of the FAO RtF guidelines on land and natural resources tenure.
The marginalised and vulnerable groups in the Nepali society – mostly in rural settings – are increasingly losing their already limited access and traditional rights to productive resources. The process of globalisation in Nepal has resulted in further alienation of productive resources from the rural poor and has given birth to various conflicts. Natural resources such as ground water, rivers, and forests are destroyed or privatised leading to the destruction of livelihood for numerous people. A natural productive resource e.g. land is controlled or distributed among few rich people, leaving the rural and poor landless with none or limited resources to produce food, while has limited opportunities from which purchase food. This is increasingly threatening the livelihood of large populations in both rural and urban areas.
Availability and Adequacy of food is insufficient – whether from own (subsistence based) production for the rural small holder “agri-based” communities or inadequate from the government food storage and inequitable distribution mechanism – as to those in need are not being able to access it. Access to food is insufficient, due to lack of physical or economical resources – natural or productive and thereof inputs (e.g. agri-inputs, infrastructure /equipment, markets structure for small holder farmers etc.) and limited opportunities to for labour / employment, as well as services.
The right to food, with dignity includes the right to access and control over land, water and other means of production to produce one’s food alone and in community. Structural discrimination (class, gender, caste, and ethnicity) restricts people’s access to natural resources. Such persistent exclusionary system and practices in Nepal have hence denied access and control over all types of means of production and productive resources-land, forest and water- as well as other livelihood opportunities available in the societies by the poor and marginalised communities resulting into persistent hunger and malnutrition in Nepal.
To strengthen and promote RtF, the state should facilitate, respect and protect the rights of individuals for sustainable, non-discriminatory and secured access and utilization of these resources and public services. States, when required should carry out policy reforms consistent with their human rights obligations and in accordance with the rule of law in order to secure efficient and equitable access to land and to strengthen pro-poor growth, with special attention given to groups such as pastoralists and indigenous people and their relation to natural resources. Vulnerable groups should be facilitated to have access to opportunities and economic resources in order to participate fully and equally in the economy, with particular attention to the specific access problems of women and of vulnerable, marginalized and traditionally disadvantaged groups, including all persons affected by HIV/AIDS. State should promote sustainable small-scale agricultural practices to and safeguard small holder farmers livelihood.
Thus access to productive and natural resources by the vulnerable communities is fundamental for the RtF and key theme of the upcoming phase of the Project. The intention is to protect and promote a sustained access to productive / natural resources for those groups and communities that need these means to realize their RtF. This includes a clear gender perspective and the approach to promote policy and programme for e.g. agricultural practices that safeguards future generations’ RtF and food producing resources. FIAN Nepal considers the following resources and assets as key (taken from FAO RtF Guidelines Nov 2004):
To ensure access and control to abovementioned resources, FIAN will have a clear stance against land and water grabbing, support sustainable Peasants’ farming and right based land tenure systems, gender and climate justice. FIAN will document and campaign on cases impeding forced evictions, land grabbing, water grabbing, agro fuel expansion, eco-destruction and pollution, paying due attention to the gender dimension, and also contribute to the adoption of the FAO RtF Guidelines on land and natural resources tenure. FIAN Nepal will engage and contribute to the protection of the access to natural resources of the rural poor by demanding effective implementation of existing (policy and programme) instruments.
© Copyright 2008 - 2025 FIAN Nepal