For the last decade, the French government has provided regularly food aid to the government of Nepal. This food aid is sold on the local market through the Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) and the revenue of the sale is transferred to the Counterpart Fund of the French Food Aid.
The Counterpart Fund is jointly managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) and the Embassy of France through the Steering Committee.

• Overall Objective

• Specific Objectives

One transversal objective completes those three specific objectives:

The programme will pay a particular attention to the involvement and the participation of the local populations in order that they become responsible of their own development.

Local NGOs French organizations Government Organizations at local level (DADO - DLSO)

The Implementing Agencies must prove a minimum of three years activities to present their project.

The implementing agencies funded by the FSPN are following the Basic Operating Guidelines developed by the donors' agencies in Nepal. Click here to see the Basic Operating Guidelines.

• The Food Security Program for Nepal will be able to develop strategy and approach that integrate gender and food security issues in improvement of sustainable food and nutrition security.
• Programme activities are planned, designed, implemented and evaluated through a participatory mechanism.
• Programme activities are operated through Implementing Agencies (IA). There are three types of IA:

  • Local NGOs
  • French organizations
  • Governement Organizations at local level (DADO - DLSO)
• The Food Security Program for Nepal could also support activities related to GEED, MOAC to address gender issues related to food security at local level.
• Interesting IAs present project proposals to the Food Security Programme for Nepal. To be selected the project should be coherent with the logical framework of the Programme and contribute to reach at least one of the specific objectives in one (or more) of the priority areas of the Programme.
• The logical framework includes a large part of rural and agriculture development issues in the hills and mountains. Therefore it is possible to answer closely to the demand expressed by the local population targeted in this programme.
• The selected projects will adopt farmer group and pocket area approach as recommended in the Agriculture Perspective Plan. Implementing Agencies should select production pocket area on the basis of real needs and commitment of farmer groups.
• Physical infrastructures related to agriculture will be developed such as collection centres, market sheds, agriculture roads, irrigation systems, etc... with effective participation of concerned farmers groups.
• The Programme also tries to develop partnerships with other donors involved in rural development. Partnerships could take the form of a contribution or of a cofinancing with other cooperation agencies (multi or bilateral).

Food insecurity in Nepal affects preferentially the rural areas in the hills and the mountains (and more particularly the west part of the country). In consequence this programme will aim to increase food security exclusively in those areas.
To contribute towards food security in Nepal, this programme targets 4 districts:

• Kavre
• Mustang
• Makwanpur
• Baitadi

• Each project which contributes clearly to achieve at least one of the specifics objectives of the Programme in one (or more) of the priority areas is eligible for funding under the Counterpart Fund.
• The demand of funding must be submitted to the approval of the Steering Committee (SC) in charge of the management of the counterpart fund. PCU along with the Technical Committee analyse the proposal and submit their recommendations to the SC.
• To be eligible for funding IA should strictly follow the Notice of Information and the Project Proposal Format issued by PCU and must provide a project proposal and a budget

• Once the project is approved by the Steering Committee a contract is signed between the Implementing Agency and the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU). This contract gives the details of the commitments of both parties and the modalities of funding.

• Planning and activities reports

IA undertakes to provide to PCU, during all the length of the project, quarter reports presenting the activities and the budget of the past quarter.

• External assessment

• Financial assessment and audit

The FSPN is particularly focused on the areas affected by food insecurity and especially on most exposed population (housedhold of landless, farmers from professional caste, small farmers and pastors, ethnic minorities...).

For all the projects, a special attention is paid to effectively involve women in the different activites.

At present, FSPN finances in total 18 projects in four different districts:

• Kavre
• Makwanpur
• Baitadi
• Mustang

The distribution of the projects among the different organizations allows to count:

• 8 projects implemented by local Non Governemental Organizations;
• 7 projects implemented by Governemental Organizations;
• 3 projects implemented by French Organizations such as NGOs and Research center, in association with a Nepalese partnert.

As defined through FSPN philosophy, launched projects must reach a maximum of poor and food insecured population. In order to achieve projects activities, some pool of population (women, ethnic groups...) are directly involved in the projects and can be detailed as follow: 11,000 households are directly benefiting from the project. It also represents at least 22,300 households indirectly involved.

• First year of implementation 2003-2004 (expended)

5,506,692 Nrs (63,661€)

31% Kavre

21% Programme Coordination Unit

• Second year of implementation 2004-2005 (expended)

25,402,503 Nrs (282,250€)

23% Kavre

5% Programme Coordination Unit

• Third year of implementation 2005-2006 (allocated)

39,342,000 Nrs (456,500€)

21% Kavre

4% Budget not allocated

• TOTAL for the three years Programme

The Food Security Programme for Nepal (FSPN) was launched in July 2003 jointly by the French Cooperation through the Embassy of France in Nepal and His Majesty 's Government of Nepal (HMGN). It overall goal is to finance the implementation of food security projects in rural and remote areas of Nepal.

The Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) is in charge of the sale of the aid on the local market. This aid is sold on the local market at a local price in order to be competitive with local production.

Funds from sales are sent back to the counterpart fund to finance food security projects at local level.

The FSPN is managed through the Steering Committee (SC) co chaired by the Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and the Ambassador of France in Nepal.

The Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) monitors the implementation of the projects, collects and compiles information from FSPN organs.

The non-permanent Technical Committee (TC) supports the Steering Committee on particular technical queries.

Implementing Agencie (IA) is in charge of the field side. It implements and monitors projects, keeping in touch with beneficiaries.

The PCU office is composed of 5 full time persons:

• Bilateral

DANIDA

• Nepalese NGOs

Food Security Programme for Nepal

Programme Coordination Unit

Ministry Of Agriculture and Cooperative

Singha Durbar, Kathmandu

Tel: +977 1 423 28 10 Fax: +977 1 423 28 09

Food Security Programme for Nepal

(Mr Guillaume Furri)

Embassy of France

PO BOX 452

Kathmandu Nepal

The targeted areas have been selected by the Steering Committee (SC) in accordance with FSPN ethic rules. All the projects are located in the hills and mountains and in rural, remote and food insecured areas.