Shifting Grounds
I presented a poster on my Spring 2015 research in Nepal at Experimental Biology (April 2016, San Diego).
Thank you to the Young Research Group & the Cornell-Nepal Study Program for making this possible.
Abstract:
Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia with some of the highest malnutrition rates in the world, with over half of children stunted in rural hill and mountain areas. The Chepang are a highly marginalized indigenous group representing <1% of the Nepali population and often face discrimination because of their ethnicity. Nonetheless, this traditionally nomadic population had experienced an agricultural transition over the past 2 decades, in which they have shifted from khoriya (slash-and-burn) cultivation to terraced farming. This has increased both household food access and dietary diversity. However, community perceptions of the factors driving these nutritional transitions have not been explored. This pilot study qualitatively investigated how these factors affected Chepang peoples’ perceptions of their nutritional situation in rural mid-hill villages of central Nepal.
Individual interviews (n=18) and focus group discussions (n=2, 5-12 people each) were conducted in 4 village wards in the Chitwan district in April 2015. Participants were recruited through key informants, snowball sampling, and random household visits. They were all Chepang aged 18-81y and had lived in their respective village for their entire lifetime. Interviews and discussions focused on perceptions of transitions in agriculture and food access, were translated by a Nepali research assistant, and coded using the software dedoose. Unfortunately, the April 2015 earthquake prematurely terminated the study.
Participants believed agricultural improvements such as fertilizer use, terraced farming, and increased farming knowledge improved crop yields. Most households claimed their crops sustain their families for the entire year, compared to <6 months 2 decades beforehand. Factors believed to increase household income and subsequent food access include out-migration labor to Gulf countries of Southeast Asia and improved animal husbandry through NGO support. Footpaths were the only method of reaching the hilltop villages, but improvements in transportation infrastructure enhanced accessibility to foods in markets and increased opportunities for agricultural knowledge exchange. Although most participants were optimistic about obtaining not only sufficient but also more diverse foods, one village perceived water security and unsuitable, high-elevation farmland to limit crop productivity.
Despite perceived improvements in food access, additional research regarding factors that affect food accessibility and targeted support may have the potential to increase the high-risk population’s food access, especially during post-earthquake recovery. Identifying these determinants can also assist community leaders and NGOs effectively address existing barriers to food access as well as ones that may have been worsened by the earthquake.
