World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

A paddy field ready for harvest on the outskirts of Kathmandu. There are major disparities in crop production between Nepal's geographical regions. While the Terai belt produces a surplus, the Hill and Mountain regions are consistently food deficit.

Farmers harvesting rice - the most important crop and a major component of the staple Nepalese diet - on the outskirts of Kathmandu. In Nepal, agriculture provides a livelihood for more than 70 percent of the population and accounts for over 30 percent of national GDP.

Fertile land being replaced by buildings in Kathmandu. The amount of cultivable land across the country has been declining in the face of booming urbanization and high population growth. WFP estimates over 3.5 million people in Nepal are food insecure.

Nepalese motorbike riders fill up their tanks at a gas station in Kathmandu. Over the past several months, fuel prices have increased five times triggering a rise in food prices as transporters are charging more to get food to markets.

A man bargains with a vegetable seller in Kathmandu. Prices of vegetables have increased by 46 percent in September/ October due to short supply and rising demand. Since the end of 2007, Nepal has experienced steep food price inflation, in a country where majority of the 27 million population spend more than 60 percent of their income on food.

A meat seller waits for customers in Kathmandu. Only the wealthier homes purchase meat, fish, eggs and fruit more than once a week. The diet of the poorest households often consists of little more than rice, maize, wheat and millet.

Nepalese farmers use a traditional method to thresh rice on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Due to the lack of modern technology, agricultural production has not been able to keep pace with the growing population.

Bundles of corn hung out to dry in the sun in Bungamati village on the outskirts of Kathmandu. This traditional method of storing is widely used across the country to allow corn to be stored and used over a longer period of time.

Nepalese women walk home after collecting cattle fodder in a rural village of Dailekh district in Western Nepal. Rural women face the greatest hardships and are among the first to suffer from food shortages and limited health service infrastructure.

A child looks on while eating his lunch in Humla district in western Nepal. Malnutrition rates in Nepal are among the highest in the world, with almost half of the children under-five stunted and more than 38 percent underweight.

WFP rice being loaded onto a commercial aircraft to reach isolated and inaccessible communities along the foothills of the Himalayas in the western Nepal. A lack of infrastructure poses a significant challenge to food supply and access to the Hill and Mountain regions of Nepal.

Mules being used as means of transportation for delivering food. Difficult geographical terrain poses a significant challenge to food supply for remote villages. WFP uses all modes of transportation including trucks, mules, yaks, human porters, and commercial flights to deliver food to the poorest people in food-insecure villages.

Locals gather to collect rice and lentils in Humla district. In 2011, WFP Nepal is providing food assistance to 1.2 million vulnerable people to prevent hunger and foster food security. WFP Nepal provides food assistance in those areas where food production is sufficient for only three to six months in a year.