Gartaula Hom, Patel Kirit, Johnson Derek, Devkota Rachana, Khadka Kamal, Chaudhary Pashupati
1International Development Studies, Menno Simons College, Canadian Mennonite University, 520 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3C 0G2 Canada.
2Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba, 432 Fletcher Argue Building, 15 Chancellor Circle, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada.
Agric Human Values. 2017;34(3):573-589. doi: 10.1007/s10460-016-9740-1. Epub 2016 Oct 18.
This paper argues that existing food security and food sovereignty approaches are inadequate to fully understand contradictory human development, nutrition, and productivity trends in Nepalese small-scale agriculture. In an attempt to bridge this gap, we developed a new food wellbeing approach that combines insights from food security, food sovereignty, and social wellbeing perspectives. We used the approach to frame 65 semi-structured interviews in a cluster of villages in Kaski district in the mid-hills of Nepal on various aspects of food security, agriculture, off-farm livelihood opportunities, and women's wellbeing. Our results indicate that context-specific subjective and social relational factors highlighted by the food wellbeing approach are key to understanding a paradox of increased food security, yet decreasing sustainability of small-scale agriculture. Increased levels of male out-migration and opportunities for local off-farm work have increased local capacity to purchase food. The positive consequences for food security are indicated by evidence that households with non-farm income sources had better food sufficiency, absorption capacity, nutritional quality, and stability of food supply. These off-farm employment opportunities have also led to the greater involvement of low caste groups and women in small-scale agriculture. This has been empowering for both groups and led to an increase in wellbeing, particularly for those women who have become de facto heads of household. Yet, small landholdings, persistent patterns of unequal and absentee land ownership, sharecropping, women's overwork, and the aspirations of low caste farmers and women away from agriculture are simultaneously driving the erosion of local small-scale agricultural productivity and ecological sustainability.
本文认为，现有的粮食安全和粮食主权方法不足以全面理解尼泊尔小规模农业中人类发展、营养和生产力方面相互矛盾的趋势。为了弥合这一差距，我们开发了一种新的粮食福祉方法，该方法融合了粮食安全、粮食主权和社会福祉观点的见解。我们运用该方法，针对尼泊尔中部山区卡斯基县一组村庄的粮食安全、农业、非农业生计机会和妇女福祉的各个方面，组织了65次半结构化访谈。我们的研究结果表明，粮食福祉方法所强调的特定背景下的主观和社会关系因素，是理解粮食安全增加但小规模农业可持续性下降这一矛盾现象的关键。男性外出务工人数增加以及当地非农业工作机会增多，提高了当地购买粮食的能力。有证据表明，拥有非农业收入来源的家庭在粮食充足、吸收能力、营养质量和粮食供应稳定性方面表现更好，这体现了对粮食安全的积极影响。这些非农业就业机会也使低种姓群体和妇女更多地参与到小规模农业中。这对这两个群体都具有赋权作用，并提高了福祉，尤其是对于那些事实上已成为家庭户主的妇女。然而，小块土地、不平等和 absentee 土地所有权的持续模式、佃农制、妇女过度劳作，以及低种姓农民和妇女脱离农业的愿望，同时正在导致当地小规模农业生产力和生态可持续性的下降。 （注：原文中 absentee 可能有误，推测可能是 absenteeism（旷工、缺勤等意思），这里按原文翻译存疑）
