Community resilience in Barekot, Jajarkot district: food security and maternal and child health.

WHERE 

Barekot Rural Municipality, Jajarkot District, Karnali Province.
 

CONTEXT

In the remote mountain communities of Barekot Rural Municipality, Jajarkot District, climate change, food insecurity and limited access to health services continue to place the most vulnerable families at risk, especially mothers, infants and children. Barekot is one of the most isolated areas of Karnali Province, where livelihoods depend largely on subsistence agriculture carried out in difficult environmental conditions, with poor soils, limited irrigation, recurrent landslides and increasing climate-related shocks. These structural vulnerabilities have been further aggravated by the consequences of the November 2023 earthquake, which damaged homes, agricultural systems and already fragile health services. In this context, ASIA, in partnership with PHASE Nepal, is implementing an integrated initiative to strengthen both food security and community health resilience. The project promotes climate-smart agriculture through the creation of household vegetable gardens, technical support to vulnerable families and training on sustainable production practices. At the same time, it supports better maternal and child nutrition through community-based awareness activities and practical nutrition education. The intervention also works to improve hygiene, disease prevention and disaster preparedness at community level, while strengthening local health facilities through training, equipment and support to management capacities. Through this integrated approach, the project contributes to healthier, more resilient and more self-reliant communities in Barekot.

OBJECTIVES

General objective
Contribute to improving the food security and health resilience of vulnerable communities, particularly mothers and children, in Barekot in the face of climate change impacts.

Specific objective
Increase resilient and sustainable agricultural production to ensure greater availability of nutritious foods and promote maternal and child health through the adoption of correct nutritional practices among beneficiary families.

Strengthen the health resilience of local communities through capacity-building of health services and preventive education to reduce the incidence of diseases and disasters induced by climate change.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

• Strengthening the Barekot production system through the creation of family gardens and the promotion of correct climate-smart agriculture techniques and off-season vegetable production.
• Promotion of correct nutritional practices at family level in order to improve maternal and child health
• Strengthening community knowledge and practices on health, nutrition, hygiene and disaster preparedness to respond to the impacts of climate change
• Strengthening health services to respond to the impacts of climate change on community health

RESULTS

• Increased availability of nutritious and diverse food for beneficiary households through sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices
• Correct nutritional practices spread among beneficiary families
• Increased community capacities to prevent and manage climate change-related health and nutrition risks
• Increased capacity of local health centers to respond to climate impacts on health

BENEFICIARIES

Direct: 540 families, approximately 900 students, 360 community leaders, and 30 health workers from the rural municipality of Barekot, for a total of approximately 3,990 direct beneficiaries. At least 70% of participants will be women, with a particular focus on pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, as well as female heads of households. The beneficiaries will be between 18 and 50 years old, including both young farmers and women with children under five.

Indirect: approximately 18,000 people belonging to the Barekot communities

PARTNERS

Practical Help Achieving Self Empowerment – PHASE Nepal

PROJECT FUNDED BY

Autonomous Province of Bolzano