Regional Environmental Change

, Volume 15, Issue 8, pp 1667–1678 | Cite as

Withdrawing, resisting, maintaining and adapting: food security and vulnerability in Jumla, Nepal

Original Article
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Abstract

The food security discourse has shifted from a narrow focus on food supply to a greater consideration of access, entitlements and sustainability. An emphasis on vulnerability has coincided with increased recognition that the causes of food insecurity are the result of a complex interaction between ecological, social, political and economic events and processes. Understanding the strategies that people employ to respond to these risks is critical to identifying pathways for change towards greater food security. We explore people’s explanations of and responses in the context of changes to their livelihoods and the wider social–ecological system (SES) in which they are embedded. An integrated vulnerability framework, drawing on a SES approach, was applied to structure data collection, analysis and discussion in a food insecure region in Nepal. Using in-depth interviews, focus groups and historical data, we have examined negotiation processes, decision-making, actions and interactions within social–ecological practices. Four distinct narratives and responses emerge—those of withdrawal, resistance, maintaining and/or adapting to food insecure situations. These stories reveal the complexity of managing the lived experience of food insecurity. They highlight the need for adaptive policy responses and point towards pathways that are likely to contribute to greater food security.

Keywords

Food security Vulnerability Social–ecological systems Coping Adaptation Risk 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the people of Jumla who participated in this research for generously providing their time and sharing their views, practices and experiences. Thanks are also due to participants from Government and NGOs both within and outside Jumla for their time and knowledge. We would also like to thank AusAID and The University of Melbourne for funding field work.

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Resource Management and Geography, Melbourne School of Land and EnvironmentThe University of MelbourneCarltonAustralia
  2. 2.Department of Environment and Geography, Faculty of Science, E7A BuildingMacquarie UniversitySydneyAustralia

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