Masterclass on food security assessment

About the masterclass

HUC is organising a masterclass on Food Security Assessment (FSA) with experts from the HKH region. This masterclass will introduce early career researchers and development workers from Bhutan, Nepal, and Northeast India to the concept and types of FSAs, equip them to develop and implement purposeful assessments, and communicate this effectively to various stakeholders.

The training will take place online with field exposure. As part of this masterclass, participants will develop and conduct an assessment survey in their own locality/ community under the guidance of the masterclass trainers.

Objectives

The masterclass caters to early researchers, grassroots level workers (or developmental organisations), early or mid-career government officials from related departments. It is designed to:

• Introduce the concepts and types of FSAs
• Provide practical skills and knowledge to design and implement effective food security assessments in different contexts and settings
• Build capacity on FSA data analysis and interpretation and effectively communicate the findings to various stakeholders, including policy makers and communities

Background

Communities across the world have been dependent on millets as a source of nutrition and sustenance for generations. Despite its potential to address food and nutritional security, the growth and consumption of millets have been declining. Of late, the value of millet has been recognised as critical in addressing food security, especially under current climate change scenarios. The UN FAO has designated 2023 as the International Year of Millets and various initiatives have been made by the national governments to promote this essential crop. For designing initiatives and formulating millet-related policies for long-term and meaningful impacts on the status of food security, it is important to understand the status of food security in any region, identify critical influencing factors, and understand how millets can supplement ongoing efforts in combating the issue of global food insecurity. In the HKH region, millet production although diminishing, has been an integral part of subsistence agriculture, ethnic culture, and livelihood.

Agenda