Kathmandu, February 22 A United Nations assessment report today said there were improvements in food security since the April 2015 earthquake but vulnerability persists in large numbers. The joint assessment was conducted in Dhading, Dolakha and Gorkha among 11 other earthquake-affected districts. More than 4,000 households were surveyed from September to October 2015 as a follow-up to the baseline assessment conducted in May 2015 in the immediate aftermath of the April 25 earthquake. A press statement issued today jointly by the United Nations World Food Programme, Food and Agricultural Organisation and the United Nations Development Programme said that earthquake survivors have seen a steady increase in food security following the massive shock last year. Still there remains a large number of vulnerable communities where food insecurity persists, particularly among Dalit and single female-headed households. These organisations underlined the pressing need for assistance in the mountain and hill areas that have a higher proportion of marginalised and isolated ethnic and indigenous groups. A joint UN assessment report was released today, which revealed that food insecurity was highest among Dalit households, over a third of whom fall below the acceptable threshold for food consumption, followed by Janajati households at 21.3 per cent, compared to only 6.8 percent of Brahmin/Chhetri households. The report said that single female-headed households were more vulnerable to food insecurity as the affected districts have high rates of male migration due to the earthquake. The WFP, FAO and UNDP had conducted a joint assessment focusing on agriculture, early recovery, food security and livelihoods. “Findings from this assessment will help inform policy decisions on recovery and development,” reads the statement. It further said that the assessment shows a significant improvement in food security since the 2015 earthquake attributing it to the levels of humanitarian assistance received, the start of the summer harvest, and the restoration of access to markets and improvements in their general functionality. “Agriculture was the most commonly reported income source for both men and women but it was the primary source of income for women as opposed to men,” it said. It added that the majority of assets lost or damaged in the earthquake were reportedly tools and infrastructure associated with agricultural livelihoods, which was reflected in lower expectations from agricultural production and higher debts. Overall, an estimated 78.9 per cent of households reported having debts at the time of the assessment, with high outstanding debt loads across the board. The joint assessment was a collaborative effort by a broad range of partners, including the National Planning Commission and Ministry of Agricultural Development, Nepal Food Security Monitoring System, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, WFP, FAO, UNDP, the Nepal Red Cross Society, the inter-cluster Gender Working Group REACH, and the Food Security, Early Recovery and Protection Clusters. It mentioned that WFP, FAO and UNDP will work together with the Government of Nepal, including the newly established National Reconstruction Authority, on post-earthquake recovery work. “The findings will help identify priority areas for Nepal’s development partners and the UN, particularly these three agencies, in their effort to ultimately promote a more resilient Nepal,” it said.