Kathmandu, May 28 Nepal Food Security Monitoring System (NFSMS) has identified 48 village development committees (VDCs) across the country as highly food insecure regions in the review period of mid-November to mid-March of fiscal 2016-17. The system, which is jointly produced by the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD) and World Food Programme (WFP), stated that 1.4 per cent of VDCs out of the 3,367 VDCs and municipalities in 74 districts, except Kathmandu are highly food insecure. As per NFSMS, food consumption gap in these VDCs is higher and households can meet only minimum food needs. The NFSMS has reported deterioration in the food security situation in VDCs of districts of mid- and far-western regions like Humla, Mugu, Kalikot and Bajura, and some VDCs in Gorkha and Dhading districts. The system has attributed the situation in mid- and far-western regions to the winter lean period, a poor summer crop harvest, poor incomes from agriculture and livestock, and limited development activities during the winter. Many of these districts also observed crop losses in 2015 and 2016 due to insufficient rainfall and drought, according to NFSMS. NFSMS stated some VDCs in Gorkha and Dhading are highly food insecure due to low production of cereal crops followed by poor sanitation and hygiene among settlements in these areas, slow pace of post-quake reconstruction, and poor incomes from on- and off-farm sources. Meanwhile, NFSMS has also categorised 183 VDCs (5.4 per cent) as moderately food insecure and 3,136 VDCs and municipalities (93.1 per cent) as minimally food insecure in country. The analytical outcomes of NFSMS are validated and endorsed through MoAD’s regional review meetings. NFSMS has classified Nepal’s food situation into four broad categories, namely minimal food insecure, moderately food insecure, highly food insecure and severely food insecure.