 MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA |
As a businessman, philanthropist, photographer, agriculture and conservation expert, he had worked extensively in Africa and South and Central America, but he didn't know much about South Asia.
"When you think of Nepal you think about the mountains and religion, but you don't think about the high malnutrition rates, the war, or the floods in Kosi and you would have no idea that there are refugees living here," says Buffett.
And so the ambassador for WFP came to Nepal as part of his project to compile a photography book on hunger. He worked with WFP in Pakistan during the earthquake and has been to several countries with the organisation.
Buffett is no stranger to issues surrounding food production. He farms 1,000 acres of land at home in Nebraska and is on the board of directors for the world's largest food retailer ConAgra food, as well as food and beverage giants Archer Daniels Midland and Coca Cola Enterprises. He is also the founder of Nature Conservation Trust, a non-profit Trust in South Africa to support cheetah conservation.
In Nepal, he visited WFP's maternal and child health project in Solukhumbu, flew over the Imja Glacier, visited Bhutani Refugee Camps in Jhapa and the make-shift camps for the Kosi flood victims.
He also studied the country's agricultural patterns, concluding that Nepal has serious challenges relating to food production. It may be fortunate to have abundant water resources, but without the infrastructure and training for irrigation, would be unable to deal with the challenges of food security.
"To reap benefits from the irrigation system you need a system of crop development, which in turn depends on extension services," says Buffett. Most seeds used in Nepali farms are indigenous and haven't seen any improvement in yield or resistance for years. Buffett stresses that improved training to develop higher quality, higher yielding seeds is critical.
In addition, Buffett says that Nepal has to be able to take advantage of the successes that its neighbours, China and India, have achieved. "It's about regional integration - if countries around you have higher fertiliser use, you should have better and cheaper access to fertilisers as they develop research and put development dollars into crops."
Mallika Aryal
