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This chapter illustrates how the notion of co-residence, headship and resource management of a household have been modified by the phenomenon of labour out-migration in Nepal. The concept of household is largely used in the studies of home economics, resource management, livelihood and family care. In general, a household is a unit formed by family members or a combination of family and non-family members, with roots in the institution of marriage. Traditionally, the household is considered a co-residential unit, with a household head, and taking care of the day-to-day resource management and primary needs of its members. However, the notions of family-based unit, co-residence and management of resources by a functional household head are challenged by various living arrangements, livelihood opportunities and changing modes of production that are caused by the phenomenon of labour out-migration in the recent times. Based on survey, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions carried out in a village in eastern Nepal, this chapter argues that households are not restricted to the conventional boundary of living-together. Like resident members, the non-resident members also have a great influence in household resource management and can even act as a household head at a distance, thus modifying the meaning of ‘household’. We perhaps need to understand it as ‘modified-extended-household’ where a household acts as an arena of resident and non-resident members who are engaged in continuous interaction and communication for the wellbeing of its members.
Cases from Southeast Asia and Nepal
"This volume presents recent research on food and nutrition in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Nepal. The overall theme is food wellbeing, which is seen as having two key components: food and nutrition security, and food sovereignty. The cases cover a diversity of contexts, ranging from indigenous communities and rural villages to the urban environment. The studies highlight the subjective dimensions of food wellbeing, such as values attached to certain foods and emic meanings of food security and nutrition, and show how these may divert from objective assessments of food and nutrition security. Another pervasive theme is the relational dimension of food wellbeing, visible in the importance of social capital for access to food and the role of gender relations in intra-household food distribution. While change is an integral factor in all studies, three deal specifically with the outcomes of interventions aimed at improving food and nutrition security at the local level. It shows how outcomes may be different than expected and how an intervention may have a positive spill-over effect on others than the targeted beneficiaries, in this way contributing to food sovereignty. Together the studies reveal the meanings and feelings behind food data in various contexts."
Cases from Southeast Asia and Nepal
"This volume presents recent research on food and nutrition in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Nepal. The overall theme is food wellbeing, which is seen as having two key components: food and nutrition security, and food sovereignty. The cases cover a diversity of contexts, ranging from indigenous communities and rural villages to the urban environment. The studies highlight the subjective dimensions of food wellbeing, such as values attached to certain foods and emic meanings of food security and nutrition, and show how these may divert from objective assessments of food and nutrition security. Another pervasive theme is the relational dimension of food wellbeing, visible in the importance of social capital for access to food and the role of gender relations in intra-household food distribution. While change is an integral factor in all studies, three deal specifically with the outcomes of interventions aimed at improving food and nutrition security at the local level. It shows how outcomes may be different than expected and how an intervention may have a positive spill-over effect on others than the targeted beneficiaries, in this way contributing to food sovereignty. Together the studies reveal the meanings and feelings behind food data in various contexts."
International development practitioners argue that migration improves household food security in the origin areas, by providing access to capital for investing in agriculture or purchasing food. However, these debates have occurred without paying enough attention to the values that justify food production and consumption in the areas of origin. This paper questions the assumption that a shift from an agricultural-based economy to an economy based on remittances increases the ability of households to secure access to food in the face of rapid economic and cultural change. Based on the results of fieldwork conducted in Nepal, the paper argues that male out-migration adds to the workload of the women left behind, reduces women’s and men’s subjective attachment to agriculture in the area of origin and changes the values associated with land and agriculture. This makes the sector vulnerable and poses a threat to longer-term food security.
This volume presents recent research on food and nutrition in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Nepal. The overall theme is food wellbeing, which is seen as having two key components: food and nutrition security, and food sovereignty. The cases cover a diversity of contexts, ranging from indigenous communities and rural villages to the urban environment.
The studies highlight the subjective dimensions of food wellbeing, such as values attached to certain foods and emic meanings of food security and nutrition, and show how these may divert from objective assessments of food and nutrition security. Another pervasive theme is the relational dimension of food wellbeing, visible in the importance of social capital for access to food and the role of gender relations in intra-household food distribution. While change is an integral factor in all studies, three deal specifically with the outcomes of interventions aimed at improving food and nutrition security at the local level. It shows how outcomes may be different than expected and how an intervention may have a positive spill-over effect on others than the targeted beneficiaries, in this way contributing to food sovereignty. Together the studies reveal the meanings and feelings behind food data in various contexts.
