Howard Buffett in Nepal for WFP

As a businessman, philanthropist, photographer, agriculture and conservation expert, Howard Buffett had worked extensively in Africa and South and Central America.

When the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) suggested that he take pictures of the refugee camps in Jhapa for his book, in late 2008, ambassador Buffett jumped at the opportunity.

Buffett/Nepal: Arrival at Gatlang Arrival at Gatlang, a village in Langtang Valley in which WFP runs a project in cooperation with the TMI (Mountains Institute) for the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants to increase income and address food insecurity. Hard-to-reach mountain communities in western Nepal are some of the poorest in the country. via WFPBuffett was first appointed a UN World Food Programme ambassador against hunger in October 2007.

Ambassador Against Hunger,” said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran.

“Howard has worked shoulder to shoulder with WFP staff on the frontlines of hunger throughout Africa and Asia. He has a passion for meeting the needs of the hungry poor and for working with small farmers to break the cycle of hunger at its root.”

“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 receives the local beverage offered by the community on arriving by helicopter. In this shot, you see him with WFP staffers and local assistants wearing the white scarves of welcome presented to visitors. via WFPIf Howard’s focus in parts of Africa is how to provide reliable supplies of water, in Nepal his focus is how to ‘train’ and manage the abundant water resources.

“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. via Nepal Times

In the village of Lokhim, WFP provides take-home rations to pregnant and lactating women, as well as for their young children. via WFPThe UN WFP employs a first-rate marketing-savvy strategy in the appointment of its globally-known ambassadors. In the case of Howard Buffett, the agency has captured the consummate professional farmer and business owner who not only talks turkey with farmers around the world but gets his hands dirty in the process. Anne