Furthermore, the promise of higher yields from improved varieties is sometimes broken, for various reasons, and the environmental risks of their use have not been thoroughly investigated. Most of all Shrestha worries about the long-term implications of losing seeds, not least among them is reduced climate resilience. Feed the Future, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) hunger and food security initiative, is being implemented in 19 countries across the world, including Nepal. Launched in 2010, it focuses on increasing agricultural productivity and incomes as well as improving nutrition and hygiene.