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Food Security in Spotlight at Bangladesh Forum
FrontLines - June 2010
DHAKA, Bangladesh—When USAID Administrator Rajiv
Shah joined top agricultural policy makers at a meeting here
in Bangladesh in May, the government of Bangladesh and its
development partners pledged to enhance food and nutrition
security in a key nation on the frontlines of the struggle to feed
the growing world.
Bangladesh dramatically improved rice production
over the past 30 years, and economic
growth has averaged 6 percent a year over the
past decade.
However, the world’s most densely populated
country—with 158 million people on land
the size of Iowa—continues to confront rapid
population growth, the loss of
arable land, and extreme vulnerability
to climate change.
Stunted growth during childhood
remains prevalent, as
does anemia among children
and women.
The Bangladesh Food
Security Investment Forum
convened by the Bangladeshi
government in May brought
together researchers, policymakers,
members of civil
society, and NGOs to identify
ways to reduce hunger and
poverty.
| Bangladesh could lose $26 billion of
agricultural production to climate change
between 2005 and 2050, researchers
said. Much of the country is barely
above sea level and susceptible to flooding.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said
climate change may make it increasingly
difficult to provide food to all
Bangladeshis. |
Before the forum, USAID
announced it would increase
food aid to Bangladesh from
$32 million to $42 million
each year for the next five
years—the U.S. government’s largest non-emergency
food assistance program in the world.
Much of this will be for better nutrition, income
generation, and food.
Under the Feed the Future initiative (see
story, page 1), the United States is slated to provide
an additional $30 million per year to
Dhaka, mostly for agricultural development.
“We know food security facilitates stable communities
and resilient nations,” Shah said in his
opening address. “We know agricultural development
growth is more effective at reducing poverty
than general economic growth. And we know
children need nutrition to learn and grow.”
The May 26-27 forum was conducted with
support from USAID, the International Food Policy
Research Institute (IFPRI), and other groups.
In preparation for the forum, the government
of Bangladesh commissioned papers on agricultural
productivity, climate change, nutrition,
safety nets, food distribution, trade, marketing,
livestock, fisheries, governance, and gender
equity.
Bangladesh could lose $26 billion of agricultural
production to climate change between
2005 and 2050, researchers said. Much of the
country is barely above sea level and susceptible
to flooding. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
said climate change may make it increasingly
difficult to provide food to all Bangladeshis.
The minister for food and disaster management,
M. A. Razzaque, said farmers often do
not receive fair prices because they are unable
to move their products to the most profitable
markets.
“There is considerable evidence that public
spending on agricultural and rural development
has the largest positive effects on growth and
poverty reduction in developing countries,” said
Shenggen Fan, director general of IFPRI. Citizens
must be empowered to demand better services
from their government, monitor public
spending, and hold service providers accountable,
Fan said.
Bangladesh’s experiences were to be discussed
in June’s G8 and G20 summits in Canada
and again in July, at the Food Security
Investment Forum for Asia and the Pacific, in
Manila.
“The people of Bangladesh can look forward
to a brighter future, free from extreme hunger
and filled with greater economic opportunity,”
said Shah.
★
FrontLines is published
by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
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