Food Security in Bangladesh: Challenges and way forward

INTRODUCTION:

The understanding of people of Bangladesh stands food security means a stock of cereals that can be used
to meet an unforeseen food crisis. Food certainly is not cereal alone, neither its security is just a sufficient
amount of cereal stock. Food means balanced diet and its security refers to availability of such diet at a
reasonable price. Ensuring food security for all is one of the major challenges that Bangladesh faces
today. Despite significant achievement in food grain production and food availability, food security at
national, household and individual levels remains a matter of major concern for the Government mainly
due to natural calamities. Since independence, Bangladesh has made substantial progress in increasing
domestic production of food grains. The food production of the country both rice and wheat, was 10.46
million metric tons in the year 1971-72. Bangladesh attained self-sufficiency in food production in 2010-
2011 with a gross production of rice and wheat of 35.0 million metric tons (BER, 2011) which marginally
met the country’s requirement of 24.62 millions metric tons for the population of 148.69 million, taking
453.6 gm per capita per day requirement. Food availability is one of the three conditions of food
security as defined in the World Food Summit 1996. The other two conditions are access and utilization.
This paper focuses firstly on the availability of food as an essential element of the concept of food
security and secondly role of government to achieve food self-sufficiency.

What is food security?

One of the fundamental rights of the citizens stipulated in the Bangladesh Constitution is food
security for all. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe
and nutritious food to maintain healthy and productive lives. The key elements of food security
are: a) availability of enough food from domestic production and/or imports to meet the demand,
b) access of the food to all people at all times through enough incomes and affordable prices, c)
proper hygiene and sanitary practices and safe water for utilisation of food to have optimum
impact on health and nutrition, and d) a regulatory framework in place and its proper
implementation for controlling contamination to ensure food safety.

According to the World Food Summit (1996), “Food security exists when all people, at all times,
have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meet their
dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. Food security encompasses
many issues ranging from food production and distribution to food preferences and health status
of individuals.

Food Security at a Glance:

Bangladesh Poverty Map 2005 (Percent Below the Lower Poverty Line)
Food security in Bangladesh is characterized by considerable regional variations. Factors such as
tendency to natural disasters, distribution and quality of agricultural land, access to education
and health facilities, level of infrastructure development, employment opportunities, and dietary
and caring practices provide possible explanations for this. The map (above) presents the
proportion of the population below the poverty line, highlighting geographic distribution trends. 
There is a similarity between levels of poverty and levels of food insecurity. The poorest upazilas
are in the northwest, the coastal belt, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Bandarban and Rangamati.
Districts with more than one million people living in extreme poverty include Sirajganj,
Naogaon, Bogra, Mymensingh and Chittagong. Poverty can be a cause and an outcome of food
insecurity. Households that are poor lack the means to acquire sufficient and nutritious food, and
are likely to be food insecure; people who are food insecure may have to sell or consume their
productive assets to satisfy their immediate food needs. This undermines their longer-term
income potential and they may become poor. Although Bangladesh has achieved progress in
poverty reduction, there remains widespread poverty and hunger at national and regional levels.
There are also marked variations in poverty incidence between rural and urban Bangladesh.

Current state of food security:

Food security is a complex matter. Bangladesh has managed to triple its rice production in the
last 40 years, from 10 million MT in 1971 to over 32 million MT today. Over 5.1 million ha of
the land are irrigated, which is over 4 times more than in 1990. Modern varieties have been
introduced on 75% of the total rice cropped area. Meanwhile, the population has increased, from
about 75 million to about 150 million now. 41.7 million individuals are undernourished i.e. not
getting adequate amounts of safe and nutritious foods to sustain a healthy and productive life.
That is 27% of the population. In the early 1990s, these numbers were around 44.4 million or
38% of the population. Though agriculture only counts for 20% of GDP, it contributes to over
60% of the labour force, providing income to the rural population, which is about 74% of the
population.

As far as food intake is concerned, Bangladesh’s score on various health and social indices is not
encouraging. It has been said that despite efforts of alleviate poverty in Bangladesh, 29% of the
population still lives in below poverty line, with a daily income of one US dollar. Bangladesh is
18th among the 25 malnutrition-affected countries in Asia, and it results in 51% underweight
child, deficit in Vitamins and minerals.

Requirement of food grain in Bangladesh has been estimated 32 million metric tons. On an average food
deficit in Bangladesh is over a million metric tons. Natural disaster is the prime factor contributing to
food deficit in Bangladesh- flooding, cyclones, draught and water logging results losses of agricultural
production over 2 million per year

Food security situation in Bangladesh has improved, especially on average per capita dietary energy
supply has improved from 1800 Kcal in 70s to 3055 in 2009 (BBS 2010), and further improvements on
access and utilization, to be sustainable and large-scale, needs renewed efforts from the government, civil
society (including media) and the development partners.
Records say in 70s’, 70% people were under the food consumption poverty line. Today this is down and
35% of the population under food consumption poverty line.
It has been evident that increased domestic production, supplemented by imports and overall public food
management contributed to relatively adequate availability of food at national level over the recent past
years. However, as has been mentioned, the fundamental spirit of food security is to ensure availability
and consumption of food at individual level. Even when aggregate food supplies are adequate, a number
of factors may prevent households or individuals from acquiring enough food. The overall productivity of
the poor producers may be low or their income levels may be insufficient to enable them to purchase the
necessary foods from the market at the ruling prices. Households may also lack the necessary asset or
access to credit to overcome the period of hardship. They may also remain outside the food assistance
programmes that would provide them with cash or kind income to supplement their food acquisition
capacity.
Food security at household level is closely linked with poverty. These poverty and food security problems
are massive, with approximately half of the population lacking the resources to acquire enough food and
consequently remaining below the poverty line. Two approaches are generally used for measuring the
incidence of poverty: direct calorie intake (DCI) method and cost of basic need (CBN) method. The
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has estimated the extent of poverty using the DCI method through
its successive Household Expenditure Surveys (HES). In addition, the CBN method of estimation has also
been introduced in the household expenditure surveys.
Table1: Poverty situation in Bangladesh as measured by the cost of basic need (CBN) method
Loca Percent of population below poverty line
tion Upper poverty line Lower poverty line
 1991 2000 2010 1991 2000 2010
Nati
58.80 48.90 31.50 42.70 33.70 17.60
onal
Rura
61.20 52.30 35.02 46.00 37.40 21.10
l
Urba
44.90 35.30 21.30 23.30 19.10 07.70
n

Challenges for achieving food security

The main challenge for achieving and sustaining food security comes from continuing growth of
population. The progress in reducing population growth, from 3 percent per year at independence
to about 1.3 percent now, is laudable. But the population is still increasing by 1.8 million every
year.   Rice production has to increase by four lakh tonnes every year to meet the need for staple
food for the growing population. The increase in domestic production at that rate would be
difficult due to several supply side factors.

The arable land has been shrinking by 0.6 percent every year due to demand from housing and
industries, and infrastructure, as well as loss of land from river erosion. With global warming and
climate change, another one-sixth of the land may be submerged with brackish water due to
rising sea levels. The on-going climate has made the monsoon more erratic, raising risks in food
production. The soil fertility has been declining due to overexploitation of soil nutrients, and
imbalanced use of fertilisers. The ground water aquifer has been going down from over-mining
for irrigating boro rice. The low hanging fruits with regards to irrigation expansion and
technological progress have already been harvested.  Due to all these factors the potential for
further increase in production is getting limited.

There are some silver linings however. As mentioned earlier, with economic progress people
now have capacity to access a diversified diet with less rice and more quality food. The per
capita consumption of rice has been declining by almost 1.5 kg per person per year. Japan and
South Korea had the same experience during their process of economic development. It seems
that we have reached the stage of economic growth when people are going to gradually reduce
the consumption of rice with higher intake of other food.  So, despite some growth of population
the demand for rice may not grow much further.

Rice production can further be increased with intensification of land use with the use of shorter
maturity varieties and adoption of submergence tolerance, drought tolerance, and saline tolerance
varieties in adverse agro-ecological environments such the southern coast and the Haor areas in
the Northeast, and the flood-prone areas in the river and coastal chars. The diffusion of hybrid
rice could further increase the rice yields, and the yield gaps of existing varieties could be
reduced with the adoption of finer crop management practices, such as the System of Rice
Intensification (SRI).  Indeed, with all these potentials exploited, Bangladesh could become a
rice exporting country.

The more difficult challenge is accelerating the growth in the production of non-rice foods, such
as pulses, oils, fish and animal products, whose demand has been growing fast with economic
prosperity. We must reduce the growing import dependence of food to insulate the domestic
market from the volatility of the world market. The R&D system must find ways to fit in pulses
and oilseeds in the rice-based system. The vast potential for increasing fish production from the
intensive use of the flood plains must be explored. Women are already heavily engaged in
homestead based vegetable and fruit production, and subsistence based poultry and animal
farming. The potential is large in this area. Women farmers should be supported with easy access
to knowledge of improved technology and disease management, supply of quality seeds, and
access to finance at easy terms. Private sector should have the enabling environment to link
farmers to markets with expansion of processing and storage facilities and removing constraints
in the value chain.

Bangladesh has yet to achieve comprehensive food security that resolves the problems of
inadequate food intake and chronic malnutrition among poor people.  Solving these problems
will require concerted action by the government, the private sector and individual households.
Continuous efforts need to be made in developing and diffusion of improved crop varieties and
natural resource management to generate adequate supply of food to meet the needs of the
growing population.  A more efficient public food grain distribution system can make a
significant contribution to the food security of vulnerable households who lack means to access
food.  Appropriately targeted income transfers, credit programs and insurance mechanisms in
times of crisis may generate high payoffs in reducing poverty and improving food security.
These interventions should be part of a broader social protection strategy that is both cost-
effective and comprehensive in coverage.

Now these figures are compounded by current stresses, like climate change related events. It
requires strengthening of institutions and programmes in Bangladesh currently coping with
existing levels of natural disasters, environmental change and population growth, to assist in
adaptation to climate change. Though the directions of climate change are still uncertain,
Bangladesh needs to be prepared for eventualities, like the ones it has been experiencing in the
recent past.

In 2007, after two floods and cyclone Sidr, food security was severely threatened. Losses for rice
production were estimated at 1.8 million MT, enough to feed over 10 million people during a
year.  The 2008 price hike went on to worsen the situation leading to the number of food
insecure people (less than 2,122 kcal/day) to increase by 7.5M and the number of severely food
insecure people (less than 1,805 kcal/day) to increase by 6.9M. The huge losses of rice incurred
during cyclone Aila (in October 2009 further worsened the situation. More recently, since last
Fall, foodgrain prices began shooting up again, reaching levels comparable to that of 2008 thus
having implications for the health and well being of households and communities particularly the
poor and vulnerable groups of mothers and children. Following prompt government action
however, prices have started declining for the last month, in an uncharacteristic trend for this
season of the year.

Technical problems
Some of the persisting problems of increasing crop production, particularly cereal production using the
available HYVs are decreasing soil productivity, inefficient water and fertilizer use, inadequate supply of
quality seeds, imbalanced use of fertilizer, low labour productivity, and higher input price. These factors
are restricting realization of full yield potential of HYVs, resulting in lower yield of cereals in the
farmers’ field compared with much higher yield obtained in the research station. The major concern is
how to reduce this yield gap by improving soil, water and labour productivity, optimizing fertilizer use
and reducing input price. Declining land resources and competing demand for limited land is a major
concern for future agriculture. New technological breakthrough, appropriate development interventions
and a robust land use policy will be needed to address the problems.
Smallholder dairy and poultry development, which has the highest potential for reduction of rural
poverty, is seriously affected due to acute shortage of feeds and veterinary services, including disease
diagnostic facilities. High price of feeds and chicks, and marketing of milk in the rural areas are also
limiting progress in this area. One of the critical constraints limiting development of livestock is the
absolute lack of quality control. In the absence of legal and regulatory framework, livestock development
in the private sector is taking place in an indiscriminate manner, which has already created serious
problems of quality control in livestock products, drugs, vaccines, feeds, and breeding materials. The
main problems of fisheries subsector is the internal and trans-boundary environmental degradation and
manmade hazards. In recent years, complaints are heard about the degrading quality of fingerlings (not
genetically true to types) affecting pond fisheries, and disease infestation in shrimp culture. Destruction of
fish breeding grounds is also a major problem restricting production of native fish species. Despite the
declining quality of fingerlings, pond aquaculture is reported to have reached the optimal level of
production. The major challenge of the sub-sector is to harness the huge potential of inland open water
fisheries.
Institutional problems
Institutional capacity of the research, extension and seed production systems in terms of facilities and
human and financial resources has weakened and are not geared to address the emerging problems.
Weaknesses also persist in planning, coordination, monitoring, inter-institutional linkages, resource
management and partnership with the private sector and NGOs. These problems are overwhelming in the
livestock sub-sector compared to crops. DLS still continues to provide some of the services that can be
better done by the private sector. They are doing very little in quality assurance, disease investigation and
surveillance, and veterinary public health. Institutional reform is long overdue to tune up the systems and
build the capacity to face the new challenges.
Institutional capacity of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management in assessing, planning,
monitoring and implementing the policy and development interventions to effectively deal with the food
security issues is relatively weak due to shortage of skilled manpower. The capacity of the Food Policy
and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) in terms of professional strength and skill mix is also weak. Inter-
ministerial coordination and interaction on food security, research capacity and the process of having
regular dialogue with the private sector and civil society are lacking. There is a need to develop the
planning, coordination and monitoring capacity of the Ministry, and improving inter-ministerial
interaction to deal with the food security issues related to production, access and utilization.
Funding
Investment in agriculture (crops, fisheries and livestock), in general, has been drastically reduced from
last three decades. ADP share has also declined from 45% in 1981-82 to less than 10% in 2010-11. Donor
funding in agriculture has also declined significantly, although one of the conditions for attaining MDG is
the commitment of extended donor support in agriculture. Livestock sub-sector is affected most due to
low budget allocation. Annual revenue allocation to the Department of Livestock Services has declined
from 0.57% of the annual national budget in 1997-98 to 0.38% in 2003-04 (Bangladesh Economic
Review 2010). Funding situation in fisheries is slightly better. It is noted that the investment in
agricultural research for generation of technology is very minimum, which only 0.32% of total AGDP.
Investment should be raised upto 1% to develop adequate research facilities as per need of the nation.
However, without substantial increase in budget allocation to agriculture, it will be next to impossible to
attain the production target projected for the year 2015 to meet the millennium development goals.

Challenges:
Although the overall conditions of Bangladesh keep getting better, and although the economy
begins to find some stability, food security is still an issue for the Bangladeshi people. According
to USAID, 43% of children under five years old suffer from some kind of malnourishment, and
30% of the women have low body mass index. Main source of caloric intake (75%) is still just
rice. The key issue to this problem is the fact that there is no sustainability.

Weather conditions are also a problem. Latest monsoon rains have broken the river banks,
causing severe flooding and displacing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. This
affects living conditions and it also affects food production as a big part of the arable land is
under water. And the major problem is the fact that food shortage in Bangladesh has a tendency
to be higher in a few years because of the rapidly growing population and the growing
unemployment rates, and it will hit a critical level by 2050.

Sanitation and Hygiene issues are also linked with Food Security. A study on Nutrition of Children and
Women in Bangladesh: Trends and Directions for the Future by ICDDRB reported that micronutrient-
related malnutrition is often termed ‘hidden hunger’, as the consequences are not always visible. There
are four micronutrients that are particularly relevant to public health: vitamin A, iron, iodine, and zinc.
Challenges of constraints to food security:

In the dimension of food supply and availability, the challenges are: a) there is higher demand
for food from a growing population, b) dependence on ground water for irrigation is high and the
prices of agricultural inputs like fuel, fertiliser etc, have increased, c) agricultural production is
cereal based and growth in crop diversification is not impressive, d) climate change-related
shocks are likely to increase agricultural production instability in future and e) there is a gap
between agricultural research/technology generation and dissemination/extension of services.
In the dimension of food access, constraints are largely linked to high underemployment, low
household incomes, and resulting low food expenditures. Agricultural growth, as a percentage of
GDP, is shrinking over time: In 1991, the sector contributed 33 per cent to GDP while in 2008-
2009 it had fallen to 20.6 per cent.

The major problems constraining the development of livestock sub-sector in Bangladesh are:
lack of feed, incidence of disease, and poor genetic stock. These problems, however, are
intertwined. The lack of high-quality feed tends to keep both animals and birds in weak
conditions. Those, in turn, make them more susceptible to disease. Diseases increase mortality
and make animal production less profitable than it would otherwise be. This, in turn, reduces
requirements for feed production. Poor genetic potential reduces feed-use efficiency which
increases feed requirement. Research endeavours must address carefully the genetic
improvement and feed issues for higher productivity. Agribusiness relating to livestock has to be
given all sorts of support including innovative researches on livestock management practices.
Way forward: In case of food availability and supply, technological developments of agriculture
should be redirected towards crop varieties that reflect adaptation strategy. Crop diversification,
based on consumer demand like increased pulse production and geographical suitability, water
management, strong linkage between agricultural research institutions and the Department of
Agriculture Extension,  effective support and credit for farmers, effective trade policies on food
import need to be focused.
During the current decade (2000/01-2008/09 period), poultry population registered a satisfactory
growth (over 5.0 per cent yearly) followed by goats/sheep (around 4.0 per cent yearly). The
growth of cattle/buffaloes, especially cattle, however, is most disappointing, registering a growth
of only 0.5 per cent over this period. This has led to a per capita decline in the number of bovine
animals, especially cattle in the country. Due to robust growth of poultry, however, the livestock
population registered an overall growth of 4.6 per cent per annum, thereby leading to an increase
in the number of livestock per capita over the period.

FOOD SECURITY AND GOVERNANCE

Bangladesh agriculture has achieved significant structural changes over the past three and half decades.
Despite many problems and constraints a quiet agricultural revolution has taken place which is still
evolving in response to natural calamities, sociopolitical changes, population growth, and urbanization,
new technology in agriculture and new opportunities in rural non-agriculture sector commercialization
and changes in macro policy and sector intervention in agriculture. Improved national governance is most
needed today to reduce hunger. Democracy is one useful standard of good governance. Bangladesh is at
the cross-roads in its efforts to combat poverty and achieve food security for its people. The full Poverty
Reduction Strategy has just been completed, recognizing that “food security is the core element in the
struggle against poverty” (GED 2005) and setting out a number of policy priorities that will inevitably
influence the availability, access and utilization of food. The National Food Policy has been approved.
Whilst earlier five year plans emphasized accelerated food production and expansion of employment
opportunities in rural areas as the main strategy to achieve food security, the new National Food Policy
builds on a more comprehensive understanding of the food security challenge in Bangladesh which
includes, in addition to availability, access and utilization considerations.
Internal peace: Governments in Bangladesh must do a better job of preserving internal peace. Where
national governments fail to preserve internal peace, food production and access to food are
compromised. Present government has the utmost priority on internal peace in Bangladesh
Rule of law: The prosperity of Bangladesh agriculture is satisfactory because of good civil and judicial
systems or arbitrary and anti-corrupt governmental administration has tended to encourage private
investment.
Public investment in rural infrastructure: Such investments are moderate strong in Bangladesh,
increasing the life chances of the rural poor. More than 49.8 percent of rural people in the poorest income
quintile live in rural settings, and very few of these poor rural households enjoy the basic infrastructure
needed for a healthy and productive life.
Government support for agricultural research and development: Between 1971 and 2011, public
spending on agricultural research and development in Bangladesh is increased. One percent of AGDP is
allocated for agricultural research is planned in future. Strong coordinated efforts by both the public and
the private sectors, non-governmental and community based organizations will be needed to increase food
production for achieving the millennium development targets. This would require stronger GO-NGO
private sector partnership, with effective coordination and monitoring system in place at both the national
and local levels.

Way forward:
The trade off with loss of rice producing lands for growing sugarcane, maize, sugar beet, rape
seed and other oil containing seeds for bio-fuel production will affect all the way up the food
chain to household consumption. On-farm opportunities, whereby farmers have improved access
to modern rice varieties, irrigation facilities and fertilizers could help close the current gaps in
actual and potential yields thereby offsetting climate change impacts.
Taking this into consideration, the Government of Bangladesh has to develop a comprehensive
action plan for improving food grain production, supporting agricultural research and
development, promoting education and skills development, strengthening climate risk
management and developing protective infrastructure.

In November 2007, Cyclone Sidr alone destroyed nearly 2-3 million tons of rice in Bangladesh.
This event led to a doubling of the price of rice in Bangladesh, and estimated 20,000 workers
rioted near Dhaka in 2008 over food prices, particularly the cost of rice. After a huge loss of
country’s rice crop in 2007, the country created a trust fund, in 2009, to finance climate
adaptation activities aiming to boost agricultural production and food security in anticipation of
more adverse weather. This trust fund initiative got a boost in 2010, when several donors
established the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund to implement a national climate
change strategy.

However, Winston Yu, an author of Climate Change Risks and Food Security in Bangladesh, emphasized
a need for promoting research to increase crop yields in Bangladesh. He said, Bangladeshi research
stations are growing rice at 6 or 7 tons per hectare, versus 1 or 2 tons a hectare on typical farm. The gap
between what is theoretically possible and what is being done on the ground needs to be addressed. He
also indicated floating vegetable beds that rise and fall with floods can also be considered as an option
for adaptability

Governments, corporations and individuals throughout the world have been looking for a way in
which the food problem in Bangladesh can be addressed properly. There are several non
government agencies that are working in Bangladesh, trying to help people overcome their
nutrition problems. Fact is the core issue will not be solved by bringing food to people, but by
helping Bangladeshi people to become sustainable. How? There are a number of possibilities,
commencing with birth control to lower birth rates and stop demographic explosion.
Strengthening household economies and showing people how to raise animals and grow simple
crops is another option, and so is attracting investment so unemployment rates can get lower. But
it is not as easy as it sounds. It needs to be done consistently through a lot of years before seeing
any positive result.

Realities like the one the Bangladeshi people are facing are not local problems that will remain
on their own countries. It is a fact that what happens in one side of the planet affects the other
side sooner or later. So helping out is responsibility of everyone. Caring for natural resources and
finding sustainability is not responsibility of poor countries like Bangladesh alone. There should
be similar efforts in every country of the planet so we are able to find a balance that keeps us safe
and that guarantees that we will all have enough water and food for years to come. This is why
engaging in efforts to help other countries, like Bangladesh, can come back as a change on
everyone’s reality in the future. You can find a lot of information about initiatives to help
Bangladesh through the internet, but we recommend checking some of the most recognized, such
as The Hunger Project Bangladesh, Action against Hunger, and Hunger Free World. The sites of
these projects may also redirect you to other organizations that are working in smaller scale and
in which you may be able to get involved in a number of ways, such as becoming a sponsor or
volunteering.

In 2009, Bangladesh’s parliament passed the country’s first consumer protection law covering food
safety and security. This law supported several others aimed at regulating food quality: Bangladesh Pure
Food Ordinance (1959), Fish and Fish Product Rules (1997) and the Radiation Protection Act (1987).

The emphasis on productivity improvements will be particularly helpful in reconciling food security
objectives with farmer incentives. In case of food production, climate change adaptation strategy in the
agriculture sector needs to be prioritised to tackle the global food insecurity susceptibility due to climate
change. The achievements of goals under the three dimensions of food security- availability, access and
utilisation, will be facilitated by the implementation of the National Food Policy and its Plan of Action
and the Country Investment Plan (CIP) 2010-2015.

Poultry and livestock development for food security: Although livestock sub-sector contributes
about 3.0 per cent of the country's total gross domestic product (GDP), it employs about 20 per
cent of the rural labour force. There exists a wide gap between total requirement of livestock
products such as milk, meat, and eggs and their current levels of production. As income rises, the
demand for livestock and poultry products increases rapidly since the income elasticity of these
products is quite high: 2.16 for milk, 2.45 for meat, and 1.40 for eggs. This requires urgent and
rapid development of livestock sub-sector in general and growth of livestock products in
particular, in the future.

There is a need for targeted Nutrition and Health Programmes with improvements of the
programme design for infant and young child feeding interventions, based on an exclusive
breast-feeding, complementary feeding and multiple micronutrient supplementations for
Moderately Acute Malnourished (MAM).
Supplementary feeding for the malnourished and the marginalised pregnant women is required.
Public investment is one of the most direct and effective instruments that governments can use to
promote growth and attaining food security, and for poverty and hunger reduction. But
programme monitoring should be given priority along with capacity building and good
governance.

Consistent with the need to ensure food security, emphasis should also be placed on agriculture
diversification in both crop and non-crop sectors and livestock and poultry development. This
diversification will help promote commercialisation of agriculture and raise farm incomes. In
May 2010 the government approved the Bangladesh Country Investment Plan (CIP) which
provides guidance on investments to increase and diversify food availability in a sustainable
manner and to improve access to food and nutrition.
The proper implementation of the CIP will help attain the MDG target on hunger. This is a major
step forward towards harmonising and aligning the objectives of the government and
development partners in line with the Paris Declaration and the Five Rome Principles on food
security which are:
Principle 1: Invest in country-owned plans, aimed at channelling resources to well designed and
results-based programmes and partnerships.
Principle 2: Foster strategic coordination at national, regional and global level to improve
governance, promote better allocation of resources, avoid duplication of efforts and identify
response-gaps.
Principle 3: Strive for a comprehensive twin-track approach to food security that consists of: (1)
direct action to immediately tackle hunger for the most vulnerable and (2) medium and long-term
sustainable agricultural, food security, nutrition and rural development programmes to eliminate
the root causes of hunger and poverty, including through the progressive realisation of the right
to adequate food.
Principle 4: Ensure a strong role for the multilateral system by sustained improvements in
efficiency, responsiveness, coordination and effectiveness of multilateral institutions.
Principle 5: Ensure sustained and substantial commitment by all development partners to
investment in agriculture and food security and nutrition, with provision of necessary resources
in a timely and reliable fashion, aimed at multi-year plans and programmes.

Work on Food Security

Therefore, the government is strongly committed to enhancing food security in Bangladesh and
supports the private sector and farmers to work towards this common goal.

As FAO, we are always committed to stand by the farmers, and to support the government’s
efforts.

Through the National Food Policy 2006 (NFP), the Government of Bangladesh is committed to
achieving sustainable food security by tackling the three dimensions of this issue: availability of
and access to food, and its utilization. In a coordinated effort of the government which involved
11 Ministries and Divisions, with the technical support of FAO’s National Food Policy Capacity
Strengthening Programme (NFPCSP), a Plan of Action for this policy was developed, which has
contributed to better coordinated implementation and monitoring of the NFP. This has also been
the start for the Food Security Country Investment Plan – or CIP. The CIP already enabled
Bangladesh to secure USD 52.5 million under the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program
(GAFSP), making it the first recipient of this program in Asia. We are now working on the
review and development of this CIP in joint GoB-DP exercise, where inclusive dialogue is the
corner stone of the process.

Addressing the Challenges of Food Security

I would like to tell you also about a discussion on this matter we had with the honourable PM
Sheikh Hasina, the highest FAO Ceres Medal winner for her outstanding contribution to
sustainable food security. In order to enhance food security, the honourable PM indicated the
need for modernizing the country’s agriculture system to ensure food security and attain self-
sufficiency in rice by 2013. In the discussion, the need to work on reducing salinity of soil in the
coastal belt and river dredging across the country, in general, and at the Gorai mouth, in
particular, for enhancing water flow for the south, and to raise food production was stressed.

In trying to address the challenges of food security, the government has started working on a
Master Plan for the South. There is indeed considerable potential to improve the productivity of
crops, livestock and fisheries in the coastal zone (southern delta) with better use of technology
and improved management practices, utilizing available knowledge in the country and also
lessons from other countries. The Government of Bangladesh, coordinated by the Ministry of
Agriculture, is therefore committed to support integrated development efforts in the south: it is
considering carrying out a mapping of areas for suitability of crops and use of surface water. The
suitable zones for crops, fisheries, livestock and agro-forestry will be mapped through agro-
ecological and economic analyses of the area. The construction of the 3 billion USD
multipurpose Padma Bridge is foreseen to favour a rapid transformation of the agriculture sector
in the concerned area. Once this bridge is ready it is projected that the economic growth will
have a very good impact and that GDP increase is estimated at 2 %. The Master Plan intends to
provide a road map for an integrated rehabilitation and development effort in Bangladesh’s
coastal zone aiming at sustainable food security, poverty reduction and livelihood development
for the poor. In particular, the plan will focus, among other priorities, on the following
challenges:

1. Increasing agricultural production and productivity

2. Improving water management and infrastructure for surface water irrigation
3. Improving productivity of brackish water shrimp and capture fisheries
4. Promoting smallholder poultry and dairy development

Just to highlight the challenge, as I realise that I’m talking to a group of engineers: with an
overall goal to improve productivity, the government stresses the importance of improving water
management in agriculture. The need for this won’t surprise you at all. Without adequate water
management, the production of good crops is not possible. However, achieving the required
improvements may prove to be quite a challenge. Indeed, it is not only technology that is needed.
We need a comprehensive approach, and for that we need dialogue. We also need the qualities of
engineers. Social scientists have the skills to understand people and their constraints, and
agriculturalists know a lot about crops, fisheries and livestock. The farmers have their indigenous
skills and the long record of resilience. This is the knowledge which we certainly need to use.
But engineers have – besides knowledge of engineering matters – the ability to design and
implement solutions. In science and in the real world, these different skills and abilities
sometimes clash. But the challenges we are facing to reach food security for over 150 million in
Bangladesh require a smart combination of all these skills and qualities in order to succeed. I’ll
come back to this need for dialogue.

A Master Plan for the South

Let me tell you something more about the Master Plan for the South. With the southern delta, i.e.
the southern coastal zone, we signify the south, south-west of the country or largely the Ganges
Tidal Flood Plain so to speak. It is a physiologically and ecologically diverse area which includes
important forest, fisheries, agriculture, livestock and wildlife resources. It extends from
Sathkhira to Noakhali, all along the Bay of Bengal, and to adjacent areas like Jessore and
Gopalganj. An area of about 150 upazilas, in which 41.3 million people live and where about 20
million people more will reside in 2050 (61.3 million)!

You know, the development of the coastal region started with the implementation of the Coastal
Embankment Project (CEP) during 1950s and 1960s. Flood embankments were raised with an
intention to save agricultural land from salt water flooding and thereby to intensify rice
production. Salt intrusion, sedimentation of rivers, and population pressure are the urgent issues
to be tackled in parts of the region (south, south-west) for increasing food security. The
WB/UN/WFP poverty map shows empirically the severity in poverty situation that also
perpetuates intense malnutrition among the population.

Due to the vulnerability of these areas to floods, cyclones and storm surges, agricultural,
livestock and aquaculture activities are at serious risk and need additional support. It is necessary
to be prepared for adverse events (floods, cyclones), to grow more crops and to increase
productivity with the use of less water. Measures to control salinity intrusion and improve water
management need particular attention. A plan for agricultural development of the Ganges Flood
Plain/the coastal zone is interlinked with the plan for regional water development.

To ensure the continued inflow of fresh water for the southern region, including the Sundarban
forest and the production for agriculture, the Gorai river needs a steady inflow of water, and the
government is currently working on dredging of the river.

Throughout the country, over 80% of irrigation is from ground water. A challenge is also to
transform this dependence on groundwater to surface water use in agriculture to address water
quality issues. This explains the emphasis the government is putting in the development of
surface water irrigation. From the FAO side we have already fielded a mission to explore with
the government possible options in this regard, which will result in a concrete plan for assistance
for the coming 2 years at least.

Hence, the constraints that need to be faced are complex, interrelated and need interventions of
different kinds and scale. For better results and long term impacts, a holistic and integrated
approach to planning development is needed. In doing that, experiences drawn from other
countries with similar coastal environment may be of help.

The Mekong delta in Vietnam had similar constraints, which have been overcome. The Mekong
delta has now become the granary of Vietnam contributing largely to the economy (and food
security) of the country; Vietnam exported 6 million tons of rice in 2010. Therefore it would be
good to review and analyze the experiences from the Vietnam Mekong delta and see to what
extent it may be applied to the coastal zone (Southern Delta) of Bangladesh, integrating it with
local knowledge and taking the local biophysical potentials into account. Countries with
extensive expertise in Delta Management and long standing work relationships with Bangladesh
on water, like the Netherlands, may be involved. We welcome the collaboration with the Dutch
Water Mondiaal  and Delta Plan initiatives.
The need for dialogue for a comprehensive approach

Therefore, in order to face food security challenges, we need dialogue.

We need dialogue in a comprehensive approach

-      in order to be able to link different levels of governance

-      in order to be able to link different sectors

-      in order to link all stakeholders, public and private

-      in order to address complexity and uncertainty

-      and in order to share and create knowledge

A coordinated approach, such as a Master Plan, assists in trying to avoid duplication of

programmes. There is a strong need to link uncertainties in water issues with climate change
issues in the agricultural development scenario, in order to achieve the sustainable development
of Bangladesh, and in its effort to become a Middle Income Country by 2021. Further,
involvement of the government, development partners, Non-Government agencies, local
government, academic and research institutions and other stakeholders should be brought under a
coordinated dialogue during the preparation of such a master plan. A panel of experts with a high
level coordination mechanism may be considered in the formulation, monitoring implementation
and future follow-up for such an integrated master plan. Our lessons learnt through the extensive
dialogue process under the CIP Review may also compliment to this dialogue for the Master
Plan.

Conclusion

Often, when people face complex and uncertain situations, they stop action, and pull out of
decision making. However, if climate change brings sea level rise, and if land subsidence is
anyway happening due to tectonic activity, the conclusion is clear: though we do not know
exactly what will happen, it is likely that something will happen, so we had better start getting
ready to address it!

Therefore, we need policy makers, agriculturalists, and engineers with the quality to act while
facing uncertainty.

Those working on food security in Bangladesh will need to talk to policy makers in the
engineering sectors, but also engage in a dialogue with farmers at the local levels, staff from
other sectors and other departments, and the private sector and the think-tanks as well.

With the quality to understand that it is not only scientific knowledge that counts, but that
practical knowledge is relevant, and needs to be heard and taken into account.
The results of the Master Plan of tomorrow will be created in dialogue with the policy makers,
agriculturalists and engineers of today.

With this lecture I hope to make a contribution to this necessary dialogue and I encourage all of
you to continue such a dialogue, and to contribute to dialogue in your role of engineers, in order
to face the challenge of food security in Bangladesh.

To end, I would like to be optimistic by recalling the outstanding progress the people of this
flood plain delta have achieved over time – from the days of droughts of 1770s when up to one-
third of the population perished; from the days of famine of 1943 that took away 3 million lives.
We are to avert forever the pale faces of the Potato Eaters of the Dutch painter Vincent van
Gogh and the skins and skeletons of Akal of Joynul Abedin.  

When we go back to our desks and drawing boards, we keep in our mind the need to work
together and of inclusive dialogue to build a better Bangladesh, a food secure Bangladesh.

RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Expansion of community based nutrition programme should be considered with utmost importance
2. Targeted safety net programmes for the poor and ultra poor should be continued and made more
effective
3. Supports should be expanded for income generating activities for the rural poor
4. Supports should be continued for the marginal farmers to enhance agricultural production
5. Community based health and nutrition education should be strengthened
6. Proper enforcement of laws and regulation related to food safety and quality should be ensured
7. Food standards as well as standards for inspection, testing, labeling, packaging should be harmonized
with that of international standards
8. Monitoring and surveillance of food products in the market should be strengthened
9. NPAN should be reviewed and updated with the recent developments
10. Transferring knowledge about balanced diet and its usefulness to the household, especially to the
mother
11. Incorporation of calorie intake and other issues in the text books at school level
12. Focus agricultural research on dietary quality (research on non-cereal crops)
13. Food price policy for increasing the quality and quantity of food
14. Supportive policies for agriculture input
15. Commercial and homestead promotion of poultry and fruits/vegetables
16. Addressing growing income inequality and effective and equitable social interventions
17. Looking into intra-household discrimination in food allocation.

CONCLUSIONS
All policy documents on crops, livestock, fisheries and food are recently prepared in the context of
changes in global and domestic social, economic and trade environment. The policies are sound, but if
they are not implemented in totality, it will not be possible to achieve the food production target estimated
for the year 2015. In the past, it was seen that the policies that require fundamental changes like
institutional reform were always bypassed. As a result, only partial success was achieved. Achieving the
millennium development target will rest on the following conditions: (i) substantial increase in public and
private investment, (ii) institutional and management reform, (iii) close inter-institutional and inter-
ministerial cooperation, (iv) GO-NGO-private sector partnership, (v) good agricultural governance,
particularly at the local level, and (vi) commitment of the Government. The implication is that a twin-
track strategy is needed in Bangladesh, tackling food insecurity from two angles: I) sustainable
agricultural and rural development to support and enhance the livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable
groups; and II) through targeted interventions and programmes to enhance immediate and direct access to
food and nutrition by the most needy to allow them to take advantage of opportunities offered by
development.
Conclusion

It is envisaged in the Sixth Five Year Plan that the growth and employment re-balancing process
must be accompanied by strategies to enhance the income-earning opportunities of workers
remaining in agriculture by raising land productivity and increasing diversification of agriculture
production. A strong agriculture remains fundamental to poverty reduction as well as for food
security. With land becoming a binding constraint in view of growing population and
urbanisation pressures, enhancing the productivity of land is a top priority. The emphasis on
productivity improvements will also be helpful in reconciling food security objectives with
farmer incentives.