Bangladesh has great potential for agriculture-led growth and food security. Rice production has tripled over the last 30 years. Extreme poverty fell from 59 percent in 2000 to 43 percent in 2010. 48 percent of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector and a large majority of the rural population is involved in fisheries.
Feed the Future has targeted aquaculture as a key value chain in Bangladesh, helping fishers apply new practices and techniques. As a result, these producers have increased their productivity by 80 percent, from 1.59 metric tons per hectare of pond in 2014 to 2.85 metric tons per hectare in 2017. Likewise, average annual sales per fisher increased by 200 percent, from $153 in 2014 to $426 in 2017, representing significant new income for families living below the poverty line.
These results reflect data from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of the Treasury (through the International Fund for Agricultural Development and Global Agriculture and Food Security Program) reported into Feed the Future’s central monitoring system for fiscal year 2017 (FY17). Impact data for poverty statistics comes from a 2015 population-based survey by the International Food Policy Research Institute. Impact data for stunting statistics are derived from the 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. For more information on the indicators above, please view our Feed the Future Indicator Handbook. All dollar amounts are listed in U.S. dollars.
Bangladesh has great potential for agriculture-led growth and food security. Rice production has tripled over the last 30 years. Extreme poverty fell from 59 percent in 2000 to 43 percent in 2010. 48 percent of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector and a large majority of the rural population is involved in fisheries.
However, Bangladesh remains the most densely populated country in the world, with 161 million people living in a land area roughly the size of Iowa. Poverty, lack of access to agricultural land, and poor eating habits contribute to the country having some of the highest rates of undernutrition and child stunting in the world.
More than 28 million people live in Feed the Future’s target regions in Bangladesh, where food security and nutrition face considerable challenges due to scarce water resources, a rising sea level, vulnerability to extreme shocks, and changing weather patterns. Population growth, urbanization and soil and natural resource depletion have led to degradation of Bangladesh’s land, water bodies, wetlands, and forests and pose a significant threat to its agriculture sector.
Gender-related factors further complicate food insecurity and undernutrition: Women are heavily engaged in agriculture but do not have access to extension services or other inputs like seeds and fertilizer. They are also often the last to eat at mealtimes. Nonetheless, Bangladesh is making progress. The under-five mortality rate has declined by more than 50 percent since 1993, and 88 percent of children under five years old receive vitamin A supplementation twice a year through government-led campaigns. Poverty and child stunting have dropped within Feed the Future target regions.
Consistent with the government of Bangladesh’s priorities, Feed the Future focuses on increasing rice production while helping farmers diversify into higher-value, nutrient-dense commodities such as horticulture and fish.
Feed the Future supports the following programs, partnerships and organizations in Bangladesh.
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