Over the next five years in Bangladesh, Feed the Future aims to help an estimated 879,000 vulnerable Bangladeshi women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 371,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. Significant numbers of additional rural populations will achieve improved income and nutritional status from strategic policy engagement and institutional investments.
To meet its objectives, Feed the Future Bangladesh is making core investments in four key areas:
1. On-Farm Productivity Increased
- Accelerating Agriculture Productivity Improvement
- Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia
- Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II
2. Investment in Market Systems and Value Chains Increased
- Illustrative Producer Organization and Rural Enterprise Change Agent Project
- Illustrative Agricultural Marketing Project
3. Food Security Policy and Planning Capacity Enhanced
- National Food Policy Capacity Strengthening Program Phase II
- Policy Research and Strategy Support for Food Security and Agricultural Development in Bangladesh
4. Agriculture Innovation Capacity Enhanced
- Illustrative National Agricultural Research Systems Project
- Illustrative Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Project
- Illustrative Bangladesh Agricultural Education and Training Project
Target Regions. Mission Dhaka has identified the South as the region where it will focus its activities. More specific geographic selection will be based on regions with the greatest growth potential for rice production and diversification, prioritized high-value agricultural products and, to the degree possible, on regions with the highest level of poverty and malnutrition.
Highlights
Improve Nutritional Status. Through extension activities and community outreach, Feed the Future will disseminate consistent information on nutrition and social and behavioral change. In collaboration with the U.S. Government’s Global Health Initiative and USAID’s Food for Peace efforts, Feed the Future will improve nutrition service delivery for pregnant women and young children. Research on innovative nutrition technologies and biofortified varieties of rice will be targeted toward improving the quality of food and preventing and treating undernutrition.
Agriculture Research and Extension. Feed the Future will target intensification of rice production by promoting higher-yield, saline/drought resistant, and more nutritious rice by supporting research institutions, government policymakers, NGOs, farmers, and the private sector. Feed the Future will strengthen agricultural research capacity with a focus on:
- Crops that are resilient to climate change-related challenges such as salinity, drought, and floods
- Improved cost effectiveness
- Improved farming practices, including fertilizer use and better irrigation
- High-value crops