THE government has ways to go and steps to adopt for sustainable food systems crucial for ensuring food security and nutrition for all. A sustainable food system, encompassing everything from processing, packaging and transport of food, also prioritises sustainable agriculture and environmental concern. A sustainable food system also encourages local production and distribution infrastructure to make nutritious food available, accessible and affordable to all. Bangladesh is, as speakers at a workshop organised by the National Productivity Organisation and the Japan-based Asian Productivity Organisation say, faced with challenges in adopting sustainable food systems. The country is even struggling to ensure food security for all. Bangladesh slipped three notches in the Global Hunger Index 2024 and ranked 84th among 127 nations. It had an overall score of 19.4 based on four crucial indicators 鈥� undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality. The overall score has, in fact, remained stuck at around 19 between 2020 and 2024, from around 25 between 2017 and 2019, suggesting a moderate level of hunger. The recent World Bank food security update also put Bangladesh in the red zone. The Food Security Statistics of the Bureau of Statistics also shows a dismal food security situation, noting that 22 per cent of the population experience moderate to severe food insecurity.
The impact of food insecurity is evident in the figures of the Global Hunger Index, which shows a dismal picture of prevalent malnutrition among children and the adult. It shows that 11.9 per cent of children are malnourished and 2.9 per cent of children die before their fifth birthday while chronic malnutrition result in 23.6 per cent of children under five being stunted and 11 per cent experiencing wasting, where weight does not increase in proportion to height. The prevalence of child stunting 鈥� there are reportedly 3.9 million stunted children in Bangladesh 鈥� reflects a lack of access to a healthy diet and low food security. While food insecurity and consequent malnutrition are two major aspects that sustainable food systems address, the systems also emphasise safe food and environmentally-friendly agricultural practices and Bangladesh fares poorly on both counts.聽Over-reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides hampers sustainability and complicates the transition to sustainable food systems. What is concerning is that when there are policies to promote and encourage sustainable food systems, they are poorly implemented. The National Agriculture Policy encourages climate-resilient farming and resource-efficient practices while initiatives such as the Crop Diversification Programme and subsidies on eco-friendly farming support sustainable agriculture, but there is little progress in implementing the policies and programmes.
The authorities should, therefore, implement policies to ensure sustainable food systems that ensure food security and deliver nutrition for all in a way that economic, social and environmental bases are not compromised.