Hunger in Bangladesh is one of the major issues that affects the citizens of Bangladesh. The nation state of Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and home for more than 160 million people. It progresses immensely in the Human Development Index, particularly in the areas of literacy and life expectancy, but economic inequality has increased and about 32% of the population, that is 50 million people, still live in extreme poverty. [1]
In Bangladesh 40% of the country falls under three categories: hunger, starvation and chronic hunger. [2]
There are many consequences of hunger in Bangladesh, namely malnutrition, undernutrition in children, child stunting, and child wasting. [2] According to UNICEF, there are three main outcomes: underweight (moderately) 36.4%, stunting is at 41.3%, wasting is at 15.6%. [3]
Child stunting is defined as a child being two standard deviations lower than average height for their age and child wasting is a child who is two standard deviations lower than average weight for height. [4]
Hunger is an issue that has stagnated over the years, yet Bangladesh has shown tremendous efforts towards hunger reduction in the last couple of years, particularly during one of their hardest times during the late 1970s, [5] although the early 2000s were also challenging. [6] During this famine period, many farmers had no idea how to provide food given the land lacked nutrients due to aggressive farming. [5]
Factors that contribute to the hunger over various states of Bangladesh is lack of resources and education. [7] BMC Public Health defines hunger as "Limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways". [2]
Following the war for their liberation in 1971, Bangladesh was faced with a multitude of problems, both physical and economical. Their economy was seriously lacking and they had to deal with trying to fix all of the physical damage that was caused by the fighting. [8] Later on in 1974, Bangladesh was hit by an intense monsoon that wiped out most of the crops for that year. [9] The monsoon, paired with existing issues, like those caused by the war for liberation, created a massively devastating famine. [9]
Hunger in Bangladesh middle and lower class population is growing at a fast rate compared to other south Asian countries and hunger is still an issue. [11] Bangladesh has improved economically but still faces national huge hunger problem with approximately 40 million close to starvation. [12] Global Hunger Index is ranking system that measures hunger globally, regionally, and by country. [13] Bangladesh currently ranks 90 out of 118 countries. [14] Children suffering from chronic hunger are dying every 5 seconds. [14]
Food Security Nutritional Surveillance Project conducted studies vulnerable zones: coastal belt, eastern hills, hoar region, Padma chars, northern chars. In total there were 14,712 children from 6–59 months of aged who suffered from food insecurity. [2] Majority of the children who suffer from hunger live in rural areas making up 94% of the experiment. [2]
Hunger and malnutrition not only effect the children but also older individuals; a study in Matlab which is located 55 km south east of Dhaka 850 elderly people greater than 60 years of age were part of the survey data. [15] During the duration of the experiment 63 died due to hunger and 11 individuals migrated. [15] The results showed that due to hunger women were more likely to develop chronic illnesses. [15] The chronic illnesses that were developed were tied to the malnourishment they had as children. [15]
Seasonal hunger is known as "monga" in some rural areas of Bangladesh, specifically in the northwest. [16] This region, also referred to as the greater Rangpur region, completely relies on a select few major rice crops. [16] The issue with this comes from the fact that this limited number of crops only covers nine months out of the year, leaving the people of this region with an extreme food shortage for the months of September to November. [16] A second, lesser "monga" happens annually a few months before the main and more damaging "monga" in the latter half of each year. [17] The lesser "monga" lasts for roughly a month, occurring from mid-April to mid-March. [17]
The population below the minimum level of energy consumption in the diet (also known as the prevalence of the undernourishment) shows the percentage of the population whose food intake is insufficient to continuously meet the requirements of food energy. The data shown as 5 represents a prevalence of undernourishment less than 5%. [18]
| Bangladesh Hunger Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | % of Population | Annual Change |
| 2018 | 13.00% | −0.50% |
| 2017 | 13.50% | −0.60% |
| 2016 | 14.10% | −0.80% |
| 2015 | 14.90% | 0.40% |
| 2014 | 14.50% | 0.30% |
| 2013 | 14.20% | 0.40% |
| 2012 | 13.80% | −0.10% |
| 2011 | 13.90% | 0.10% |
| 2010 | 13.80% | −0.10% |
| 2009 | 13.90% | 0.20% |
| 2008 | 13.70% | −0.30% |
| 2007 | 14.00% | 0.10% |
| 2006 | 13.90% | −0.40% |
| 2005 | 14.30% | −0.20% |
| 2004 | 14.50% | −0.50% |
| 2003 | 15.00% | −0.20% |
| 2002 | 15.20% | −0.80% |
| 2001 | 16.00% | −0.80% |
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a means of calculating and tracing hunger and undernutrition at global, regional, and national levels.
| Indicator | Severity scale [19] |
| GHI | ≥50: extremely alarming 35–49.9: alarming 20–34.9: serious 10–19.9: moderate ≤9.9: low |
In the 2020 GHI, Bangladesh secures 75th position out of 107 countries. Bangladesh scores 20.4 , which is, according to severity scale, the level of hunger is "serious".
| Division | Child stunting (%) | Child wasting (%) | Child mortality (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barisal | 39.9 | 17.7 | 3.5 |
| Chittagong | 38.0 | 15.6 | 5.0 |
| Dhaka | 33.9 | 11.9 | 4.1 |
| Khulna | 28.1 | 13.5 | 5.6 |
| Rajshahi | 31.1 | 17.3 | 4.3 |
| Rangpur | 36.0 | 17.7 | 3.9 |
| Sylhet | 49.6 | 12.1 | 6.7 |
| Total | 36.1 | 14.3 | 4.6 |
Food availability can have perception and behavioral consequences. [7] Trials were held in Gaibandha District in northwestern Bangladesh to study a household's food insecurity ranking. [7] Certain domains were established within 6-month period to measure food insecurity. [7]
Results were that 65% of the households were suffering from hunger had a woman as head of the house; 35% men were the head of the household. [7]
In certain house holds , there are gender preferences on feeding their members. [22] In small villages where males are held in a different standards, parents will feed their sons over their daughters. [22] Apart from effects of mother nature, it has also been recorded that the head of the household has a great impact in regards to the food consumption. [23] In Bangladesh women are still discriminated and are seen as inferior. [23] Household where females are the bread winner is correlated to less food on the table. [23] Women make up 32% of the individuals under the poverty line. [23] In some cases if the women in the household are educated it reduces their chance of starvation by 43% [22] In recent years women have mobilized to try reverse this trend. [23] Women in Bangladesh have arranged an organization to fight chronic hunger; a total of 145,000 women. [23] Their goal is to reduce the number of uneducated women and promote self value and show that women are just as capable of providing for their household. [23] Uneducated women are prone to earn a less than the average rate for women. [23] Overall these women are trying to eradicate chronic hunger among their children. [23] During this hard time, the number of children and elders who have passed away has increased by 30%. [5] It wasn't until the United States pressured Bangladesh politicians to help their farmers. [5]
Over the past two decades, floods, droughts and hurricanes have increasingly caused major economic losses and livelihood damage in Bangladesh. Agriculture is a major industry that accounts for nearly 20% of GDP and 65% of the labor force, and faces huge risks. [24] Agriculture is a major industry that accounts for nearly 20% of GDP and 65% of the labor force, all are at risk. Adaptation to climate change and its alleviation are the core issues of sustainable development and food security in Bangladesh.Bangladesh's agriculture relies heavily on the specific conditions of the annual floods because they recognize that large-scale floods that occur infrequently can have catastrophic effects. [24] Climate change is expected to reduce the output of rice, Bangladesh’s main crop, and increase the country’s dependence on other crops and imported grains.On the whole, due to climate change, Bangladesh's agricultural GDP is expected to decline by 3.1% per year. These will not only affect the agricultural sector, but also the entire food chain, right down to household consumption. [24]
Due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, poverty and extreme poverty are coming back to people lives, who had overcome themselves from the curse of poverty prior to this pandemic.
The reasons include but are not limited to: unemployment, quarantine, and lockdown. People who live on poverty margins cannot buy food, and have a hard time gaining access to nutritious food. The government must play a pivotal role in this difficult period by providing food or guiding different groups to collect money to guarantee that nobody is hungry in this critical situation. To achieve this intricacy, we must strive sustainable agriculture. [25]
According to the World Bank, Bangladesh loses about 1% of its agricultural land annually. This leads to scarcity, as not all land is arable. [25]
In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the field of hunger relief, the term hunger is used in a sense that goes beyond the common desire for food that all humans experience, also known as an appetite. The most extreme form of hunger, when malnutrition is widespread, and when people have started dying of starvation through lack of access to sufficient, nutritious food, leads to a declaration of famine.
Food security is the availability of food in a country and the ability of individuals within that country (region) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuff. According to the United Nations Committee on World Food Security, food security is defined as meaning that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life. The availability of food irrespective of class, gender or region is another element of food security. There is evidence of food security being a concern many thousands of years ago, with central authorities in ancient China and ancient Egypt being known to release food from storage in times of famine. At the 1974 World Food Conference, the term "food security" was defined with an emphasis on supply; food security is defined as the "availability at all times of adequate, nourishing, diverse, balanced and moderate world food supplies of basic foodstuff to sustain a steady expansion of food consumption and to offset the fluctuations in production and prices". Later definitions added demand and access issues to the definition. The first World Food Summit, held in 1996, stated that food security "exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life."
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues and form. Malnutrition is not receiving the correct amount of nutrition. Malnutrition is increasing in children under the age of five due to providers who cannot afford or do not have access to adequate nutrition.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is an international agricultural research center founded in 1975 to improve the understanding of national agricultural and food policies to promote the adoption of innovations in agricultural technology. Additionally, IFPRI was meant to shed more light on the role of agricultural and rural development in the broader development pathway of a country. The mission of IFPRI is to provide research-based policy solutions that sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition.
Malawi is one of the world's undeveloped countries and is ranked 170 out of 187 countries according to the 2010 Human Development Index. It has about 16 million people, 53% of whom live under the national poverty line, and 90% of whom live on less than $2 per day.
Stunted growth, also known as stunting or linear growth failure, is defined as impaired growth and development manifested by low height-for-age. It is a primary manifestation of malnutrition and recurrent infections, such as diarrhea and helminthiasis, in early childhood and even before birth, due to malnutrition during fetal development brought on by a malnourished mother. The definition of stunting according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is for the "height-for-age" value to be less than two standard deviations of the median of WHO Child Growth Standards. Stunted growth is usually associated with poverty, unsanitary environmental conditions, maternal undernutrition, frequent illness, and/or inappropriate feeding practice and care during early years of life.
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool that attempts to measure and track hunger globally as well as by region and by country, prepared by European NGOs of Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe. The GHI is calculated annually, and its results appear in a report issued in October each year.
Monga is a Bengali term referring to the yearly cyclical phenomenon of poverty and hunger in Bangladesh. It is also called "mora Kartik," which means "months of death and disaster." It refers to two times per year, from September–November and from March–April. These natural phenomena lead to fewer available job opportunities for rural workers, resulting in the workers becoming migrant and moving to towns. Those who cannot migrate can face malnutrition and starvation. The public awareness of Monga has risen with media focus in the 2000s. It was cited in Bangladesh's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, and has been the subject of NGO aid programs.
Despite India's 50% increase in GDP since 2013, more than one third of the world's malnourished children live in India. Among these, half of the children under three years old are underweight.
Gardens for Health International (GHI) is an American-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks to provide sustainable agricultural solutions to chronic childhood malnutrition. GHI partners with rural health centers in Rwanda to equip families with the seeds, skills, and support necessary to shift the paradigm of food aid from dependency to prevention and self-sufficiency.
Food security is defined, according to the World Food Summit of 1996, as existing "when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life". This commonly refers to people having "physical and economic access" to food that meets both their nutritional needs and food preferences. Today, Ethiopia faces high levels of food insecurity, ranking as one of the hungriest countries in the world, with an estimated 5.2 million people needing food assistance in 2010. Ethiopia was ranked 92 in the world in Global Hunger Index 2020.
There were 795 million undernourished people in the world in 2014, a decrease of 216 million since 1990, despite the fact that the world already produces enough food to feed everyone—7 billion people—and could feed more than that—12 billion people.
The Feed the Future Initiative (FTF) was launched in 2010 by the United States government and the Obama Administration to address global hunger and food insecurity. According to Feed the Future, it is "the U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative."
Malnutrition is a condition that affects bodily capacities of an individual, including growth, pregnancy, lactation, resistance to illness, and cognitive and physical development. Malnutrition is commonly used in reference to undernourishment, or a condition in which an individual's diet does not include sufficient calories and proteins to sustain physiological needs, but it also includes overnourishment, or the consumption of excess calories.
Undernutrition in children, occurs when children do not consume enough calories, protein, or micronutrients to maintain good health. It is common globally and may result in both short and long term irreversible adverse health outcomes. Undernutrition is sometimes used synonymously with malnutrition, however, malnutrition could mean both undernutrition or overnutrition. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that malnutrition accounts for 54 percent of child mortality worldwide, which is about 1 million children. Another estimate, also by WHO, states that childhood underweight is the cause for about 35% of all deaths of children under the age of five worldwide.
Mexico has sought to ensure food security through its history. Yet, despite various efforts, Mexico continues to lack national food and nutrition strategies that secure food security for the people. Food security is defined as "when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life" by the World Food Summit in 1996. As a large country of more than 100 million people, planning and executing social policies are complex tasks. Although Mexico has been expanding its food and nutrition programs that have been expected, and to some degree, have contributed to increases in health and nutrition, food security, particularly as it relates to obesity and malnutrition, still remains a relevant public health problem.
Chad currently suffers from widespread food insecurity. A majority of the population of Chad now suffers some form of malnutrition. 87% of its population lives below the poverty line. Because the country is arid, landlocked, and prone to droughts, many Chadians struggle to meet their daily nutritional needs. While international aid into the country has brought some relief, the situation in Chad remains severe due to broader famine in the Sahel region. The World Food Programme has declared a state of emergency in the region since early 2018, stating that, “...adding to the poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition which already affects [the nations of the Sahel] to varying degrees, drought, failed harvests and the high prices of staple foods have hastened the arrival of this year’s ‘lean season’ – the worst since 2014.” Malnutrition is high, especially among women and children, with a significant majority of all children in Chad suffering from some form of stunted growth or adverse health effects as a result. As such, health in Chad is greatly affected by lack of food. Food insecurity is a symptom of broader instability in Chad, which suffers from political, ethnic, and religious instability. These issues have contributed to long-term food insecurity in Chad.
The state of food security is a heavily scrutinized issue in the United Republic of Tanzania. Agriculture accounts for almost one-third of the nation's GDP. It is an aspect of Tanzania that although obstructed by many internal and external factors, is continually worked on by outside forces and the nation itself.
Sustainable Development Goal 2 aims to achieve "zero hunger". It is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015. The official wording is: "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture". SDG 2 highlights the "complex inter-linkages between food security, nutrition, rural transformation and sustainable agriculture". According to the United Nations, there are around 690 million people who are hungry, which accounts for slightly less than 10 percent of the world population. One in every nine people goes to bed hungry each night, including 20 million people currently at risk of famine in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria.
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa; a residence for more than 206 million people. Hunger is one of the major issues that affect the citizens. 40% of the citizens live below the International Poverty Line of $1.90 daily, whilst another 25% are vulnerable. Nigeria was ranked second poorest in food affordability globally by the Institute of Development Studies, United Kingdom.
