December 2023 Updates from FAO Bangladesh

FAO supports Bangladesh in fast tracking climate transparency and Paris Agreement implementation

28/12/2023

Dhaka – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Department of Environment (DoE) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), organized a closing workshop of the project “Strengthening capacity for monitoring environmental emissions under the Paris Agreement in Bangladesh” today in Dhaka at DoE Auditorium. USD 2 million (GEF support and Govt. co-finance) project continued for three years and finished with outstanding results as of December 2023. Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) participated the closing workshop as the Chief Guest. Dr. Fahmida Khanom, Additional Secretary for Development Wing, MoEFCC, Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik, Additional Secretary for Climate Change, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Director General, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and Arnoud Hameleers, FAO Representative in Bangladesh (a.i.) attended the event as special guests; Dr. Abdul Hamid, Director General, Department of Environment chaired the event.

The Paris Agreement of 2015 established a global framework for averting dangerous climate change, which aims for keeping the global temperature far below 2°C and pursuing efforts to keep it below 1.5°C. Additionally, it strives to assist countries in their endeavours and strengthen their ability to combat climate change's effects. Bangladesh signed Paris Agreement in 2016. Despite being a relatively small contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, Bangladesh has shown great commitment to climate governance and formulated National Adaptation Plan (NAP), Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Delta Plan, Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan.

Achievements of the project

The project supported Bangladesh in its efforts to Paris agreement implementation in following areas: developed an integrated climate change measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) platform (mrv.eis.gov.bd) for GHG Inventory, Mitigation Actions, Adaptation Actions, and Finance tracking and reporting for Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU), Energy, Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU) and Waste sectors outlined in the NAP, NDC and key climate change plans and strategies. This platform is supporting the preparation of national GHG inventory, National Communication and biennial transparency report (BTR) by providing updated activity and emission factors data with a structured archiving system, updating of GHG emission, adaptation, mitigation and finance database. One of the important aspects of this platform is to bring all the relevant stakeholders on a single platform for data sharing, analysis and interpretation. Additionally, the MRV system is not only supporting the monitoring the national progress on climate action but also contributing to the informed planning, programming, resource allocation and policy making.

The project significantly improved the DoE’s capabilities, particularly on GIS analysis, statistical software operation, programming, and enhancement of IT infrastructure and GIS lab. It also established an Environmental Information System (eis.gov.bd) for DoE to compile, analyse, archive, and share environmental data including GHG emissions, air, and water quality, brick kiln, enforcement, and sea level rise.

Additionally, the project prepared a national Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) Roadmap for Bangladesh to fast-track the Paris Agreement implementation process as well as biennial transparency report (BTR) preparation and submission. The includes a concise, strategic, and participatory plan for achieving ETF requirements, enhancing technical capacity, mainstreaming climate transparency, and fosters long-term climate resilience through target setting, stakeholder engagement, adaptability, and accountability.

However, as the permanence of institutional arrangements is a prerequisite of mainstreaming regular data collection, filling national data gaps, operationalize the MRV system, meeting transparency requirement, the project, has facilitated a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between DoE and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) for data collection and sharing in the long term. This MoU will support regular data collection, sharing, archiving, and reporting of GHG emission and environmental data.

The project recognizes that building the knowledge and skills of stakeholders is essential for quality data generation, accurate emission and mitigation estimation, and standard GHG inventory preparation and reporting. In order to achieve this, the project trained more than 350 government and private sector stakeholders on GHG inventory, statistical analysis, GIS analysis, database management and MRV system.

FAO will continue its technical assistance to implement the ETF roadmap as response to the request from the Government of Bangladesh, operationalize the MRV platform and carry out the climate transparency related work in Bangladesh through a proposed CBIT Phase II project, national methene reduction framework, Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation Initiative (FAST) and Hand in Hand Initiative as well as FAO’s technical cooperation program facility.

FAO, with Honorable Director General, distributes agricultural inputs in Chattogram division

24/12/2023

Dhaka – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with Honorable, Director General Badal Chandra Biswas, distributed agricultural inputs to flash flood-affected households yesterday in Chattogram division. A.T.M Saiful Islam, Joint Secretary (Extension Wing) of Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), senior government officials from Agriculture Department and local community leaders also attended the program.

In response to the devastating flash floods that swept through the Chattogram Division of Bangladesh in August, FAO has undertaken the distribution of agricultural inputs to households affected by flash floods in Bandarban Sadar Union under Sadar Upazila of Bandarban District in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). FAO is delivering rice and vegetable packages to 33 000 smallholder farmers across four districts Rangamati, Bandarban, Cox’s Bazaar and Chattogram and 23 Upazilas with generous financial assistance from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) and the Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation (SFERA). Support includes rice seeds, 12 kinds of vegetables seed, fertilisers, spade, water can, rice storage silo.

Yesterday, the chief guest, Badal Chandra Biswas, Director General of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) inaugurated the distribution of agricultural inputs to the flood affected farmers in Bandarban Sadar and Patiya Upazilas under Bandarban and Chattogram district respectively. He thanked and expressed his gratitude to FAO for quick response to support the flood affected smallholder farmers and said "In times of crisis, collaboration is key. Today's distribution is a step towards restoring normalcy and ensuring the resilience of our agricultural community."

Nur Ahamed Khondaker, Assistant FAO Representative (Programme) and Officer-in-Charge, FAO Bangladesh, said “FAO is dedicated to support the recovery of communities impacted by the flash floods. The presence of Mr. Badal Chandra Biswas, Director General at this event underscores the importance of collective action. FAO remains committed to working hand-in-hand with local authorities to address the immediate needs of the affected population."

The distribution aims to restore livelihoods and ensure resilience in targeted areas, including Bandarban, Rangamati, Chattogram, and Cox’s Bazar districts. The event showcased solidarity between government, FAO, and the farming community.

Closing workshop held for sustainable management of Fall Armyworm

19/12/2023

Dhaka –The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) jointly organized the closing workshop for the project titled “Scaling up the Sustainable Management of the Fall Armyworm in Africa, the Near East and Asia” today in Dhaka.

Md. Ashraf Uddin, Director, Plant Protection Wing of the Department of Agricultural Extension participated as the Chair, Dr. Md. Abdus Salam, the Member Director (Crops) of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) was the chief guest. Dr. Debasish Sarker, Director General, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), and Mst Zohra Khatoon, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, gracing the session as Special Guests, and Nur Ahamed Khondaker, Assistant FAO Representative (Programme) and Officer-in-Charge, FAO Bangladesh participated to the closing workshop.

The closing provided an opportunity to share comprehensive insights into the implemented project activities, presenting the finalized National Action Plan of Bangladesh for Combatting Fall Armyworm, fostering collaboration among stakeholders involved in FAW control, envisioning a sustainable path forward, and collectively developing a roadmap for ongoing FAW control and management efforts in Bangladesh.

FAO provided technical assistance to prepare the Bangladesh National Action Plan to Combat Fall Armyworm which was presented at the workshop and well received by the participants. The action plan will serve as an instrument to mobilize resources and integrated approach to tackle crop damage by the insect following the approval by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Background

The project’s main objectives included coordinating and enhancing national and local capacities for Fall Armyworm (FAW) management. The project supported the Ministry of Agriculture and national task force, and adopted a cascading model to train 1 650 farmers, 100 sub-assistant agriculture officers (SAAOs), and frontline extension workers providing crop production advice. Additionally, 51 Farmer Field Days were organized, reaching 5 100 farmers.

“My Food, My City” exhibition inaugurated in Dhaka

08/12/2023

Dhaka –The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, proudly announces the inauguration of the “My Food, My City” exhibition to showcase the activities done by the project Support for Modelling, Planning and Improving Dhaka’s Food System (DFS). This groundbreaking initiative aims to foster inclusivity, resilience, and sustainability in the urban food system of Dhaka Division's four City Corporations – Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Gazipur, and Narayanganj.

The exhibition will be open to public between 8-16 December, 2023 at the Vasker Novera Gallery of Bangla Academy, the exhibition contributes to the larger framework offered by the Dhaka Food Agenda 2041, a visionary project developed through action research, evidence-based analysis, and a collaborative multi-stakeholder approach. This project aligns seamlessly with national policies and priorities, representing a significant stride towards a more comprehensive and integrated urban food system.

Pedro Garzon Delvaux, Project Manager for FAO said, “Living in cities constantly changes the way we relate to food, even more so in an urban area like Dhaka which is evolving rapidly. Thinking about this ‘my food-my city’ relationship – and more so in an entertaining way – is something that can help us making better individual and collective choices today and, in the future”.

“My Food, My City” exhibition features a curated set of displays, including maps, infographics, and interactive games, all centred around the theme of healthier diets and future scenarios of Dhaka’s food systems. Running daily from 10 am to 6 pm, this exhibition seeks to re-think Dhaka’s urban food landscape. Visitors are invited to explore and engage with exhibits focusing on fresh food markets, supermarkets, diets, processed food, and urban agriculture.

Background

Support for Modelling, Planning and Improving Dhaka’s Food System (DFS) project aims to make the city's food system more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable by supporting the Government of Bangladesh to develop the Dhaka Food Agenda 2041. The project embraces a food systems approach with a focus on action research and collaborative multi-stakeholder partnerships. The local government division of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Co-operatives leads project implementation with technical support from FAO and Wageningen University & Research (WUR). The project is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

So far, the Dhaka Food Agenda 2041 was launched as an anticipatory governance strategic resource document, alongside Food Charters for the city's four corporations. The capacity of 2700 food market vendors and market management committees in 130 fresh markets of the city strengthened. 16 farmers' markets created, providing fresh and safer produce by farmers endorsed by the Ministry of Agriculture. Over 100 organizations around the future of Dhaka’s urban food system are engaged in the project. Original GIS and economic modelling food system dashboards are introduced. 6 500 people received urban agriculture training and inputs. 8 700 beneficiaries received training on food selection, purchasing, and cooking safe food. Also, hotel and restaurant owners, cooks, butchers, and street food vendors are trained on food safety, safe handling of meat, and hygiene practices.

FAO Bangladesh showcases progress and success in an information meeting

02/12/2023

Dhaka — The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concludes the year with an insightful information meeting attended by resource partners, government stakeholders, UN agencies, and media representatives. The meeting aims to share progress and success of FAO Bangladesh office centered around FAO's commitment to four key pillars: better production, better nutrition, better environment, better life, living no one behind.

Bangladesh and FAO have been working closely in developing the areas of agriculture, food, forestry, fisheries, livestock, rural development and climate change for over 45 years. Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and is increasingly shifting its focus towards nutrition security and food exports.

Transforming agrifood systems

FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 aims to support the 2030 Agenda by working together for transforming agrifood systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, addressing better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind. At the information meeting, the FAO experts provided information on various topics, some of which: sustainably increasing productivity in agriculture, fisheries, and forestry; fostering inclusive and resilient agrifood systems in a changing climate and environment; increasing food security and community self-sufficiency; promoting healthy and safe food supply; improving food distribution and reducing food loss and waste; protecting and restoring terrestrial and marine ecosystems; increasing incomes of small-scale food producers; guiding government expenditures towards the agriculture sector; securing land tenure by promoting ownership or strengthened rights over agricultural land; gender equality development.

FAO Representative ad interim in Bangladesh said in his speech “As we work towards our goal, the better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind, we express our gratitude to our resource partners, government counterparts and colleagues for their continuous support.”

Scoping mission started with FAO experts from HQ and Regional Office

04/12/2023

Dhaka – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) kick started the scoping mission to identify the areas of Technical Assistance and Implementation Support for the Program on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience in Bangladesh (PARTNER). Nafis Khan, Senior Programme Officer, Global Programme Coordinator, South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division (PST), Kenya Konno, Programme Officer, PST, Nikola Trendov, Digital Agriculture and Innovation Specialist, OIN, Bruno Telemans, Crop Production Specialist, Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP), Xi Cao South-South and Triangular Cooperation consultant and Zhou Bo, Agriculture Officer from Headquarter and Regional Office will be participating in meetings and discussions in coming days.

In response to the request from Department of Agricultural (DAE) FAO experts will meet with the implementing agencies of PARTNER at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) between 3-10 December to discuss various topics to support on smooth implementation of the project.

PARTNER is a five-years program to continue until June 2028 that aims to promote diversification, food safety, entrepreneurship, and climate resilience in the agri-food systems of Bangladesh. It is led by the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Department of Agricultural Extension and designed to be implemented by seven agencies and eight other strategic partners.

FAO and ERD signed 4 project agreements to improve food and nutrition security in Bangladesh

07/12/2023

Dhaka — The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance of Bangladesh Government signed four agreements today to support Bangladesh in its efforts to improve food and nutrition security. The four agreements are Technical Assistance to the Diversified Resilient Agriculture for Improved Food and Nutrition Security project (RAINS-TA), Accelerating Economic and Social Inclusion of Smallholder Farmers through Strong Producers’ Organizations (ACCESS), Public-Private Blended Finance Facility for Climate Resilient Rice Landscape, Integrating Improved Agricultural Practices and Market Linkages to Improve Nutrition and Incomes of Smallholder Farmers in Ukhiya and Kutubdia Subdistricts of Cox’s Bazar District. The agreements are signed by Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Secretary of the Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance and Arnoud Hameleers, FAO Representative in Bangladesh ad interim.

RAINS Technical Assistance will continue for 4 years with USD 4 million budget

The RAINS project with the total budget of USD 20 million is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture. The project is funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) of the World Bank, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is serving as the supervising entity. The technical assistance part of RAINS, worth USD 4 million; it is a grant and funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) of the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is serving as the supervising entity, and FAO as the TA supporting entity.

RAINS seeks to enhance the resilience of the agriculture sector in three major climate hotspots of Bangladesh, namely the coastal, drought-prone, and northern char regions. The project spanning four years, will implement diversified, resilient and nutrition-sensitive production systems and improve off-farm opportunities along value chains in 14 districts of the nation. It aims to improve food and nutrition security resilience of rural households facing environmental and economic shocks, and is set to directly improve the income and nutrition of 420 000 people by specifically targeting communities who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Scaling up for external shocks and crises

Accelerating Economic and Social Inclusion of Smallholder Farmers through Strong Producers’ Organizations (ACCESS) also received a grant of USD 3.26 million under GAFSP. ACCESS will be implemented jointly by FAO and the Sara Bangla Krishak Society (SBKS), a national network of Producers’ Organizations, that has already successfully partnered with FAO under a previous GAFSP pilot project—the Missing Middle Initiative (MMI). ACCESS will work in 60 climatic hotspot communities to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers so that they are more resilient to external shocks and crises. The project will scale up the successful MMI approach which has already resulted in an average 35% increase in annual household income for 10 000 farmers.

RAINS and ACCESS are grants from GAFSP which Bangladesh applied and won in the competition that 40 counties participated.

Supporting marginal and smallholder farming families

Integrating Improved Agricultural Practices and Market Linkages to Improve Nutrition and Incomes of Smallholder Farmers in Ukhiya and Kutubdia Subdistricts of Cox’s Bazar District project will be implemented with the budget of USD 300 000. It aims to promote climate-smart, nutrition-sensitive agriculture among primary school students and their families and improve the livelihood of farmers through. The project will provide agricultural inputs, training on nutrition and dietary diversification, and establishing market linkages to 2 700 marginal and smallholder farming families from the host communities as well as 140 primary schools in Ukhiya and Kutubdia sub-districts.

The project is a joint initiative between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program, and is implemented in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Training for Applied Nutrition (BIRTAN).

Regional project for rice landscapes

Public-Private Blended Finance Facility for Climate-Resilient Rice Landscapes is a regional project to be implemented in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam; and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). With the budget of USD 120 000 this project will support the design of a new blended finance facility to catalyze public and private financing for climate-resilient rice landscapes, value chains and livelihoods. It will support public and private sector investment to scale-up adaptation and resilience-building in rice landscapes across Asia.

The project aims to enhance the capacity of an estimated 6-9 organizations (financial institutions, farmers' organizations, private sector) and about 6 250 individuals. FAO will implement the project together with various partners such as Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and relevant government agencies in the project's target countries.

Nur Ahmed Khondaker, Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), said “Collaboration is key for achieving food and nutrition security resilience to challenges especially environmental”. Arnoud Hameleers, FAO Representative in Bangladesh ad interim, said “Through these projects signed today, we will be once step closer to build a more resilient future for Bangladesh’s agricultural sector.”

For media inquiries please contact:berna.cetin@fao.org

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This news release was issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Bangladesh Country Office.

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