Bangladesh
The purpose of the Feed the Future Bangladesh Policy LINK Agricultural Policy Activity is to strengthen the capacities of Bangladesh’s key agricultural actors and institutions, improve the policy environment and cultivate the policy-making processes that will enable inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth, strengthen resilience among people and systems, and create a well-nourished population, especially women and children.
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Program Update
On June 2, 2021 the Feed the Future Bangladesh Policy LINK Agricultural Policy Activity (Activity) held its first regional event in Jashore in Southwestern Bangladesh to begin the consultation process with local stakeholders. The consultation, the first of four planned in various regions outside the capital Dhaka, follows a national event held in February and including representatives of government, the private sector, and the donor community. Although the national event was critical to earning the buy-in of key stakeholders prior to engaging communities farther afield, local perspectives, especially among farming-based communities, will “widen the aperture” of the Activity’s planning process.
The event—called the “Regional Learning and Sharing Event with Agricultural Stakeholder, Jashore Region”—built on momentum from the National Learning and Networking Event organized by the Activity last month. Similar to the previous engagements held by the Actvity, the event sought to introduce the Activity, its principles, and technical approaches; and share initial learning and evidence on policy constraints and challenges generated from the Activity’s consultations so far to build familiarity, understanding, and trust with the broader agricultural stakeholders.
Agriculture is the backbone of the Bangladesh economy, representing an important source of income, employment, and economic growth, accounting for over 40 percent of Bangladeshi jobs (about half of which employ women), and 12.7 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. To enable inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth, strengthen resilience among people and systems, and create a well-nourished population, especially for women and children, the five-year Activity, funded by USAID/Bangladesh, is designed to “strengthen the capacities of Bangladesh’s key agricultural actors and institutions, improve the policy environment and cultivating the policy-making processes.” Fostering and maintain a sustained, collaborative, and inclusive stakeholder engagement process is critical to this goal.
The June 2 event helped kick-start an important conversation with key agriculture actors and institutions from Jashore, building interest in and spreading information on the Activity. The event drew on the use of both Bangla and English language, and greatly benefitted from active participation of the attendees. Of the 50+ participants, the private sector was most represented (46%) in this event, followed by representation from the public sector (21%), Civil Society and NGOs (29%), and Academia and research organizations (4%). Private sector participants also came from diverse industries and value chains, from crops (both cereal and vegetables), seeds, aquaculture, poultry, and trading.