K. M. M. Rahman
Department of Agricultural Statistics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
M. A. Islam
Department of Agricultural Statistics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
Nutrition-sensitive agriculture . Micronutrient deficiency . Biofortified rice . Livestock . Fish production
Department of Agricultural Statistics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
Quality and Nutrition
Nutritional status among women and children in Bangladesh Bangladesh is a small country with a huge population (142.3 million; Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) 2011). Ensuring good health of such a large population is one of the priorities of the government. Research suggests that there is a clear link between nutrition and public health. Poor quality diets delay childhood development, consequently causing irreparable damage due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Healthy and well-nourished people constitute an essential input into the development process (Food and Agriculture Organization FAO 2001; UNICEF 1990). Better nutrition builds stronger immune systems, hence less illness and better health. Healthy children respond better to education which makes them able to create opportunities for breaking the cycle of poverty and hunger in a sustainable way (World Health Organization WHO 2008b). It will be impossible to achieve many of the Millennium Development Goals, including eliminating extreme poverty and hunger, universal primary education and reducing child mortality and disease if malnutrition is not reduced and ultimately overcome. In Bangladesh various malnutrition symptoms were observed in terms of stunting, wasting and under weight. Using the data of the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 1996–97, Kiess et al. (2000) found that parents’ illiteracy and insufficient antenatal care (ANC) visits were significant factors in stunting. The incidence of diarrhoea and fever, and receiving no tuberculosis and measles vaccines were significant predictors of wasting. On the other hand, birth interval, mother’s Body Mass Index (BMI) and regional settings (divisions) were significant factors in the reduction of both stunting and wasting. Pryer et al. (2003) conducted a panel survey between 1995 and 1997 in Dhaka’s slum population in order to identify socio-economic, demographic and environmental factors that predict reduced stunting in children under 5. They found that better nourished children were more likely to have taller mothers, belonged to households having a female household-head, higher income, hygienic latrines and greater floor space.
Vitamin A deficiency In Bangladesh about 20 % of preschool aged children and about 25 % of pregnant women are deficient in vitamin A (WHO 2009). Owing to the Government’s timely intervention, the prevalence of night blindness, due to vitamin A deficiency, has been successfully maintained at below 1 % since 1997. The vitamin A supplementation program, involving distribution of vitamin A capsules, increased from 41 % in 1993 to over 85 % of the population in the second half of the decade (UNICEF 2012).
Iron deficiency Iron is an essential micro-nutrient for cognitive development. Low iron intake leads to anaemia. A survey conducted in 2003 showed that about 50 % of children under five in Bangladesh were suffering from anaemia (UNICEF 2012). Other reports suggest that the incidence of anaemia among preschool children and pregnant women is 47 % (World Health Organization WHO 2008a), 49.1 % of children under 2 and 44.4 % of pregnant women (Harun-Or-Rashid et al. 2009). However, the 2007 BDHS suggests that about 58 % of children aged 6–35 months living with the mother consumed foods rich in iron during the 24 h preceding the interview (NIPORT et al. 2009).
Impact of crop, livestock and fish Ensuring food security for all is one of the major challenges in Bangladesh. Despite the impressive achievements in the production of food grains during the last three decades, food security at farm household and individual levels remains a major concern. The production and availability of crop and non-crop foods for a balanced diet and creating an environment for better utilisation of land resources are great challenges for Bangladesh (Islam et al. 2010). With the aim of food and nutritional security, cropping patterns and farming system have been changed by the farmers and new technology and better management procedures have been introduced. Major patterns of land use are year round rice production and year round vegetable production as well as rice alternating with potato, wheat, maize, pulses and mustard. These patterns have been adopted by farmers for the last 2 years as they have resulted in sustainable income and access to food and nutrition (Islam et al. 2010).
Food Sec. (2014) 6:671–683
Journal