Food Security

Food Security indicates a safe situation in respect of food, its uninterrupted supply, and availability of adequate food materials throughout the year. Food security has primarily two aspects, namely family or household food security and national food security. Household food security depends on the ability of the household wage earners to secure enough food to ensure an adequate dietary intake of all of its members at all times for a healthy and active life. Similarly, national food security depends on the ability of the government to secure enough food for the whole nation. To achieve food security three things need to be highlighted; first, availability of adequate food for the family and the nation; second, reasonable stability in the supply of food spatially and seasonally; and third, physical, social and economic access of a household to sufficient, safe and good quality food. In Bangladesh population groups who are most vulnerable to household food insecurity include landless farmers, day labourers, households headed by destitute women, and people living in disaster prone areas like chars, islands, and refugee camps. From the review of the results obtained in the nutrition surveys so far done, it appears that almost 90% of the population of the country suffer from some from of nutritional deficiencies due to the lack of adequate food intake.