Dhaka faces pressing problems in supplying all of its 20 million plus population with affordable, safe, and nutritious food. Experts today met to take the first steps to formulate the Dhaka Food Agenda 2041 which aims to develop integrated solutions that will address Dhaka's present and future food needs.

Dhaka, which comprises four cities clustered together – Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Narayangaj, and Gazipur – is on course to become the third largest megacity in the world. Rapid growth has left a mismatch between food needs and what is accessible for certain populations. One-fifth of Dhaka's population lives below the poverty line and receives inadequate nutrition. There is a lack of availability and access to healthy food and food safety issues pose a serious threat to public health. These issues have all become even more pressing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), organized today’s seminar which was held at Dhaka’s InterContinental Hotel.

FAO’s Dhaka Food System project, with technical assistance from Wageningen University of Research (WUR) in the Netherlands, is supporting the Government of Bangladesh to develop the Dhaka Food Agenda 2041 through an evidence-based and collaborative approach with a range of stakeholders, including government ministries and departments, the private sector, development partners, research institutions, and academia.

The Dhaka Food Agenda 2041 will be a shared vision document of the ministry’s Local Government Division (LGD) and Dhaka’s four City Corporations. It will be developed through action research, pilot initiatives, and consultations. It will guide the country’s policymakers to incorporate urban food system planning into national policies, complimenting planned actions following last year’s United Nations Food Systems Summit. It is hoped that the Dhaka Food Agenda 2041 will be used as a basis to develop similar strategies for the other emerging megacities.

The seminar was chaired by Mr Helal Uddin Ahmed, Senior Secretary of the Local Government Division. Mr Tazul Islam, MP, Honourable Minister of MoLGRD&C, was chief guest, and the honourable mayor of Dhaka South, Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, was special guest. His Excellency, Anne van Leeuwen, Ambassador of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, was guest of honour along with the FAO Representative in Bangladesh, Robert D. Simpson.

The Dhaka Food System project, which is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is working to increase access to affordable, high-quality food for all of the city’s inhabitants. Speaking at today’s event, the project’s Chief Technical Adviser, John Taylor said: “Meeting tomorrow's challenges of the Dhaka food system require forward-thinking ideas, innovative solutions, effective policies, collaboration from a range of stakeholders, and committed city corporations.”

The seminar also showcased some of the project’s successes and was an opportunity to discuss the project’s strategies and outputs with regards to the Government National Pathway 2021 and Perspective Plan 2041.

The DFS project aim to:

•            Strengthen food system planning and governance

•            Promote nutrition and food security

•            Upgrade fresh markets

•            Reduce food loss and waste

•            Improve food safety and consumer awareness

•            Strengthen food value chains