Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is the United Nation's lead agency for food, agriculture and rural development, and its mandate is to eliminate world hunger and rural poverty by assisting countries to increase agricultural production and by promoting institutional reforms required for sustainable development through its role as an information centre, a neutral forum, an advisor to the Government and a development agency.

FAO advocates regional and global initiatives aimed at achieving world food security through greater self-reliance and a more equitable distribution of international resources and commodities.

FAO is one of the first international agencies to extend considerable assistance to Bangladesh for relief and rehabilitation during the immediate post-liberation period in order to support national efforts at economic recovery and reconstruction. Bangladesh joined FAO as a member in 1973 and is one of its most active members, contributing significantly to FAO endeavours, commissions, committees and working panels.

To achieve these objectives, FAO supports the Government in its efforts for capacity- building at community, sub-national, and national levels for effective planning, utilisation and management of natural resources and manpower. FAO provides support to farming communities and to poor farmers to increase food production to meet the national requirement and consequently to improve their own income level, living standards, and nutritional status.

FAO provides increasing access to technical know-how and strongly supports the transfer of appropriate technology and expertise to Bangladesh through training programmes conducted in many institutions of the country. In addition, through FAO assistance, Bangladesh has participated in more than 152 regional and international projects implemented in the country during the last two decades.

As a follow-up to the 1992 International Conference on Nutrition, FAO, with support from UNDP, assisted the Government in the preparation of the Bangladesh National Plan of Action for Nutrition. The Plan of Action was approved in June 1997 by the National Nutrition Council which is chaired by the Prime Minister. FAO also assisted the Government in the preparation of the National Position Paper of Bangladesh for the World Food Summit held in November 1996. With financial support from UNDP, FAO fielded the Sustainable Food Security Mission in April-May 1997 as a follow-up of the Summit's decision to assess the food security situation at country level and prepare action-oriented programmes and interventions.

The cumulative expenditure under FAO field programmes in Bangladesh stands at US$104 million for the 1978-1996 period and involves about 160 projects, mainly in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, livestock, and rural development. The annual delivery of FAO projects in Bangladesh was in the range of US$3-5 million in the last three years.

The FAO Country Strategy

FAO focuses its priority on food security and rural development. Acute food insecurity in Bangladesh is reflected in endemic malnutrition which is a direct consequence of persistent poverty. FAO provides special support to marginal and landless farmers as well as women and disadvantaged groups in rural areas who constitute the majority of the poor in Bangladesh, through support to increase on-farm and off-farm outputs and income and consequently improve their living standards and nutritional status.

FAO Programmes in Bangladesh