Achieving Sustainable Food security in Bangladesh Perspective from Organic Farming

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Achieving Sustainable Food security in Bangladesh
Perspective from Organic Farming
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Nature, Extent and Trends of Food Production in
Bangladesh
Agriculture supports livelihoods of 75-85
population It contributes 23.47 of GDP in
2002-03 Agricultural products contribute 5.10
of the total countrys export. In last few
decades farmers inclined more to input based cash
cropping This made farmers dependent on market
economy than subsistence economy.
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Food Security A Conceptual Framework
ITS About------- Local agricultural
production and production system.
Farmers right to produce food and consumers
rights to consumption and purchase The
right of nations to protect themselves from
cheap agricultural and food imports
(dumping). Linking agricultural prices to
production costs Acknowledging the right
of women farmers
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Food Security Nexus
FOOD SOVEREIGNTY National security, complies
with the national sovereignty. Producers Rights
and Control on the Production
System Supportive to sustainable agriculture,
poverty eradication, alternative to neo-liberal
policies.
FOOD SECURITY About food Production
Agenda of States and UN Physical and
economic access Promotes unfair trading
aid politics and dumping.
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Nature, Extent and Trends of Food Production in
Bangladesh
Cropping pattern and seasonality changed
significantly over time Input and irrigation
based transplanted Aman increased from 38 to 48
and Boro 9 to 32. Seasonal Aus Cultivation
decreased from 33 to 13 and Deepwater Aman from
20 to 7. Single cropped and double cropped
land areas has converted to tripled crop areas,
which is 51 now Land-man ratio and inter-farm
competition increases, farmers are bound to
increase the intensity of land use.
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Nature, Extent and Trends of Food Productionin
Bangladesh
6.7 HH occupy 44 land and 93.3
HH occupy 56 marginal and sharecroppers
loosing land and stepping towards
landlessness farmers forced to maximize
output using land intensively In
1980-81 cropping intensity were 153.69
which increased to 179.00 in 2001
This situation aggravated by the State
sponsored strategy of Green Revolution and
liberalization of Import Market
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Green Revolution and its Consequences
Policies to promote HYV tech. Increased
application of chemical fertilizers and
insecticides Cropping intensity increased by
600 percent, proportion of irrigated land by 800,
HYV land by 1300 and rice yield increased by 65
per cent We lost soil fertility Rice Variety
decreased to about 20 from 1400
Year Proportion of net sown area under irrigation Rice Wheat Proportion area under HYV Total chemical fertilizer use (m. ton) Rice Yield (lb per acre)
69-70 3.8 2.76 0.28 1003
90-91 35.5 44.1 2.04 1544
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Transition Green Revolution to Gene Revolution
800 m. people are food insecure, 160 m
children suffer from protein malnutrition,
micronutrient deficiencies ------results loss
in human potentials ---are the excuses of
IFIs for advocating GM technology in the
LDCs Poor of LDCs consume 150-170 Kg of
rice per year, Vit-A enriched rice can
support critical micronutrient ----a
corporate statement favoring Rice Bio-
technology Such neo-liberal policies
facilitate international trade over
peoples food rights and undermine food
sovereignty It driven millions of farmers
from traditional agricultural, forcing them
into rural exodus or migration.
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Displacement of Labor force and
Small Farm holders Degradation of Human
Health and Land Fertility
Disappearance of Local Seeds and its
Preservation Culture Monoculture and
Bio-piracy Threatening to the Community
Owned Bio-diversity Privatization of
Public Commons A Critical Concern
on Flood Plains Areas
Crises of Food Sovereignty Privatization of
Public Commons
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Land Ownership Question of Reform
5.2 of total population is landless,
34 HHs do not own cultivable land.
Poor people have limited access to Kash
land Export led Shrimp Monoculture and Corporate
Control on Farming System Demand for
shrimp increase 1- 5 per year
Area under production is 200,000 ha
compared to 55500 ha in 1998
ecologically, socially and economically
destructive. Disappearance of 21,020.45
acre mangrove forest in Coxs Bazaar .
Crises of Food Sovereignty Export Led Monoculture
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Neo-liberal Globalization Pauperizing Food
Sovereignty Removed trade barriers,
agriculture subsidies under
SAP State companies in seeds and other inputs
are dismantled and privatized by the neo-liberal
policies of WB and IMF. Agreement of WTO i.e
AoA, SPS, TRIPS etc. strengthen corporate
control over agriculture trading Snatching of
indigenous skills and resources through
patenting, bio- piracy and GE
Crises of Food Sovereignty Snatching of
Indigenous Skills
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Subsidy and Competitiveness and Dumping
Bangladesh provides 0.5 of the total value of
the agriculture output, India gives 7 the WTO
permissible limit is 10. Corporate Control on
Seed Market and Violating Farmers Right 10
corporations control 32 of the seed market,
valued at 23 b. USD, and 100 of GE seeds.
Monopolistic control over agricultural
production, imbalance subsidy resulting dumping
of food grains from the U S and EU to the Third
World.
Crises of Food Sovereignty Uneven Trade
Competition
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In last 100 years Bangladesh warmed up
about 0.5 degree C and 0.5 m rise of sea level
1 m sea rise in sea level inundate 64000
h Coastal Agriculture land Transfer of water
by proposed RLP of India will cause substantial
water flow decrease in the lower Meghna and
cause saline water intrusion . Bangladesh
suffering acute water shortage for Farakkah
since 1975. RLP will endanger agricultural
and biological resources of Bangladesh.
Crises of Food Sovereignty Climate Change
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Grassroots Practices to Secure Food Sovereignty
Promotion of Regenerative Agriculture Promot
ion and preservation of local seeds, plants in
community organization level Nutrition
education tailoring to the need of child, older
people and pregnant mothers, Promotion and
preservation of organic agriculture, Herbal and
Seed Campaign against consumerism
Networking for creating movement in local,
national and international level
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Grassroots Practices to Secure Food Sovereignty
Advocacy for pro-farmer Policy Adoption
Increase and Rationalize Subsidy mainly to-
irrigation, Develop water reservoir rather
subsidizing on diesel Develop community based
seed store through involving Union Parishad
Promote research of bio-fertilizers and
bio-pesticides Protect marginal farmers from
land less ness.
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Thank You All