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Bangladesh
>> Regional Overview >> Bangladesh Overview ACTIVITY DATA SHEET
PROGRAM: Bangladesh
TITLE AND NUMBER: Improved Food Security for Vulnerable Groups, 388-008
STATUS: Continuing
PLANNED FY 2001 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $3,200,000 DA
PROPOSED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $3,200,000 DA
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 2000 ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2006Summary: Food insecurity remains an ever-present problem for nearly half the 130 million Bangladeshi people living below the poverty line. Over 30 million, with a daily diet of less than 1800 calories, are extremely poor, malnourished, and vulnerable. Although foodgrains are becoming more available at the national level, acute household and individual level food insecurity still exists and is reflected in the country's appalling malnutrition incidence. The purpose of this objective is to implement activities directly focusing on improving food security of the most vulnerable groups (with increased focus on women's interests), helping them to graduate to a more decent level of living. There are three major program areas: food security policy, environmentally sound infrastructure, and disaster management, with the added element of food aid as both a financial and commodity resource. Collectively, these components make up a complete approach to the food security problems confronting Bangladesh.
This objective is funded primarily by proceeds from P.L. 480 Title II resources. The Government of Bangladesh (GOB) pays the equivalent value of the donated wheat into local currency accounts managed by Title II development partners. The donated grain goes into the "Food for Education" program, covering 2.3 million primary school students. USAID partners (CARE and World Vision) then use the local currency, supplemented by dollar grants, to implement community infrastructure improvements, such as farm-to-market roads, water supply and sanitation, school construction, and urban slum rehabilitation. A food management and research support activity complements the Title II program, assisting the Ministry of Food (MOF) to identify and implement more appropriate policies for managing food stocks and food safety net programs, ensuring food reaches the extreme poor. It also supports food security in the form of production diversification (especially wheat and maize production) and better natural resources management, and addresses food security policy issues and concerns across the other relevant GOB Ministries, including Agriculture and Health.
USAID's disaster management activities strengthen disaster preparedness and response/mitigation mechanisms at the community level, undertake flood-proofing activities (raising individual homesteads, building multi-purpose community flood shelters, provision of water and sanitation facilities), and, through USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), support flood forecasting and urban disaster mitigation efforts.
Key Results: Improved public food management, including privatization of food-grain trade, is a main focus of the current food management activity. A milestone was achieved in FY 2000, when private sector commercial food-grain imports (i.e., exclusive of food aid) accounted for 100% of the total. Thus, private food-grain imports have substituted for GOB commercial food imports at no cost to the government and without affecting the interests of food producers and consumers.
Late in FY 2000, the USAID's disaster preparedness and management programs demonstrated their effectiveness in the timely response to the severe flooding in southwest Bangladesh. Although this area had not been specifically targeted by USAID disaster management efforts, the increased local NGO response capacity (developed over the years with USAID assistance), combined with support from USAID's OFDA, allowed CARE and World Vision to make rapid assessments of the situation and channel relief assistance worth about $1.2 million, including safe drinking water and dry food rations, to over 100,000 families in the affected area.
Performance and Prospects: As a result of the USAID-funded International Food Policy Research Institute's continuous policy research and advisory services, the GOB has reoriented its large public food distribution system (PFDS) away from competition with the private sector and more towards managing the PFDS as a food safety-net program for the poor. In distributing the public food to the targeted programs (e.g., Food for Education and Food for Work), the GOB has maintained the planned level envisaged for FY 2000 (85% of PFDS food). The privatization of food imports in past years has assisted the GOB to tackle adverse food situations of different sources; e.g., during FY 1999 (pre-and post-flood of 1998), the private sector brought in sufficient rice on a timely basis to maintain price stability. Government imports of this magnitude, roughly $185 million equivalent, were simply not feasible. It is expected that the share of private sector imports will again be 100% in FY 2001.
While national-level food-grain availability problems are lessening, continued work on food security policy across GOB line ministries (Food, Agriculture, and Health) remains critical in light of the continued widespread malnutrition, and on-going susceptibility of large numbers of the population to natural disasters. The new Food Security Policy Activity will begin in FY 2001. It will build on current programs of USAID, other donors, and GOB. The activity will help guide future food security policy program direction, and assist the GOB to identify and implement more appropriate access to food and nutrition-focused policies and programs.
Sustainable community infrastructure implemented by CARE and World Vision will continue as a major thrust of USAID's program. In FY 2000, CARE constructed 225 kilometers of farm-to-market low-cost hardtop surface roads. The road improvement work created 726,356 person-days of seasonal employment of which 15% were women. Over 260,000 trees were planted alongside the roads, helping to save the road slope from erosion, and providing income opportunities for local government and the destitute women caretakers. Over 11,600 person-months of employment have been created for the women caretakers. Also in FY 2000, CARE's "Urban Slum Improvement" component was initiated. Work included site selection, signing of memoranda of understanding with municipalities, development of agreements with local NGO partners, and initiation of action research.
Humanitarian support and disaster preparedness will remain important components of this objective. CARE and its local NGO partners' disaster preparedness efforts now cover the vulnerable population in 190 high disaster prone localities. Thus, over 18 million people will have access to emergency relief supplies within 72 hours of a disaster. This has substantially reduced their need for distress selling and for borrowing money for their physical survival. As a result of CARE's Flood Proofing program, there has been less damage to housing, a lower incidence of diarrhea, and increased access to potable water during floods in the target areas. Of the 45,530 direct and indirect beneficiaries of the flood proofing activities, nearly half are women.
In FY 2001, USAID intends to obligate $3.2 million in DA resources and $39,845,760 from the sale of P.L. 480 Title II commodities. Of this, $1,675,000 in DA and $1,500,000 in P.L. 480 Title II will fund food security and disaster preparedness, and $525,000 in DA and $38,345,000 in P.L. 480 Title II will fund rural infrastructure improvements.
USAID will continue its humanitarian assistance leadership role, with a focus on enhanced community-based disaster management, in collaboration with CARE and World Vision. The new Comprehensive Food Security Policy activity with IFPRI and the International Maize and Wheat Research Center (CIMMYT), combined with the on-going Title II program, will ensure that USAID retains a leadership role in the battle against poverty and food insecurity.
Possible Adjustments to Plans: None.
Other Donor Programs: The World Food Program (WFP), Canada, and the European Union (EU) support food policy work and the construction or rehabilitation of rural roads. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the United Kingdom all contribute to disaster preparedness/response activities. USAID is an active participant in the Food Security and Nutrition Local Consultative Group. Continued excellent donor relations have led to joint programs: wheat flour fortification and school feeding with WFP, rural infrastructure maintenance with Canada, and coordinated food security efforts with the EU under the "Trans-Atlantic Agenda."
Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: USAID implements activities in partnership with CARE, World Vision, the International Food Policy Research Institute, and the International Maize and Wheat Research Center. These institutions, in turn, work with local NGOs and other local institutions through sub-grants.
FY 2002 Performance Table
Bangladesh: 388-008
Performance Measures:
Indicator FY97 (Actual) FY98 (Actual) FY99 (Actual) FY00 (Actual) FY00 (Plan) FY01 (Plan) FY02 (Plan) Indicator 1: Percent of people in target areas with access to emergency relief supplies 58 58 71 75 77 84 93 Indicator 2: Kilometers of farm to market roads upgraded for year round traffic (Paved) NA NA NA 350 225 700 1000 Indicator 3: Percent of foodgrains imported by private sector 68 64 82 100 100 100 100 Indicator 4: Percent Public Food Distribution System (PFDS) food going to targeted programs 81 76 88 85 85 85 85 Indicator 5: Kilometers of environmentally sound roads rehabilitated (cumulative) 7,763 9,828 13,375 NA NA NA NA Indicator Information:
Indicator Level (S) or (IR) Unit of Measure Source Indicator Description Indicator 1: IR Percentage Integrated Food Security Program (IFSP) monitoring system records, CARE's Annual Results Report. Availability of, and access to the most basic life sustaining requirements becomes critical during times of crisis. USAID's program will judge its success by the capacity of GOB, donor, and NGOs to provide relief supplies such as ORS, water purification tablets, dry food, and survival kits (soap, utensils, rope, jerry cans, candles, matches, etc.) to targeted areas in an efficient and timely manner. The indicator is a measure of the anticipated capacity to respond as indicated by improved disaster management. Indicator 2: IR Kilometers of paved roads IFSP project monitoring system records and CARE's Annual Results Report. Rehabilitated farm-to market roads provide access to markets and national road networks. Environmentally sound road improvement for year round traffic means roads with culverts, bridges facilitating free flow of water for fish movement and early recession of flood-water, and hardtop surfacing using low-cost technology. Road rehabilitation increases passenger and freight traffic, decreases transportation cost and increases the use of key agricultural inputs. It also facilitates movement of relief supplies during disasters. Indicator 3: IR Percentage GOB, World Food Program (WFP) Monthly Reports, IFPRI/FMRSP Quarterly Reports. This indicator measures percentage share of imports by private sector in total commercial foodgrain imports. Increasing the private sector's share of foodgrain imports is an indication of an appropriate and efficient market orientation of food policy. Indicator 4: IR Percentage GOB, World Food Program (WFP) Monthly Reports, IFPRI/FMRSP Quarterly Reports The percentage of PFDS foodgrain distributed through programs targeted to the poor is an indicator of cost-effectiveness and efficiency of the PFDS. Targeted distribution shows both GOB's and USAID's commitments to enhancing the food security and nutritional status of poor consumers lacking purchasing power (inability to access food), a key element for reducing the poverty level. Indicator 5: IR Kilometers of road IFFD project monitoring system records and CARE's Annual Results Report. Rehabilitated class 1 rural roads (farm to market) provide access to markets and national road networks. Environmentally sound roads represent roads with culverts, bridges facilitating free flow of water for fish movement and early recession of flood water. Road rehabilitation increases passenger and freight traffic, decreases transportation cost and increases the use of key agricultural inputs. It also facilitates movement of relief and provides shelter during disasters. This indicator is no longer used for the new activity. See the indicator listed below regarding farm to market roads. U.S. Financing
(In thousands of dollars)
Obligations Expenditures Unliquidated Through September 30, 1999 * 4,680 DA 0 DA 4,680 DA 100 CSD 0 CSD 100 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA Fiscal Year 2000 1,300 DA 2,555 DA 0 CSD 100 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA Through September 30, 2000 5,980 DA 2,555 DA 3,425 DA 100 CSD 100 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA Prior Year Unobligated Funds 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Planned Fiscal Year 2001 NOA 3,200 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Total Planned Fiscal Year 2001 3,200 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Future Obligations Est. Total Cost Proposed Fiscal Year 2002 NOA 3,200 DA 6,900 DA 19,280 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 100 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA *9/30/99 unliquidated obligation comes from continuing activities folded under this new SO from a completed SO 388-002 and should not be treated as part of this SO's est. total cost.
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
