Publications

Transfers, behavior change communication, and intimate partner violence: Postprogram evidence from rural Bangladesh

Transfer programs have been shown to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV), but little evidence exists on how activities linked to transfers affect IPV or what happens when programs end. We assess postprogram impacts on IPV of randomly assigning women in Bangladesh to receive cash or food, with or without nutrition behavior change communication (BCC). Six to ten months postprogram, IPV did not differ between women receiving transfers and a control group; however, women receiving transfers with BCC experienced 26% less physical violence. Evidence on mechanisms suggests sustained effects of BCC on women's “threat points,” men's social costs of violence, and household well-being.

Transfers, nutrition programming, and economic well-being: Experimental evidence from Bangladesh

Interest has grown in leveraging cash transfer programs with nutrition interventions to improve child nutrition at scale. However, little is known about how doing so affects household economic well-being. We study a program providing cash or food transfers, with or without nutrition behavior change communication (BCC), to poor women in rural Bangladesh. We find that adding BCC to cash or food transfers leads to larger impacts on both consumption and assets - an apparent puzzle, given the transfer value is unchanged. Evidence suggests this occurs through the BCC inducing increases in income generation - plausibly by improving households’ social capital and empowerment.

Impacts of bt brinjal (eggplant) technology in Bangladesh

This study examines the impact of genetically modified (GM) eggplant in Bangladesh. Eggplant, called brinjal in Bangladesh, is a high-value crop that is widely grown and consumed. Brinjal is highly vulnerable to fruit and shoot borer (FSB) pest. In response, farmers spray the crop heavily and repeatedly with highly toxic pesticides but with limited success. Over a 10-year period, public sector Bangladeshi agricultural researchers, with support from Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co. Pvt. Ltd. (Mahyco) and researchers based in the United States, have developed a series of GM varieties of Bt brinjal that are resistant to FSB. Extensive biosafety work has demonstrated that there are no significant differences between Bt brinjal and its non-GM counterparts (APAARI 2018). Following regulatory review, Bangladesh approved Bt brinjal for human consumption (APAARI 2018). Other studies suggest that these varieties convey higher yields with lower applications of pesticides. The introduction of GM crops remains controversial in Bangladesh and globally. Frequent criticisms include claims that they are harmful to the environment, damaging to human health, and inaccessible to small farmers for cost or intellectual property reasons. It is also claimed that GM crops (including Bt brinjal) convey no yield benefits, with critics noting that much of the work on economic benefits was based on observational data rather than randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Furthermore, research on GM crops is perceived to be industry-influenced or biased in some way.

Can transfers and behavior change communication reduce intimate partner violence four years post-program? Experimental evidence from Bangladesh

Little is known about whether reductions in intimate partner violence (IPV) from cash transfer programs persist over the longer term. Using a randomized controlled trial design, we show that a program providing poor women in rural Bangladesh with cash or food transfers, alongside nutrition behavior change communication (BCC), led to sustained reductions in IPV 4 years after the program ended. Transfers alone showed no sustained impacts on IPV. Evidence suggests cash and BCC led to more sustained impacts on IPV than food and BCC – through persistent increases in women’s bargaining power, men’s costs of perpetrating violence, and poverty-related emotional well-being.

Food transfers, cash transfers, behavior change communication and child nutrition: Evidence from Bangladesh

The importance of children’s nutritional status for subsequent human capital formation, the limited evidence of the effectiveness of social protection interventions on child nutrition, and the absence of knowledge on the intra-household impacts of cash and food transfers or how they are shaped by complementary programming motivate this paper. We implemented two, linked randomized control trials in rural Bangladesh, with treatment arms including cash transfers, a food ration, or a mixed food and cash transfer, as well as treatments where cash and nutrition behavior change communication (BCC) or where food and nutrition BCC were provided. Only cash plus nutrition BCC had a significant impact on nutritional status, but its effect on height-for-age z scores (HAZ) was large, 0.25SD. We explore the mechanisms underlying this impact. Improved diets – including increased intake of animal source foods – along with reductions in illness in the cash plus BCC treatment arm are consistent with the improvement we observe in children’s HAZ.

Economic and health impacts of genetically modified eggplant: Results from a randomized controlled trial of Bt brinjal in Bangladesh

In this paper, we assess the impacts of genetically modified eggplant, Bt brinjal, on economic and health outcomes in Bangladesh using a cluster randomized controlled design. Bt brinjal cultivation reduces the cost of pesticide use by 47 percent. This is driven by reductions in the use of pesticides with adverse ecological impacts by 82 percent, and reductions in the use of pesticides with adverse effects on farmer health by 23 percent. Individuals who had a preexisting chronic condition consistent with pesticide exposure and who lived in villages randomly selected to grow Bt brinjal were 11.5 percentage points less likely to report a symptom of pesticide exposure and were 11 percentage points less likely to incur cash medical expenses to treat these symptoms. Net yields were 42 percent higher for Bt brinjal farmers, and our descriptive distributional work suggests that these yield gains are widespread. The differences in net yields were driven by two outcomes: the quantity harvested was higher on Bt brinjal fields, by 114 kilograms per farmer; and after harvesting, fewer fruits were discarded because of damage due to pests and diseases, by 40 kilograms per farmer. Increased production, together with a 14 percent increase in price and a 10 percent reduction in costs, leads to a substantial increase in profits from cultivating Bt brinjal for treatment farmers compared with conventional brinjal produced by control farmers. Bt brinjal is a publicly developed GMO that conveys significant health benefits, both human and ecological, while raising farmer incomes.

Drivers of the Bangladesh fish economy: Projections of future fish supply and demand

Fish play a major role in the Bangladesh food system. Fish production, processing and marketing are major source of incomes for many households, and fish consumption accounts for a significant share of protein consumption in the Bangladeshi diet. Moreover, fish production and consumption are growting rapidly, with the aquaculture subsector as a major driver of change of both supply and demand. In this paper, we present estimates of demand elasticities for four categories of fish (aquaculture, inland capture, mixed production, and marine) using a modified Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System. These demand estimates are then used in projections of future supply and demand for these different types of fish under different productivity growth assumptions. Our results show that, at current rates of productivity increase, growth in fish production will outpace increases in demand from population and income growth, resulting a decline in real prices over time. A more rapid increase in productivity would lead to even larger supply increases and corresponding price declines. These effects are most keenly felt by the poorest households who see significant increases in fish consumption. Fish production from aquaculture is likely to have higher rates of productivity growth than the more extensive inland capture and marine systems, leading to a long term shift increase in the share of aquaculture production and consumption.

Diversifying rice-centric agriculture and diets: The Bangladesh experience

This chapter reviews recent policy developments in agriculture and nutrition in Bangladesh, and then draws upon household-level data to examine trends related to agricultural production, food consumption and nutrition, and women’s empowerment. Using this evidence, the authors present a government-led experiment that is working towards filling critical knowledge and action gaps for promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Bringing together this evidence, they conclude that identifying, developing, and supporting synergies among the agriculture, nutrition, and health sectors is critical for Bangladesh to improve food and nutrition security.

Bt Brinjal impact assessment: Outcome brochure

Background Agricultural advancements have transformed Bangladesh from a food-deficit to surplus country. Now, agricultural innovations are needed to confront emerging challenges: the slowdown in agricultural growth, low agricultural diversity, the effects of climate change, and a rise in pest infestations and plant diseases, to name a few. Brinjal (eggplant) is a high-value crop widely grown and consumed in Bangladesh. Brinjal is highly vulnerable to the fruit and shoot borer pest, and farmers spray the crop heavily with pesticides. Farmers’ spending on pesticides reduces their income; and increased pesticide use heightens their risk of contracting pesticide-elated illnesses, and facing related medical costs. Developing modern, pest-resistant crop varieties can help tackle these issues. Agricultural biotechnologies such as Bt brinjal hold promise. Although the Government of Bangladesh approved cultivation of 4 Bt varieties in 2013, evidence on their potential is still lacking. What is the Bt Brinjal Study? In 2017–2018, IFPRI and the Government of Bangladesh partnered to estimate the impacts of Bt brinjal on production systems, producer welfare, and health outcomes. The study was designed by IFPRI’s Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program (PRSSP), implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture under the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), and coordinated by the Agricultural Policy Support Unit (APSU). Project partners regularly monitored the brinjal plots throughout the implementation period. The Bt brinjal impact assessment was supported by the Government of Bangladesh, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM), and Cornell University

Value-chain clusters and aquaculture innovation in Bangladesh

Does a “Blue Revolution” help the poor? Evidence from Bangladesh

The rapid growth in aquaculture production, globally and in Bangladesh is well documented. Over 2000–2010, per capita production of aquaculture grew 76%, while the consumer price of fish declined 45%. Previous studies have suggested pro-poor effects of aquaculture based on fish production and consumption patterns. This study attempts to quantify the contribution of aquaculture to income growth and poverty reduction in Bangladesh, using household survey data and a microsimulation approach based on an expanded version of Deaton's concept of net benefit ratio. We estimate that aquaculture's contribution to income growth between 2000 and 2010 was 2.1%, including both price and quantity effects. This income growth was translated into poverty reduction of 1.7 percentage points. Although these estimates seem small, they represent almost 10% of the overall poverty reduction in Bangladesh during the first decade of the 21st century. Put differently, of the 18 million Bengalis who escaped poverty during 2000–2010, about 1.8 million of them managed to do so because of the rapid growth in aquaculture, which contributed to rural income while making fish more accessible to consumers.

Climbing up the ladder and watching out for the fall: Poverty dynamics in rural Bangladesh

This paper analyzes poverty dynamics in rural Bangladesh using a nationally representative panel dataset of 5,260 rural households interviewed in 2011/12 and 2015. We find that education, savings, assets, non-farm employment, substantial safety net transfers, and women’s empowerment are key factors in breaking persistent poverty; and savings, non-farm engagement, and substantial safety net transfers prevent households from falling into poverty. The results are consistent across multinomial logit, logit, and simultaneous quantile regression models. Thus, policies and programs that address the determinants of persistent and transient poverty identified in this study hold promise for sustained poverty reduction in rural Bangladesh.

Women’s empowerment in agriculture and dietary quality across the life course: Evidence from Bangladesh

Using nationally-representative survey data from rural Bangladesh, we examine the relationship between women’s empowerment in agriculture and indicators of individual dietary quality. Our findings suggest that women’s empowerment is associated with better dietary quality of individuals within the household, but the strength of this association varies across the life course. Women’s empowerment is correlated with more diverse diets of children under five, but empowerment measures are not consistently associated with increases in nutrient intake for this age group. Rather, maternal schooling and household socio-economic status play a more important role for younger children. Women’s empowerment is positively and significantly associated with adult men’s and women’s dietary diversity and nutrient intakes. Empowerment does not benefit all individuals within the household equally, with gender bias emerging in adolescence. Variations in the strength of the association between women’s empowerment and different individuals’ dietary quality across the life course has implications for the design and targeting of interventions to improve dietary quality, particularly of women, children, and adolescent girls.

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Gender Linkages (ANGeL)

What is ANGeL? IFPRI designed an innovative research program called “Orienting Agriculture toward Improved Nutrition and Women’s Empowerment,” or the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Gender Linkages (ANGeL) Project. ANGeL was a 3-year initiative that aimed to identify actions and investments in agriculture to promote agricultural diversity, increase farm household income, improve nutrition, and empower women.

Qualitative research on women’s empowerment and participation in agricultural value chains in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, IFPRI has received support from USAID through its Policy Research and Strategy Support Program in Bangladesh (PRSSP) to work in the geographic areas targeted by Feed the Future interventions (known as the Zone of Influence) to construct this new WEAI4VC module. The qualitative research study, conducted by IFPRI field officers, complements a 1,200 household quantitative survey, looking in greater depth at the individual, household, and community level experiences of men and women to understand the consequences of value chain participation on them as producers, entrepreneurs, and wage workers on women’s empowerment. The quantitative study sampled 400 households for each of the three economic activities of interest – (1) agricultural production, (2) agricultural entrepreneurship, and (3) agriculture sector employment. It was carried out in ten administrative units (upazilas or sub-districts), and five villages in each upazila to total 50 villages.

Tracking empowerment along the value chain: Testing a modified WEAI in the Feed the Future Zone of Influence in Bangladesh

Upon request of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) conducted this study to support USAID in assessing the state of empowerment and gender parity of men and women along the agricultural value chain in the Feed the Future (FTF) Zone of Influence (ZOI) in Bangladesh. Specifically, IFPRI’s Policy Research and Strategy Support Program (PRSSP), funded by USAID, piloted the modified Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) survey instruments in 10 upazilas (sub-districts) within the FTF ZOI across 1,200 households, which broadly belong to three economic activities of interest: (1) agricultural production, (2) agricultural entrepreneurship, and (3) agricultural sector employment. The quantitative survey was complemented by qualitative research to glean further insights into the facilitators and constraints of empowerment among various actors in the agricultural value chain. The data and analysis generated from this WEAI for Value Chain (WEAI4VC) study may inform USAID’s selection and design of interventions that may, in turn, maximize its programmatic impact on women and men’s empowerment as producers, entrepreneurs, and wage employees.

An end in sight to early marriage? Evidence from IFPRI’s 2015 survey in rural Bangladesh

Upon request of the Governance Innovation Unit of the Prime Minister’s Office, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, IFPRI has prepared this research note using 2015 nationally representative household survey data. This note provides an overview of the state of early marriage in rural Bangladesh, changes in marriage trends over a twenty-year time period, and briefly explores ways to reduce the incidence of early child marriage in Bangladesh as a conduit for development progress.

Assessing indicators for selection of participants for the Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) program in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a wealth of institutional diversity and experience with targeted social safety net programs. Most of these programs are widely credited with providing the poor access to food and improving their livelihoods. However, the need for assistance is overwhelming. According to the latest poverty estimates, 24.3 percent of the country’s 163 million people were poor in 2016.1 Improving program targeting to reach the poorest of the poor effectively is needed to address the wide gap between the resources available for safety net programs and those in need of support. Targeting effectiveness indicates the extent to which program benefits are received by the neediest versus the less needy or non-needy population. A well-targeted food intervention improves the real income and food security of the neediest without providing those benefits to members of the society who do not need them. Targeting of benefits to those most in need is an obvious way of reducing the costs of a program. Upon request of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in Bangladesh, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has undertaken this study to assess the suitability of indicators used for targeting the poor through the Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) program in Bangladesh. The VGD program is the largest social safety net program in Bangladesh that exclusively targets women. About 750,000 ultra-poor rural women and their 3.75 million family members receive a monthly ration of 30 kg of rice for 24 months. This support period is referred to as the “VGD cycle.” The program began in 1975 as a relief program for families affected by natural calamities. The current VGD program seeks to integrate food security and nutrition with development and income generation. The program is implemented by the MOWCA with support from the WFP.

Assessing indicators for targeting the needy under the Improved Maternity and Lactating Mother Allowance Program in rural and urban Bangladesh

Child stunting in Bangladesh declined dramatically over the past two decades, but remains high at approximately 36 percent (NIPORT 2016). Inadequate maternal nutrition during pregnancy remains prevalent in Bangladesh and is associated with children being born small-for-gestational-age, which is responsible for up to 20 percent of stunting in children between the ages of 1 to 5 years old (Nguyen et al. 2017; Christian et al. 2013). Diets of young children in Bangladesh are also grossly inadequate, further contributing to chronic undernutrition. Renewed efforts to reduce the problem of child undernutrition must focus on improving maternal nutrition (during pregnancy) and the nutrition of the child.

The “quiet revolution” in the aquaculture value chain in Bangladesh

Increasing crop production benefits to small producers in Bangladesh

This paper examined the benefits of key crop production decisions for rural livelihoods across Bangladesh in order to suggest ways in which producers can increase returns to crop production. The study used plot-level data from a household survey to estimate the relative contribution of various inputs and practices to the total value of production from a given plot over the course of one year.

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Gender Linkages (ANGeL) evaluation results

The relationships between agricultural diversity, dietary diversity, and gender norms are complex and multi-dimensional. To better understand these links, and how to most effectively promote nutrition- and gender-sensitive agriculture in Bangladesh, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) designed the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Gender Linkages (ANGeL) pilot project, implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. ANGeL aimed to identify actions and investments in agriculture that will help increase farm household income, improve nutrition, and empower women. Using rigorous research, namely, a randomized controlled trial design, IFPRI assessed impacts of the ANGeL project interventions on various outcomes. Over the 17-month implementation period, with no inputs provided to participating farm households besides knowledge from trainings, ANGeL generated useful lessons on strengthening the agriculture-nutrition-gender nexus in the country. Both men and women benefited from agricultural trainings, yet women learned more from the same trainings. Crop diversity increased substantially in homestead gardens, mainly due to ANGeL’s emphasis on homestead food production from nutritious crops. Farmers also adopted improved production practices. We consistently found that women were more likely to apply knowledge gained from agricultural production trainings to adopt various types of improved agriculture production practices, such as pest disease and control, seed production and care, and use of quality fertilizer. Similarly, improvements in nutrition knowledge were far greater for women and when trainings were combined. These improvements in knowledge had impacts on nutrition outcomes, with increases in household diet quality and child dietary diversity over the project period. The strongest improvements in empowerment came when agriculture, nutrition, and gender sensitization trainings were combined. ANGeL’s household approach empowered women and men in unique ways: while women became more empowered in asset ownership and income decisions, men became more empowered in production and income decisions in select interventions. Attitudes related to gender of both women and men also improved, with more women recognizing that they make important contributions to their communities. ANGeL is the first ministry-led initiative that uses a rigorous impact evaluation to develop an evidence base to design and implement a national program. The ANGeL project is a significant step towards filling critical knowledge and action gaps in the country on promoting nutrition-and gender-sensitive agriculture.

Farm diversification and food and nutrition security in Bangladesh: Empirical evidence from nationally representative household panel data

Randomized control trials demonstrate that nutrition-sensitive social protection interventions increase the use of multiple-micronutrient powders and iron supplements in rural pre-school Bangladeshi children

Objective To examine the impact of a nutrition-sensitive social protection intervention on mothers’ knowledge of Fe deficiency, awareness of multiple-micronutrient powders (MMP) and the consumption of MMP and other Fe supplements by their children aged 6–59 months. Design Two randomized controlled trials with treatment arms including cash transfers, food transfers, cash and food transfers, cash and nutrition behaviour change communication (BCC), and food and nutrition BCC were implemented over two years. Both included a control group that received no transfer or BCC. Transfer recipients were mothers living in poor households with at least one child aged less than 2 years at baseline. Probit models were used to analyse endline data. Setting Rural areas in north-west and south Bangladesh. Subjects Mothers (n 4840) and children 6–59 months (n 4840). Results A transfer accompanied by nutrition BCC increased the share of mothers with knowledge of Fe deficiency (11·9 and 9·2 percentage points for North and South, respectively, P≤0·01), maternal awareness of MMP (29·0 and 22·2 percentage points, P≤0·01), the likelihood that their children 6–59 months had ever consumed MMP (32 and 11·9 percentage points, P≤0·01), consumed MMP in the preceding week (16·9 and 3·9 percentage points, P≤0·01) and consumed either MMP or an Fe supplement in the preceding week (22·3 and 7·1 percentage points, P≤0·01). Improvements were statistically significant relative to groups that received a transfer only. Conclusions Nutrition-sensitive social protection (transfers with BCC added) may be a promising way to advance progress on micronutrient deficiencies.

Feed the Future Bangladesh 2015: Zone of Influence interim assessment report

This document reports the results of the first interim assessment of Feed the Future’s population-based indicators for the ZOI in Bangladesh.

Women’s empowerment in agriculture and dietary quality across the life course: Evidence from Bangladesh

Using nationally representative survey data from rural Bangladesh, this paper examines the relationship between women’s empowerment in agriculture and indicators of individual dietary quality. Our findings suggest that women’s empowerment is associated with better dietary quality for individuals within the household, with varying effects across the life course. Women’s empowerment is associated with more diverse diets for children younger than five years, but empowerment measures are not consistently associated with increases in nutrient intake for this age group. Women’s empowerment is positively and significantly associated with adult men’s and women’s dietary diversity and nutrient intakes. Different empowerment domains may have different impacts on nutrition, but other characteristics, such as maternal schooling and household socioeconomic status, may play a more important role for younger children. The importance of maternal education in the dietary quality of young children, and the relatively greater importance of women’s empowerment for older children and adults, imply that policies designed to empower women and improve nutritional status should be informed by knowledge of which specific domains of women’s empowerment matter for particular nutritional outcomes at specific stages of the life course.

Nutrition behaviour change communication causes sustained effects on IYCN knowledge in two cluster-randomised trials in Bangladesh

Behaviour change communication (BCC) can improve infant and young child nutrition (IYCN) knowledge, practices, and health outcomes. However, few studies have examined whether the improved knowledge persists after BCC activities end. This paper assesses the effect of nutrition sensitive social protection interventions on IYCN knowledge in rural Bangladesh, both during and after intervention activities. We use data from two, 2-year, cluster randomised control trials that included nutrition BCC in some treatment arms. These data were collected at intervention baseline, midline, and endline, and 6–10 months after the intervention ended. We analyse data on IYCN knowledge from the same 2,341 women over these 4 survey rounds. We construct a number correct score on 18 IYCN knowledge questions and assess whether the impact of the BCC changes over time for the different treatment groups. Effects are estimated using ordinary least squares accounting for the clustered design of the study. There are 3 main findings: First, the BCC improves IYCN knowledge substantially in the 1st year of the intervention; participants correctly answer 3.0–3.2 more questions (36% more) compared to the non-BCC groups. Second, the increase in knowledge between the 1st and 2nd year was smaller, an additional 0.7–0.9 correct answers. Third, knowledge persists; there are no significant decreases in IYCN knowledge 6–10 months after nutrition BCC activities ended.

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Gender Linkages (ANGeL) Baseline Study

1.1 Background Bangladesh has made commendable progress in domestic food production through public investments in agricultural research and extension, public and private investments in irrigation, and liberalization of agricultural input markets. In the early 1970s, Bangladesh was a food-deficit country with a population of about 75 million people. Today, the population has more than doubled, and the country is nearly self-sufficient in rice production, which has tripled over the past three decades. However, Bangladesh’s performance in improving child and maternal nutrition has been less satisfactory. Despite its success in reducing child stunting, the rate of stunting in Bangladesh (36 percent in 2014) remains high (NIPORT 2015). Bangladesh also continues to struggle with deficiencies in micronutrients such as iron, zinc, iodine, and vitamin A. Such deficiencies reflect poor diets that are rice-dominated, monotonous, and lacking diversity (Ahmed et al. 2013). Anemia (in part due to iron deficiency) is estimated to affect 26 percent of nonpregnant, non-lactating women, whereas 42 percent suffer from iodine deficiency. About 28 percent women of reproductive age are underweight (NIPORT 2015). In preschool children, the rates of anemia, iodine, and vitamin A deficiencies are 33 percent, 40 percent, and 20 percent, respectively (ICDDR,B 2013). Therefore, government policies and strategies underscore the importance of strengthening the linkage between agriculture and nutrition. Agriculture provides a source of food and nutrients, contributes to income, and affects food prices. Exploring agriculture and nutrition linkages in Bangladesh using data from a multi-round district level panel, a study finds that rice yields are associated with earlier introduction of complementary foods to young children, as well as increases in their weight-for-height (Heady and Hoddinott 2016). Agriculture can also have effects on women’s health, nutrition, empowerment and time allocation, which can have important consequences for their ability to care for family members. Given these links, agriculture has the potential to be a strong driver of nutrition. However, that potential is not being fully realized in Bangladesh because, traditionally, nutrition and agricultural policies have been uncoordinated. Low status of women and gender gaps in health and education contribute to chronic child undernutrition (Smith et al. 2003) and food insecurity (von Grebmer et al. 2009), even when other determinants of food security, such as per capita incomes, improve. According to an IFPRI study, women are key actors within the food system, but are historically disempowered in Bangladesh in terms of leadership in the community, control of resources, and control of income (Sraboni, Quisumbing, and Ahmed 2014a). The lack of women’s empowerment weakens the links between agriculture and nutrition. Despite increases in 2 women’s participation in agriculture in Bangladesh in recent years (Asaduzzaman 2010), women face persistent obstacles, particularly due to social and economic constraints, which limit their further inclusion in agriculture. Women have limited control over agricultural assets, as well as limited mobility to go to markets to sell agricultural produce, often relying on husbands and sons to take produce to market. 1.2 Motivation for the Study IFPRI research in Bangladesh, using data from a nationally representative household survey conducted by IFPRI, reveals that women’s empowerment plays a key role in improving household food security and dietary diversity of children, women, and other household members (Sraboni et al. 2014b; Malapit et al. 2015). The study also shows that agricultural production diversity is associated with dietary diversity (Sraboni et al. 2014b). Further, IFPRI research in Bangladesh shows that nutrition behavior change communication (BCC) training imparted to women and men in rural households leads to significant improvements in child nutrition and complementary feeding practices (Ahmed et al. 2016; Menon et al. 2016). Motivated by research-based evidence, IFPRI researchers developed a concept note to strengthen the agriculture-nutrition-gender nexus in Bangladesh and presented it to the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in June 2014. Based on the concept note, an inter-ministerial committee of the Government of Bangladesh approved a pilot research project entitled, “Orienting Agriculture Toward Improved Nutrition and Women’s Empowerment”, also known as “Agriculture, Nutrition, and Gender Linkages”(ANGeL), for implementation by the MOA, with technical assistance from IFPRI and Helen Keller International (HKI), and an evaluation led by IFPRI. The Minister of Agriculture officially launched the pilot project in October 2015. The project is jointly funded by the Government of Bangladesh and USAID. 1.3 The Baseline Report As part of the evaluation of the ANGeL Project, IFPRI carried out a baseline survey of project participants and a comparison group of households just before the start of project interventions. This report presents the results of the ANGeL baseline survey. It is organized in nine sections. Section 2 describes the salient features of the ANGeL Project. Section 3 presents the progress of the ANGeL Project to date. Section 4 describes the baseline survey. Section 5 gives a profile of the survey households. Section 6 provides the land tenure status of sample households and findings on agricultural production and practices. Section 7 presents patterns of food consumption and nutrition. Section 8 provides findings on women’s empowerment. Section 9 summarizes the main findings and provides conclusions.

Behavior change communication activities improve infant and young child nutrition knowledge and practice of neighboring non-participants in a cluster-randomized trial in rural Bangladesh

Objective To examine the impact on infant and young child nutrition knowledge and practice of mothers who were neighbors of mothers participating in a nutrition Behavior Change Communication (BCC) intervention in rural Bangladesh. Methods We analyzed data from 300 mothers whose neighbor participated in a nutrition BCC intervention and 600 mothers whose neighbor participated in an intervention that did not include BCC. We constructed measures capturing mothers’ knowledge of infant and young child nutrition (IYCN) and measures of food consumption by children 6-24m. The effect on these outcomes of exposure to a neighbor receiving a nutrition BCC intervention was estimated using ordinary least squares and probit regressions. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Study ID: NCT02237144). Results Having a neighboring mother participate in a nutrition BCC intervention increased non-participant mothers’ IYCN knowledge by 0.17 SD (translating to 0.3 more correct answers). They were 14.1 percentage points more likely to feed their 6-24m children legumes and nuts; 11.6 percentage points more likely to feed these children vitamin A rich fruits and vegetables; and 10.0 percentage points more likely to feed these children eggs. Children of non-participant mothers who had a neighboring mother participate in a nutrition BCC intervention were 13.8 percentage points more likely to meet World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for minimum diet diversity, 11.9 percentage points more likely to meet WHO guidelines for minimum acceptable diet, and 10.3 percentage points more likely to meet WHO guidelines for minimum meal frequency for children who continue to be breastfed after age 6m. Children aged 0-6m of non-participant mothers who are neighbors of mothers receiving BCC were 7.1 percentage points less likely to have ever consumed water-based liquids. Conclusions Studies of nutrition BCC that do not account for information spillovers to non-participants may underestimate its benefits in terms of IYCN knowledge and practice.

Cash or food transfers paired with behavior change communication can reduce intimate partner violence even after transfers end

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is widespread globally, with estimates showing that nearly 1 in 3 adult women worldwide have experienced some form of IPV. South Asia has among the highest regional rates in the world, with 41 percent prevalence of IPV. In Bangladesh, one survey found that 72.6 percent of married women reported experiencing violence at the hands of their husbands, and another showed that 74 percent of men reported inflicting violence on their wives. Violence against women in Bangladesh can be linked in part to strict observance of gender norms. Even though gender equality in the country has improved in some dimensions in recent decades, studies have found that patriarchal gender norms persist in much of rural Bangladesh. Purdah – the practice of female seclusion – is widely prevalent, and women’s movement outside the home continues to be restricted. Many women have little control over finances and limited social support, leading to reliance on their husbands and little bargaining power within their marriages.

Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program (BPRSSP)

The Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program (PRSSP) for Food Security and Agricultural Development, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is the largest project IFPRI has ever had in Bangladesh. Building on previous work in the country alongside government partners in the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management and the Ministry of Agriculture, IFPRI launched the program in October 2010. PRSSP fills the need for demand-driven food and agriculture research in response to Bangladesh’s country investment plan for agriculture, food security, and nutrition. It aims to generate information on critical issues, strengthen analytical capacity within the country, and stimulate policy dialogue. Its main objectives are to provide policy options and advisory services, collaborate with national institutions to evaluate and explain evidence, and find effective ways to deliver options and evidence to decision makers and stakeholders.

Does a “Blue Revolution” help the poor? Evidence from Bangladesh

The impressive growth in aquaculture is now commonly dubbed a “blue revolution.” In some Asian countries, fish availability has increased at a faster rate in recent decades than did cereal availability during the Green Revolution. As an example, Bangladesh is one country where aquaculture has increased almost eightfold since the early 1990s. This growth has important implications for food and nutrition securities. Yet, there is little research on the determinants and impacts of this growth to document the lessons, identify evolving issues, and guide policy discussions. This paper attempts to fill that gap. Using several rounds of nationally representative household survey data, the authors conducted microsimulations to generate disaggregated estimates. The results show that, between 2000 and 2010, about 12 percent of Bangladesh’s overall poverty reduction can be attributed to aquaculture growth. In other words, of the 18 million Bangladeshis who escaped poverty during this period, more than 2 million of them managed to do so because of the growth in aquaculture. However, the results vary widely across income groups, with households in the third income quintile (which is not the poorest) benefiting the most. The implications of the results, methodological issues, and areas of future research are also discussed.

An evaluation of the program on enhancing resilience to natural disasters and the effects of climate change in Bangladesh

The overall objective of the ER+ component is to assist ultra-poor women and their families in disaster-prone areas of Bangladesh in lifting themselves above the lower poverty line toward greater food security. To achieve the objective, a third “promotional” year has been introduced to ER, during which women—either ER laborers/trainees themselves or the wives, daughters, mothers, or sisters of male ER laborers/trainees—receive a substantive cash grant to invest in a productive asset or income-generating activity in combination with relevant business-related training, a one-year monthly cash allowance, and intensive follow-up support. The resulting model therefore combines the pre-existing “protective” elements (employment generation and 4 community asset development) with “promotional” elements for a more viable pathway out of extreme poverty and toward food security

Water management and livelihood choices in southwestern Bangladesh

Agricultural value chains in the Feed the Future zone of influence in Bangladesh: Baseline study

The present study looks into the first link in the agricultural value chain: the producers. Upon request from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Food Policy Research Institute conducted this agricultural value-chain study through its Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program for Food Security and Agricultural Development (PRSSP), funded by USAID. The IFPRI-PRSSP conducted this study in the Feed the Future (FTF) Zone of Influence (ZOI) in the south and southwest regions of the country. FTF is the US government’s global hunger and food security initiative that supports country-driven approaches to address the root causes of poverty, hunger, and undernutrition. In Bangladesh, FTF’s collective efforts aim to improve the livelihood and nutritional status of households through: (1) increased on-farm productivity, (2) increased investment in market systems and value chains, (3) enhanced food security policy and planning capacity, (4) enhanced agriculture innovation capacity, and (5) improved nutritional status of the rural poor.

Gender empowerment gaps in agriculture and children’s well-being in Bangladesh

Development programs that reduce gender gaps are expected to not only improve women’s well-being, but also their children’s. This draws on a growing body of literature that shows a strong positive association between women’s status and control over resources and improvements in children’s outcomes, particularly nutrition and education. In this paper, we provide empirical evidence on the relationship between empowerment gaps between men and women in the same household and children’s well-being using nationally representative data from the 2012 Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS). We measure children’s well-being using nutritional status for younger children (ages 0–5) and education outcomes for older children (ages 6–10 and 11–17). We measure relative empowerment using direct measures of empowerment collected from men and women in the same households using the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index. Our findings suggest that gender gaps in empowerment are only weakly linked to children’s nutrition, although different measures of empowerment reveal significant differences between boys’ and girls’ outcomes, depending on the measures used. Overall, the household head’s (father’s) education is significantly associated with better nutrition and education outcomes for children, but younger girls (ages 6–10) and older boys and girls (ages 11–17) are more likely to receive more education when mothers are more educated. Our results on parental education suggest that fathers’ empowerment may be reflecting a “wealth” effect that is invested in children’s nutrition and education when they are young, while mothers’ empowerment becomes more important in girls’ education in general and keeping older children, regardless of sex, in school.

Seeking evidence-based policy solutions to poverty and malnutrition in Bangladesh: Highlights from the Policy Research and Strategy Support Program 2010-2014

Food labelling is costly. Food labelling is often demanded with the introduction of new food products such as genetically modified (GM) food. If consumers do not have trust in the label, scarce resources are wasted. This paper investigates factors affecting the trust in food labels among Ugandan consumers. The results suggest that older, less-educated individuals of smaller household sizes and with trust in government institutions have more trust in food labels. Other factors were also found to be important. The government has to consider those differences in consumer trust when designing a GM labelling policy.

Safety nets in Bangladesh: Which form of transfer is most beneficial? Operational performance of the transfer modality research initiative

The overall objective of the Transfer Modality Research Initiative (TMRI) is to provide evidence that can be used to streamline the social safety net system in Bangladesh, with the goal of improving the food and nutrition security and livelihoods of the very poor in a cost-effective way. The research will inform policymakers which type of program can best improve the income status and food and nutrition security of the poor and thus be a valuable tool to the government as it prepares its social protection strategy.

Agricultural technology adoption in the Feed the Future zone of influence in Bangladesh

Upon request from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Policy Research and Strategy Support Program in Bangladesh (IFPRI-PRSSP) developed and began a study on the adoption of agricultural technologies in USAID’s Feed the Future (FTF) zone of influence in the south and southwest regions of the country. FTF is the US government’s global hunger and food security initiative to support country-driven approaches to address the root causes of poverty, hunger, and undernutrition. In Bangladesh, FTF’s collective efforts aim to improve the livelihood and nutritional status of households through: (1) increased on-farm productivity, (2) increased investment in market systems and value chains, (3) enhanced food security policy and planning capacity, (4) enhanced agriculture innovation capacity, and (5) improved nutritional status of rural poor. The agricultural technologies evaluated in this study are: (1) Urea deep placement (UDP)-popularly known as “Guti urea”; and (2) Modern, stress-tolerant varieties of rice.

Women’s empowerment in agriculture: What role for food security in Bangladesh?

Using nationally representative survey data from Bangladesh, we examine the relationship between women’s empowerment in agriculture and two measures of household food security: per adult equivalent calorie availability and dietary diversity. We use the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index to assess the extent of women’s empowerment in agriculture and instrumental variables techniques to correct for the potential endogeneity of empowerment. We find that the overall women’s empowerment score, the number of groups in which women actively participate, women’s control of assets, and a narrowing gap in empowerment between men and women within households are positively associated with calorie availability and dietary diversity.

Sudden onion price surge in Bangladesh: A situation analysis for policy

The Status of Food Security in the Feed the Future Zone and Other Regions of Bangladesh: Results from the 2011-2012 Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey

This report presents results of analyses of the IFPRI household survey data on various topics that, combined, represent the current food security situation in Bangladesh. Specifically, the study examines how that situation varies between the FTF zone of influence in the southern region and other regions throughout the country.

Bangladesh rice trade and price stabilization: Implications of the 2007/08 experience for public stocks

The extent to which Bangladesh should rely on imports for rice price stabilization is a contentious policy issue. This issue was underscored in the wake of the 2007–08 world food crisis, during which international rice prices skyrocketed and rice import supplies from India were disrupted. For more than a dozen years, from 1994 to 2007, private-sector rice imports made a major contribution to price stabilization and food security in Bangladesh, adding to domestic supplies following production shortfalls. In particular, following massive floods in 1998, private-sector imports sourced from wholesale rice markets in India contributed more than 2 million tons to rice supply in Bangladesh. Subsequently, between 2003 and mid-2007, Bangladesh prices were particularly stable. This paper presents econometric evidence that trade with India was a determining factor in this price stability. In particular, the authors show that in this period, Bangladesh domestic wholesale prices were co-integrated with import parity prices of subsidized below-poverty-line rice from India’s public stocks. Import flows in these years generated an estimated total of 1.0 to 1.6 billion US dollars in consumer surplus for Bangladesh households but reduced producer surplus by a similar amount.

Income growth, safety nets, and public food distribution

Investing in crop agriculture in Bangladesh for higher growth and productivity, and adaptation to climate change

Agricultural marketing, price stabilization, value chains, and global/regional trade

Food utilization and nutrition security

Cross-cutting issues: Governance and gender

Comparing food and cash transfers to the ultra-poor in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has some social safety net programs that transfer food to the poor, some that transfer cash, and some that provide a combination of both. This study evaluates the relative impacts of food and cash transfers on food security and livelihood outcomes among the ultra poor in Bangladesh. The programs impacts are evaluated according to various measures, including how well transfers are delivered; which transfers beneficiaries prefer; how accurately the programs target the extremely poor; effects on food security, livelihoods, and women's empowerment; and cost effectiveness. The report identifies what has and has not worked in food and cash transfers and recommends ways of improving these programs. This study will be valuable to policymakers and others concerned with poverty reduction in Bangladesh and elsewhere.