Dhaka:World Food Day is being observed in Bangladesh today, emphasizing the importance of agricultural innovation, food security, and access to nutritious food. This year's global theme is "Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow."
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) highlights the potential of combining innovative solutions with traditional knowledge to ensure adequate, safe, and nutritious food while protecting the environment. In line with this, the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with FAO and other partners, has organized a national seminar at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council in Dhaka.
The seminar aims to address innovation, investment, and cooperation as key areas to improve food production and nutrition. Attendees include government officials, researchers, development partners, farmers' representatives, and private-sector participants.
This observance comes amid ongoing challenges in food access within Bangladesh. An FAO country brief from September, referencing the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), projected that approximately 18.1 million people might experience crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity from September to December 2026. Factors such as reduced household purchasing power, high inflation, and flood-related damages have contributed to this outlook.
In his statement for World Food Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that around 645 million people faced hunger last year, and nearly 2.7 billion people could not afford a healthy diet. He emphasized the need for increased investment and cooperation to make nutritious food more accessible, advocating for the use of data, technology, and innovation to bolster food systems.