Bangladesh, which saw its already-high levels of extreme poverty and chronic hunger, has become a model for hunger reduction for the rest of the world.
“Bangladesh is one of three success stories of the last 10 to 15 years – Ethiopia and Nepal are the other two – that give us some hope on this goal” of eliminating hunger, The Christian Science Monitor quoted a professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York.
Professor Glenn Denning, who is also a noted expert in development and nutrition, said: “These kinds of successes have demonstrated that if you bring certain things together."
He lists economic growth, improved agricultural productivity, a focus on farmers’ market accessibility, and social safety nets for the most vulnerable.
“I would list three drivers of poverty reduction and hunger reduction, and all those things are happening in Bangladesh today,” says Akhter Ahmed, chief of strategy support at the Dhaka, Bangladesh, office of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
“I do believe Bangladesh can serve as a model,” Dr Ahmed says, “particularly to other countries in South Asia that haven’t done so well.”
In contrast to India, Ahmed notes, Bangladesh in its four decades of independence from Pakistan has been open to deep cultural change.