Securing Food for All in Bangladesh presents an array of research that collectively address four broad issues: (1) agricultural technology adoption; (2) input use and agricultural productivity; (3) food security and output market; and (4) poverty, food security, and women’s empowerment. The fifteen chapters of the book address diverse aspects within these four themes. Access to sufficient food by all people at all times to meet their dietary needs is a matter of critical importance. Despite declining arable agricultural land, Bangladesh has made commendable progress in boosting domestic food production. The growth in overall food production has been keeping ahead of population growth, resulting in higher per capita availability of food over time. In the early 1970s, Bangladesh was a food-deficit country with a population of about 75 million. Today, the population is 165 million, and the country is now self-sufficient in rice production, which has tripled over the past three decades. Along with enhanced food production, increased income has improved people’s access to food. Furthermore, nutritional outcomes have improved significantly. Nevertheless, the challenges to food and nutrition security remain formidable. Future agricultural growth and food and nutrition security are threatened by population growth, worsening soil fertility, diminishing access to land and other scarce natural resources, increasing vulnerability of crop varieties to pests and diseases, and persistent poverty leading to poor access to food. In addition, the impacts of climate change—an increase in the incidence of natural disasters, sea intrusion, and salinity—will exacerbate food and nutrition insecurity in the coming decades if corrective measures are not taken. Aligned with this context, the authors of the book explore policy options and strategies for developing agriculture and improving food security in Bangladesh. Securing Food for All in Bangladesh, with its breadth and scope, will be an invaluable resource for policymakers, researchers, and students dedicated to improving people’s livelihoods in Bangladesh.

This book explores the Sundarbans eco-region from a trans-boundary perspective, examining the cross-country interaction that helps planners to develop more efficient coastal zone planning for the delta. The dynamic ecosystem of the Sundarbans is considered the largest coastal delta in the world. It is located in the Bay of Bengal and spans across Bangladesh and West Bengal (India). Featuring chapters by experts from a range of fields, it addresses (i) risk factor analyses, and the geohydrological, climatic, natural, socio-economic, and anthropological factors related to the Sundarbans; (ii) strategies for sustainability in natural resource management in trans-boundary Sundarbans, cutting across political boundaries; (iii) improved agriculture, fisheries, and forestry practices and their impacts on the socio-economy for livelihood security; and (iv) a future road map for improvements. This book will be of value to those working in academia, as well as to experts and professionals in coastal zone planning and management.

A rapid increase in aquaculture production in Bangladesh has lowered fish prices, increased protein consumption, and reduced poverty. The Making of a Blue Revolution in Bangladesh offers a valuable case study of how this transformation in the fish value chain has occurred and how it has improved the lives of both fish producers and fish consumers and considers the future potential of aquaculture in Bangladesh.

A significant amount of fish by-products is produced during fish processing. These by-products represent 20–80 percent of the fish and provide a good source of macro- and micronutrients. Yet they often go unutilized, when they can easily be converted into a variety of products including fishmeal and oil, fish hydrolysates, fish collagen, fish sauce, fish biodiesel and fish leather. The production of fish silage using organic acid is a good example of the simple and inexpensive conversion processes which can be employed. Fish silage production uses minced by-products or minced whole fish unsuitable for human consumption as raw material, before adding a preservative to stabilize the mixture – usually an organic acid such as formic acid. The process breaks down protein into free amino acids and small-chain peptides which have nutritional and antimicrobial properties, therefore, the fish silage can be used as healthy feed and fertilizer.The feasibility studies on fish waste management in Bangladesh, Philippines and Thailand outline existing good practices on the utilization of by-products and fish waste. Furthermore, the insights provided on the potential production and utilization of fish silage in each country are promising in terms of increasing the productivity of the fisheries sector, reducing post-harvest waste, increasing economic value and improving environment sustainability.