Dhaka Food Agenda launched to improve city's food system

The Dhaka Food Agenda 2041, a visionary document aimed at addressing the challenge of providing sufficient, safe, nutritious, and sustainable food to the residents of Dhaka, was officially launched on Sunday.

Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister M Tazul Islam launched the document at an event organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka.

DSCC mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, and DNCC mayor Md Atiqul Islam and ambassador of Netherlands in Dhaka Anne van Leeuwen attended event as special guests.

The speakers at the programme highlighted that, like many other cities worldwide, the greater Dhaka area, comprising the four city corporations of Dhaka South, Dhaka North, Narayanganj, and Gazipur, is experiencing rapid expansion. With a population of over 20 million people, Dhaka is facing a growing disconnect between food needs and accessibility for certain segments of the population.

Around one-fifth of Dhaka's residents live below the poverty line and suffer from inadequate nutrition, while many others face food insecurity and safety concerns. Additionally, the city grapples with the triple burden of overweight and obesity, under-nutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies.

To address these challenges, more than 100 partners collaborated to develop the Dhaka Food Agenda 2041, which charts a path towards ensuring that everyone in the city, regardless of age or socioeconomic status, has access to affordable, quality, and nutritious food produced sustainably.

FAO Representative in Bangladesh Robert D Simpson emphasised the significance of this initiative, stating, "With approximately 20 million people living in the greater Dhaka area, it is crucial to get it right for the sake of people's health and the planet. Dhaka has the opportunity to set an example for other cities in Bangladesh and internationally by adopting an integrated approach that addresses current challenges and looks towards the future." FAO supported the development of the Dhaka Food Agenda 2041 through the Dhaka Food System project, which was funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN).

Mayor Md Atiqul Islam expressed his commitment to ensuring safe food for the residents of Dhaka, stating, "Our slogan is 'Not just food, but safe food.' We have taken several initiatives to ensure food safety, including engaging with restaurant owners to encourage compliance with rules and regulations, promoting rooftop gardens for safe vegetable cultivation, providing necessary training to ensure the safety of street food, and conducting regular mobile courts. We hope that the initiatives undertaken by FAO to improve the kitchen market environment will extend to kitchen markets throughout the country."