Assessment of Progress on SDG2 by Indicators

Indicator 2.1.1 Prevalence of undernourishment

Undernourishment is one of the crucial factors that instigate poverty. Malnutrition at young age can retard the normal growth of children and thus constrain their capacity to learn. An undernourished person is likely to be caught up by diseases easily. Further, treatment cost imposes a burden on the household budget worsening poverty. Bangladesh has made some progress in dealing with malnutrition. As per FAO (2019), the percentage of undernourished population in Bangladesh has gone down to 14.7 per cent in 2018 from 16.4 per cent in 2016. However, FAO (2019) also reported that obesity in adult population has increased to 3.4 per cent. In addition, the prevalence of anaemia among women has decreased between 2012 (40.3 per cent) and 2016 (39.9 per cent).

Table 2.1: Percentage of Undernourishment

2016 2018

Prevalence of undernourishment among population 16.4 14.7 Source: FAO, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2019

2.1.2 Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)

This indicator provides internationally-comparable estimates of the proportion of the population facing moderate or severe difficulties in accessing food. The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) produces a measure of the severity of food insecurity experienced by individuals or households.

As per FAO (2019), around 30.5 per cent of the population experience moderate or severe food insecurity in Bangladesh. .

Indicator 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 Prevalence of stunting (height for age <-2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) and Wasting and Underweight (height for age >+2 or <-2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age

Stunting indicates insufficient access to nutrition over a long period of time and is vulnerable to chronic illness. Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in reducing the percentage of stunted children under 5 years by almost half from 60 per cent in 1996-97 to 28 per cent in 2019 (MICS, 2019). The proportion of wasted children has also gone down by half with some annual fluctuations.

The proportion of wasted children has gone down to 9.8 per cent in 2019 from 14 per cent in 2014.

The proportion of underweight children under five years also declined by almost half between 2007 (41 per cent) and 2019 (22.6 per cent). MICS (2019) also reported that the percentage of overweight children is around 2.4 per cent..

Table 2.2: Trends in Nutritional Status of Under 5 Children (per cent)

Indicators 1996-1997 1999-2000 2004 2007 2011 2014 2017 2019

Stunted 60 45 51 43 41 36 31 28

Wasted 17.7 10 15 17 16 14 8 9.8

Underweight … … … 41 36 33 22 22.6

Overweight … … … … … … … 2.4

Source: NIPORT, Bangladesh DHS, 2018 and MICS, 2019

Indicator: 2.5.1 Number of plant and animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium or long-term conservation facilities

The conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in medium or long term conservation facilities represents the most trusted means of conserving genetic resources worldwide. This provides an overall assessment of the extent to which we are managing to maintain and/or increase the total genetic diversity available for future use and thus protect it from any permanent loss of genetic diversity which may impact on-farm and the natural habitat. In Bangladesh, the number of plant and animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium or long-term conservation facilities has gone up from 10,157 in 2015 to 11081 in 2019 as per Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI)..

Indicator: 2.5.2 Proportion of local breeds classified as being at risk, not-at-risk or at unknown level of risk of extinction

The indicator reflects the percentage of local livestock breeds among local breeds with known risk status classified as being at risk of extinction at a certain moment in time, as well as the trends of this percentage. This provides a key to safeguarding precious animal varieties and supports the livelihood of the world’s population with sufficient, diverse and nutritious diets long into the future. Maintaining plant and animal genetic diversity allows future generations to select stocks or develop new breeds to cope with emerging issues, such as climate change, diseases and changing socioeconomic factors. In this context, it is important to know the percentage of local breeds at risk, not-at risk or at unknown level of risk of extinction at a point in time as well as its trend. In 2015, the percentage of local breeds at risk was 64. As per Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), it has gone down to 5 in 2019.

Indicator 2.a.1 Agriculture orientation index (AOI) for government expenditures

The agricultural productivity needs to be enhanced to achieve SDG target 2. Public investment in agriculture along with private investment is significantly important in increasing productive capacity.

The government seeks to promote the use of agricultural technology with supportive policies, reforms and incentives for raising productivity. Agriculture orientation index (AOI) for government expenditure shows the type of government commitment to agriculture relative to other sectors.

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The AOI is the ratio of the share of government expenditures on agriculture to the contribution of agriculture to the economy where agriculture comprises crops, forestry, fishing and hunting sectors.

It is calculated as:

AOI = ((Central government expenditures on agriculture/Total government expenditure)/(Agricultural value added/ GDP)

An AOI exceeding one indicates that the government gives more importance to agriculture relative to its contribution to the economy. A value of less than one indicates other sectors receive more importance by the government.

Agriculture Orientation Index for government expenditures in Bangladesh was 0.20 in 2001. It has increased to double in 2016. However, it is the lowest since 2011. This implies that agriculture receives less priority in government investment compared to its contribution to economy’s GDP. It also means non-agricultural sectors receive higher priority in budgetary allocations. AOI has wide a range of values with lower values in developing countries where agriculture comprises a relatively larger share of the economy and higher values in developed countries where it has a lower share in GDP. Further, AOI does not bear any systematic relationship with malnutrition rate – countries with same malnutrition rate have very different AOI values. Thus, there is no unique AOI for a country.

But a very low AOI involves risks for environmental sustainability and food security, as well as for agricultural research and public infrastructure.

Table 2.3: Trends in Agriculture Orientation Index of Bangladesh, 2001-2016

2001 2005 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

AOI 0.20 0.28 0.52 0.58 0.78 0.56 0.53 0.41

Source: UNSTATS: SDG Indicators https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/?indicator=2.a.1

Indicator 2.A.2 Total official flows (official development assistance plus other official flows) to the agriculture sector

Developed countries provide aid to developing countries to close the gap between required investment and available domestic resources for public investment in agriculture. The total official flow to Bangladesh’s agriculture sector show an upward trend with annual fluctuations; the flow peaked at US$ 363 million in 2014 but declined to US$ 192.58 million in 2017, which was followed by an increase in 2018 (US$194.42 million) and again a decrease to US$ 131.09 million in 2019.

Table 2.4: Total Official Flows to Agriculture Sector (million US$)

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Total official flows (loan

& grant) 34.99 65.01 363.02 210.57 177.83 192.58 194.42 131.09 Source: Author’s calculation using AIMS web portal, Economic Relations Division (ERD).