On the Eve of the 12th National Parliament Election: People’s Manifesto on Right to Food and Nutrition

The human right to food and nutrition is people's fundamental right. The precondition for sustaining people's existence is to realise their right to food. This human right is recognised in an array of several international human rights laws, of which Bangladesh is a state party and thus obliged under international law to respect, protect, and fulfil the RTFN in Bangladesh.

The nature of the state's obligations to ensure the effective realisation of the human right to food and nutrition is laid out in the Constitution of Bangladesh. Article 15 of the constitution requires the state to ensure people's access to basic necessities, including food, as the state will take measures to enhance production tools and planned economic measures aimed at ameliorating the living standards and cultural faculties of people, ensuring food, clothing, shelter, education, and healthcare for the citizens, which is deemed a fundamental responsibility of the state. Besides that, Article 18 states that the state is obligated to regard raising the level of nutrition and improving public health as among its primary duties. Article 32 of the Constitution guarantees the right to life, a wider interpretation of which may include the right to food, and it is perhaps the most important national legal instrument related to the right to food. The right to adequate food is therefore a guaranteed fundamental right for Bangladeshi people, which is recognized by the national constitution. As per Bangladesh's commitment to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, it was outlined as per SDG 2 to free people of hunger and ensure food security by 2030.

The number of people in Bangladesh suffering from severe to moderate food insecurity has seen a rise of 18 lakhs over the last six years and rose to 5 crore 27 lakhs between 2020 and 2022. Bangladesh features regularly on the list of 45 countries that experience food shortages, as per the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organisation's (FAO) report "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in The World-2023". Economic crisis, the fallout of Covid-19, food supply to Rohingyas, the loss of crops due to floods, the soaring price of food, and rising import costs were attributed to the crisis. Bangladesh has seen the highest inflation in the last 12 years, which stood at 12.45 percent in August this year, as per data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. According to World Bank research, this inflation reduced the purchasing capacity of consumers, jeopardising food security and people's livelihoods. According to the United Nations' data, 19.2 percent of people in Bangladesh suffer from malnutrition, particularly women and children. 36.7 percent of women from 15 to 49 years old suffer from anaemia. 14 lakhs 78 thousand children experience stunted growth, 3 lakhs 12 thousand children experience obesity, and 18 lakhs 38 thousand children under five years old are suffering from wasting, as per the data from UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, and the World Bank. According to the Global Burden of Disease, in Bangladesh, anaemia is the key consequence of malnutrition and a lack of competence to work properly. The deficiency of zinc, iron, and iodine is prevalent and a symptom of a micronutrient crisis-related disease. In the research of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, it was revealed that eight out of every ten women in the apparel sector suffer from anaemia. The majority of the workers engaged in the sector have limited income, which exposes their children to malnutrition. They are deprived of nutritious food and lack awareness and knowledge related to the properties of food as well.

A survey done by the World Food Programme (WFP) from January 2022 to January 2023 on the expenditure and earnings of lower income groups in the country reveals that 53 percent of people deducted their expenditures behind lifestyle and food to cope with extreme food price inflation. 28 percent of families pay food stamps, 52 percent take out loans, and 15 percent live on savings. The families that are strained by food insecurity feed their children first, while the rest of the family members eat less. In Bangladesh, food production increased remarkably, achieving the target set in the Millennium Development Goal, while it saw a spike in per capita calorie intake, which rose to 2393 now compared to 2210.4 in 2016. But Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data say that 21.8 percent of people are unable to eat food daily, while 11.3 percent don't have enough income to buy necessary food.

Climate change, conflict, and the post-Covid 19 economic decline are making the hunger situation worse across the globe. Bangladesh ranked 7th in the global climate index as one of the most affected countries by the natural catastrophe between 2000 and 2019. To deal with the calamities caused by weather and climate-related disasters, Bangladesh has to spend two percent of its GDP each year. Around one million people fall victim to natural calamities like floods and river erosion, which are devastating to their livelihoods, belongings, livestock, and structures. The floods of May and June 2022 severely impacted 72 lakhs of people. Where there are recurrent climate shocks, the tidal surge forced around 22 percent of rural families to migrate to cities, while 16 percent migrated due to river erosion, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023. The natural catastrophe causes the people to lose their assets owned by their families, forces them to endure various harms, and quite often creates barriers in the way of food production, exacerbating their poverty and food security.

The food security scenario for people living in cities is really miserable. The Urban Socio-economic Assessment Survey done by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics says that 8 percent of families went to sleep without having food, 21 percent lacked sufficient food during the past one month of the survey, and 12 percent of families didn't have any food in the house during the survey. In a survey by the Human Resource Development Council and the Association for Land Reform and Development in 2023, 82 percent of people in urban slums and low-income settlements live below the poverty line, which is no less than 41 percent of poverty in the aggregate, though the government claims that 19 percent of deprived and slum people are poor. No matter what the figure is, the majority of urban poor live under food insecurity.

Considering the alarming gravity of the situation, it is expected that political parties contesting the 12th National Parliamentary Election will enact laws relating to the right to food after the election with the commitment to implement them. Here we place nine-point demands on behalf of the people of Bangladesh.

1. Enact the law on the right to food to ensure food security of the citizens

Food is treated as the fundamental right of people in the constitution of the Republic of Bangladesh. Bangladesh remains committed to implementing the right to food as a party to the FAO of the United Nations, the Vienna Declaration of 1993, and ICOESC. In response to the food crisis, it is crucial to shift from the current complexity of social safety nets by simpler ones, backed by legal provisions. Rights to Food and Nutrition (RtFN) legislation is mandatory, which not only promotes self-sufficiency but also provides a legal foundation for social protection, streamlines existing programmes, and empowers individuals to assert their rights. The state's obligations under RtFN—"respect, protect, and fulfil"—must guarantee both self-sufficiency and legal access to social protection. It is pivotal to enact the law on the right to food in light of the "Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Food" by FAO to ensure food security. Initiatives have to be taken for the proper implementation of the law as well as amending policy and rules in line with that law.

2. Formulating accurate information-based policy on market regulations and monitoring

As per Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data, inflation has risen to 12.56 percent, which was 8.50 percent last year. Consumer Right Organizations and relevant authorities hold the syndicate's manipulation responsible for the soaring food price. Sometimes, there remains an obstacle in supplying produce to market despite additional production coupled with rising production and import costs. A strong, information-based policy to regulate and monitor the market must be in place.

3. Emphasise food-based nutrition instead of medicine-based approach 

A UN report says that 19.2 percent of people in Bangladesh suffer from malnutrition. The International Centre for Diarrhoea Disease Research Bangladesh says 45 percent of women are victims of malnutrition. Bangladesh achieved self-sufficiency in food grain production, but the habit of balanced diets among people is yet to develop with the opportunities to access them as well. At the same time, they have barriers to accessing food. Human resources—people who are able and fit to work—are an indispensable part of development. But malnutrition stands in the way of achieving this efficiency and workability. We need to flourish the familial and institutional knowledge and concepts about food to reduce malnourished sickness and a reduction in work efficiency. Policymakers should treat food as a fundamental need, and food must be prioritised, keeping it at the centre of public health and nutritional development to protect and create security surrounding its supply as per Articles 15 and 18 of the Constitution. Besides, to combat malnutrition, it is important to strengthen the malnutrition-focused social protection programme as well as increase budget allocation for it.

4. Ensuring people's safe food purchase capacity through employment and income generation 

The Labour Force survey from July to September 2023 says that 24 lakh to 30 thousand people who are able to work are unemployed in the said period. Accessibility to food and unemployment are intertwined. Higher inflation serves as an impediment for people to buy nutritional food. Research reveals that, apart from lower-income groups, many middle-class families descended into lower income brackets due to high inflation and no hike in income. So, this situation calls for action to declare a new national minimum wage, considering the current inflation, so that people can buy their necessary food. As per the WFP, 68 percent of people faced hardship to buy food in September in Bangladesh. Specific programmes must be taken to reduce the price of essential and nutritious foods, including rice, lentils, and flour, for marginalised professionals and lower-income groups.

5. Ensuring food rationing and other assistance in hilly areas and monga-ridden (famine-like situation) areas to mitigate the seasonal food insecurity

Bangladesh experiences seasonal food insecurity each year. This type of crisis does not stem from dearth; rather, it is caused by marginalisation, poverty, and unemployment. Though this is a recurrent crisis, assistance from the government or private sector doesn't reach them because of their remoteness and a gap in communication. That's why steps must be taken to create employment and food rationing in those areas.

6. Formulation of National Price Commission to ensure just price of agro-products

Farmers are deprived of the fair price of their produce despite an increase in agricultural production. Fixing the price of agricultural products falls within modern market management. A commission titled "National Agri-Product Pricing Commission" must be formed. Steps must be taken to disseminate agricultural information and provide technology to farmers at a marginalised level. The government must take the initiative to create an agri-based value chain through coordinated agricultural development, innovation, and modernization of agriculture. The marketing system of produce must see an improvement that will connect the marginalised farmers. Access to loans for farmers must be made available and easier.

7. Approve Land Ownership and Utilization law [ভূমির মালিকানা ও ব্যবহার আইন-২০২৩] and ensure zoning the land to stop the use of arable land for non-agricultural purpose 

The arable land is depleting fast due to growing unplanned urbanisation and industrialization. Land-zoning can be used to protect agricultural land by reducing the use of agricultural land in such non-agricultural areas if the zone is identified for the construction of residential houses and industrial plants. Equally, steps must be taken to stop the industry from polluting the waterbodies and arable land. The government first drafted the "Protection of Arable Land and Land Use Law" in 2009, which now bears the title "Land Ownership and Utilisation Law," which now awaits approval. This law must be expedited to be passed as soon as possible.

8. Prepare proper and accurate database of poor people and take a proper programme to remove nutrition crisis 

All the vulnerable, marginalised, and poor people must be brought under programmes like TCB and OMS to provide food assistance and social safety. To be fair, a proper and accurate database of the poor and vulnerable population is crucial. The government must ensure transparency and accountability to sort out beneficiaries in cases of special assistance. According to the Planning Commission, 71 percent of people are out of the purview of social protection programmes. In this case, the scope of the programme must be expanded. For the urban poor, the social safety net must be expanded too. To resolve the nutritional crisis, people in the extreme poor category must be provided with eggs, fish, milk, vegetables, and pulses.

9. Increase government investment in urban and family farming 

BBS data say that 21.4 percent of people live in cities, most of them in Dhaka. These people don't play any role in food production. Investment has to be made at the local government level to expand urban agriculture. The United Nations recognised the years from 2019 to 2028 as family farming periods. Through family farming, people living below the poverty line will be able to meet their family's nutritional needs and generate income. The state's investment must be augmented to expand family farming through the involvement of the local government and the Department of Agricultural Extension.