Where food systems transformation in Bangladesh stands today: Report back from SHiFT stocktaking session

The 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) in Rome generated new attention to sustainable food systems and triggered national actions around the world. Since the 2021 UNFSS, 126 countries have adopted national pathways and 155 have appointed food systems national convenors. Countries are now preparing voluntary progress updates for the next global convening, UNFSS+4.  

While countries were gathering for the 2021 UNFSS, a group of researchers from across CGIAR, other academic institutions, NGOs, and donors were preparing a proposal for a new research program that would generate evidence designed to support countries in their ambitions to transform food systems in a healthier, sustainable direction. The CGIAR Research Initiative on Sustainable Healthy Diets through Food Systems Transformation (SHiFT) was launched in January 2022. Quickly, SHiFT formalized partnerships with the food systems national convenors in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Viet Nam – known as SHiFT Strategic Partners – and SHiFT’s Country Coordinators were mobilized to provide technical support into their individual national food systems transformation processes to ensure there would be sufficient attention to sustainable healthy diets. 

As SHiFT wrapped up its initial phase at the end of 2024, a series of stocktaking workshops were held with the Strategic Partners in each focus country to review and assess each country’s unique food systems transformation process and discuss priorities moving forward. 

Insights from Bangladesh  

On December 10, 2024, SHiFT held its stocktaking workshop with representatives both Strategic Partners, the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) and the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC), alongside other stakeholders from government, local universities, and other organizations.    

The workshop started with a summary of the food systems transformation political process in Bangladesh since 2021. Mr. Mostafa Faruq Al Banna, FPMU, explained that for the 2021 UNFSS, they prepared a National Pathway Document. At the time there was no intention of developing a new national policy or plan for food systems transformation. There have been government-led efforts to document commitments for UNFSS, Nutrition for Growth, and the Paris Climate Change Agreement and highlight connections across these different development agendas. The FPMU, with technical support from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), developed a food systems dashboard which was fully launched in May 2024.  

In the leadup to UNFSS+4, attitudes toward the need for a national food systems transformation agenda started changing. In 2024, FPMU began leading the development of a national Plan of Action. Three Rome-based agencies of the United Nations are involved, plus GAIN, and SHiFT. The Plan will include a matrix of action areas, indicators, an investment analysis, a monitoring framework, and describe the coordination arrangements of relevant ministries, departments, and agencies. The Plan is intended to be the implementation plan for food systems transformation in Bangladesh and will be finalized in time for UNFSS+4.  

A draft of the Plan had not yet been circulated to SHiFT at the time of the stocktaking workshop. Once it is available, SHiFT researchers can assess the subset of the 41 actions the Initiative’s research on sustainable healthy diets can inform. 

Over the course of the workshop, many mentioned the need to “connect the dots.” This meant several things. For example, the Plan of Action itself is designed to connect the dots across food and nutrition policies in Bangladesh to form a more complete picture of the food systems transformation process for the government but also other interested stakeholders. SHiFT reiterated that it would like to facilitate stronger connections between FPMU and BNNC in this specific policy process, but in other policy engagement and capacity sharing activities, like SHiFT’s ToT) program .   

Stakeholders also highlighted the need for research that analyzes data on food environments and diets to identify how they relate to one another, more targeted research to assess why food systems transformation is not leading to positive changes in people’s diets or what is slowing down the pace of change.   

As policies are implemented, implementers recognize opportunities for research and capacity sharing:  

“We have found some kind of gaps in the NPAN-2 and also in the National Nutrition Policy while we have been implementing these. For example, we have different types of gaps in terms of climate change or in terms of urban nutrition strategy. These are the things where we want to focus and we need the evidence, and SHiFT is providing this kind of research.”   

Read about SHiFT’s other stocktaking meetings in Ethiopia and Viet Nam.

Header image: Group photo during stocktaking meeting in Bangladesh / Md. Zubair Hossain.   

The International Food Policy Research Institute and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT lead SHiFT in close collaboration with Wageningen University and Research and with contributions from the International Potato Center. SHiFT combines high-quality nutritional and social science research capacity with development partnerships to generate innovative, robust solutions that contribute to healthier, more sustainable dietary choices and consumption of sustainable healthy diets. It builds on CGIAR’s unparalleled track record of agricultural research for development, including ten years of work on food systems and nutrition under the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health.