At present about 135 million people are living below the poverty line. Most of them live in the Asia Pacific region and Sub Saharan Africa. The recent food price hike along with the global financial crisis and economic recession lead to an increase of the number of hungry and unnourished people in the world. The research conducted by the International Food Policy and Research Institute (IFPRI) reveals that South Asia has the highest regional Global Hunger Index score (22.6) in 2011.
In Bangladesh, about 25% of the population is ultra poor and only about 7% of the population has access to social safety net programs. The Hunger map of FAO marks Bangladesh in high zone (with a proportion of undernourishment at 27%) and IFPRI marks it at alarming zone through GHI index analysis. Undoubtedly Bangladesh has made significant progress in boosting national food production over the last decades. The country has also introduced new initiatives such us “Input Distribution Card” to nine million holder farmers to obtain agricultural subsidies. However, a large portion of the population still lacks access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. A recent research done by Action Aid (‘On the Brink: Who’s Best Prepared for a Climate Change and Hunger Crisis?’) reveals that among 28 developing countries, Bangladesh has ranked fifth most vulnerable countries to climate change and hunger.
