Since the global food crisis of 2007-08, donor commitments to invest in food security and agricultural development have increased drastically. For instance, at the July 2009 G8 summit in L’Aquila, donors committed to invest USD 20 billion in food security and agriculture over three years, both multilaterally and bilaterally. New funding arrangements have been created including the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, the European Union Food Facility and the US Feed the Future initiative.

The increased availability of funding for food security offers an enormous opportunity for Bangladesh. However, it might also present unprecedented challenges to channel resources efficiently and coherently. Food security is multisectoral by nature, and as such requires interdependent interventions across diverse sectors such as agriculture, health, nutrition, education and disaster management. Without strategic planning and coordination, it will thus be difficult to ensure resources are channeled to where they are needed most.