September 21, 2000
Out of the Shadow of Famine
New book highlights success in overcoming starvation in Bangladesh
Out of the Shadow of Famine: Evolving Food Markets and Food Policy in Bangladesh, a new book from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), describes how Bangladesh has dramatically transformed its food policies over the past two decades to free the country from the constant threat of famine and improve access to food for poor people."This book provides an outstanding analytical description of the successes and failures of Bangladeshi food policy," said Per Pinstrup-Andersen, director general of IFPRI. "Bangladesh has been extremely successful in aligning its food policy to the needs of its poor people, as the book demonstrates."
Once famously described by Henry Kissinger as a "bottomless basket," Bangladesh has long been synonymous with images of famine and grinding poverty in the public imagination. Within the country, the legacy of repeated famines has haunted policymakers and exercised a powerful effect on food policy. The famines of 1943 and 1974 in particular led to myriad government interventions designed to protect the nation's food supply.
Bangladesh's recent agricultural performance stands in vivid contrast to these bleak images. Out of the Shadow of Famine describes the remarkable transformation that has occurred, and outlines a course of future action designed to help Bangladesh make further strides toward casting aside its image as a poor, famine-stricken country unable to feed its people.
The book documents several examples of progress since the 1960s:
- Grain production doubled.
- Grain marketing -- the proportion of harvest a farmer sells -- increased six-fold.
- The number of miles of paved roads doubled.
"Out of the Shadow of Famine provides substantial lessons for other developing countries to use to develop policies to improve the nutrition of their poorest citizens," commented Pinstrup-Andersen.
"The book grows out of a long history of policy research in Bangladesh by the International Food Policy Research Institute," said John Mellor, noted economist and vice president at ABT Associates. "Food security should not be tackled in any country without fully digesting the wealth of experience over a long period of time and radically changing circumstances that is detailed in this study of Bangladesh. The book does not provide a magic formula to apply elsewhere, but the experience will help avoid expensive mistakes and suggest the outlines of successful programs."
To obtain a copy of this book, published jointly by IFPRI and Johns Hopkins University Press, write to The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4319, U.S.A. [Tel: 410-516-6956; Fax: 410-516-6998; Web: www.press.jhu.edu/press/books; E-Mail: bkinfo@jhupress.jhu.edu]
IFPRI published a two-page food policy statement that summarizes the results and highlights the policy implications. (PDF 43K, Adobe Acrobat 3.0 or above required.)
For more information about IFPRI contact: Michael Rubinstein (Tel: 202-862-5670; Email: m.rubinstein@cgiar.org), or David Gately (Tel: 202-862-5679; Email: d.gately@cgiar.org).
IFPRI identifies and analyzes policies for sustainably meeting the food needs of the developing world. IFPRI is one of 15 Future Harvest centers and receives its principal funding from 58 governments, private foundations, and international and regional organizations known as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
IFPRI holds the copyright to its publications and web pages but encourages duplication of these materials for noncommercial purposes. Proper citation is required.
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