ApproachtoEnhancingNutritionSecuritywithSafeVegetablesandFruitsin

Bangladesh

BACKGROUNDNOTETOCONSULTATIONWORKSHOPAt

RadissonBluWaterGardenHotelDhaka16‐18August,2011

PreparedbyBARI‐CORNELLUNIVERSITY‐UCDAVIS‐SATHGURU

Preparedfor

HorticultureCollaborativeResearchSupportProgram

EXECUTIVESUMMARY

Horticultural produce with high nutritive value and is considered to be a vitalcomponentofadiversifiedandnutritiousdiet.TheybecomeallthemoreimportantfornationslikeBangladeshwherehighlyprevalentmalnutritionmakesnutritionalsecurity an important public health concern. While it is possible to addressmalnutritionbyincludinghorticulturalproduceindailydiet,itisequallyimportanttoensurethequalityandsafetyofsuchfoodmakingfoodsafetyaprimeconcern.

The horticultural sector in Bangladesh today faces critical food safety problemsseriously impactingthequalityof theproduce.Bothonandoff farm interventionsare required to deal with these critical concerns in an expedient manner. Majorissues include huge post harvest losses, lack of knowledge on good agriculturalpractices (GAP) and good handling practices (GHP), inadequate marketinfrastructure, and water contamination. As a result of these issues, the freshproduce reaching the consumer has serious microbial and toxicologicalcontamination resulting in cases of food borne illnesses more so in theunderprivilegedcommunityowingtotheirinabilitytoaccessmodernretail.

It is understood that interventions for the horticultural sector development inBangladeshcanleadtoeffectivereductioninincidenceoffoodbornediseasesandensurednutritionintakeforthepeople.Inaddition,resourcepoorfarmersandtheirfamilies can engage in horticultural farming on their small land holdings, thusprovidingthemwithanadditionalsourceofincome.

TheGovernment of Bangladesh has identified food safety in horticulture as a keyarea requiring immediate strategic interventions. To address this issue, theBangladesh Mission and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI)approached USAID with seven key objectives: crop yield improvement, seeddelivery system, post harvest technology, food safety and adoption of GAP, foodprocessingandvalueaddition,marketlinkage,andextensioneducation.

This led to the conceptualization of a project underHortCRSP in Bangladesh thatbringstogetherBARI,CornellUniversity,UniversityofCaliforniaDavisandSathguruManagement Consultants. While the lead partners will engage in exploringtechnologicalsolutionstoaddressmajorissuesandimplementingtheproject,manypublic and private institutions within Bangladesh will also be associated by thepartnersinthisinitiativeonneedbasis.

Inviewofthefactthattheeffortstorealizetheseobjectivesmaynotbegintogether,farm level food safety and adoption of GAP was considered to be a near termpriority,withotherobjectivesformingpartof the longtermplan.Toaddressfoodsafety inhorticulture,a twophaseapproachwastaken,with firstphasededicatedforplanningandsecondphaseforexecution.

Aspartof thefirstphase, inMay‐June,2011meetingswithkeystakeholderswereplanned inBangladesh tounderstand the ground level situation.This backgroundnote has a detailed account of these meetings and the findings. A consultation

workshop is subsequently being held in Dhaka from 16 to 18 August, 2011 tocollectivelydevelopanactionplanforeffortstobetakenduringthesecondphase.

INTRODUCTIONANDAPPROACH Horticultural products which include fruit, vegetables and nuts, are vital for thedaily diet as these contain micronutrients, fibers, vegetable proteins and bio‐functional components. Consumption of fruits and vegetables is vital for adiversifiedandnutritiousdiet.Vegetables,especiallyleafy,havesignificantamountsof calcium, iron and some other minerals including vitamins A and C. Dietarydiversification through horticultural food intake can be seen as a sustainableapproachtofightingmicronutrientmalnutrition.Thiswillrequireadequatesupply,accessto,andconsumptionofavarietyofsafehorticulturalproduce.

Even though the nutritional status of children and women in Bangladesh is verypoorandneedsspecialattentioninordertoimprovetheoverallhealthstatusofthepopulation,continuinglowconsumptionoffruitsandvegetableshasbeenobserved.Despite various interventions designed under National Nutrition Program (NNP),the low birth weight, malnutrition, dehydration from diarrhea, continue to beimportant contributing cause of childhood mortality. The estimated number ofdeaths due to diarrhea was about 45,000 in 2004 (HNPSP 2008), which can beattributedtofoodborneillnesses.

The exhibit below shows foodwiseper capitadailydietary intake relateddata inBangladesh.Factorsinfluencingutilizationoffoodsuchasfoodpreference,generalhealthconditions,overallenvironmentunderwhichfoodispreparedandconsumedimpactstheabsorptionoffoodandtheconsequentnutritionalstatusofpeople.

Exhibit1:Percapitafoodintakebyfooditemsandresidence

AlthoughBangladeshhasaccomplishedfoodsecurity,householdnutritionsecuritywill depend upon the per capita consumption of balanced nutritious food. It isessential that resource poor communities secure affordable and safe food that isnutritionallyrich.Evenwithrequisitequantumofproductionatthefarmgate, thenutritionsecuritycanbeseriously impacted if the foodproduced isnotsafe tobeconsumedortreatedforpostharvestprocessingneeds.

Horticultural interventions to enhance food safety at farm level combined withextensive nutrition and food safety education can offer a long‐term food‐basedstrategy to control andeliminatemicronutrientmalnutrition in the resourcepoorpeople. Horticultural production is relatively easy for unskilled people and it canplayanimportantroleinpovertyalleviationprogramsandfoodsecurityinitiativesbyprovidingworkandincomeopportunities.

WHYFOODSAFETYINHORTICULTURE

Bangladesh isblessedwithmanyhorticultural crops.More than90vegetables,60fruits and 25 spices are grown in the country. Major vegetables include potato,tomato, brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower, aroids, pumpkin, bottle gourd, cucumber,pointed gourd, bitter gourd, hyacinth bean and yard long bean. In case of fruits,banana, pineapple, papaya, jackfruit, mango, guava, lemons, pummelo, litchi andjujubeareimportant.Majorspicecropsarechilli,onion,garlic,turmericandginger.Someofthepopularflowersarerose,gladiolus,tuberose,dahlia,chrysanthemum,marigold,nightjasminesandbelly.Thetotalcultivatedareaofhorticulturalcropsisabout0.69millionhectarewhichisabout5%ofthetotalcroppedarea(BBS1996).

The horticulture sector in Bangladesh produces around 3.2 million metrictons/year. The total production of vegetables in Bangladesh is about 2.5 milliontons,whichisfarbelowtherequired11milliontonstofeeditspopulation.Statisticsindicatethat,withthecurrentpopulationboominBangladesh,12.60milliontonsofvegetableswillberequiredtofeeditsestimatedpopulationof172.90millionintheyear2020.Toincreasetheoutputfivefoldinaspanoftenyearsisnotaneasytask.Lack of adequate varieties, non‐availability of quality seeds, inadequate cropprotectionmeasures,highcostofproduction,andseasonalityaresomeofthemajordeterrentstovegetableproductioninBangladesh.

In addition, the small farmers engaged in horticulture production in Bangladeshsuffer economic losses due to, lack of high yielding varieties and hybrids; postharvest technologies; food safety issuesandprocessing facilities.Among them thefood safety issues affect marketable produce, human health and food qualityresulting from high chemical and microbial content and also due to unhygienicproductionandstoragefacilities.

PostharvestlossesinBangladeshare38%,anditaccountsforsignificantpotentialincomelossmostlytosmallfarmerswhoarelargelywomen.AsperarecentstudyconductedbytheWorldBankinBangladesh,morethan47%of farmersusemorepesticides than the recommended limits. Another alarming factor limiting food

safetyinBangladeshisthespreadoffoodbornediseasesduetothepresenceofhighlevelsofpathogenicbacteriaandotherharmfulmicroorganismsinleafyvegetables,fruits and legume crops in Bangladesh aswell as other developing nations in theSouthAsianregion.

OBJECTIVESFORHORTICULTURESECTORDEVELOPMENT

ThegovernmentofBangladeshhasidentifiedfoodsafetyinhorticultureproduceasan important area which needs immediate strategic interventions. Bangladeshmission along with other leading regional institutions such as BangladeshAgriculture Research Institute (BARI) collectively felt the need to address foodsafety issues in the Bangladesh horticulture sector more seriously and this wasshared with the USAID mission through a report. This report highlighted thefollowing seven major areas which require immediate strategic interventions toaddress the key constraints hindering the growth of the horticulture sector inBangladesh:

1. Crop Yield Improvement: Despite the conduciveness to produce fruits andvegetables, the foodsecurityof thecountry isconstantlychallengedbynaturalphenomenonsuchassoilsalinity,drought,pests,pathogensandclimatechange.Thereisenormousneedforimpartingdurableresistancetohorticulturalcropsof economic importance for various biotic and abiotic stresses whileimplementing strategies for sustainable yield increase using technologies thatcantransformhorticultureinBangladesh.

2. SeedDeliverySystem:Thecontributionoftheformalseedsectortothenationalseedrequirementofmostof thecropsranges from5‐6% inBangladesh,while94‐95% of seed supply is managed by the informal farmer saved seed anduncontrolledimports.Thepublicsectoriseagertoplayakeyroleinpromotinganddeveloping theseed industry inBangladesh.Theirenvisagedrole includesvarietal development, source seed production, seed multiplication, seedcertification,qualitycontrol,seedprocessingandstorage,seeddistributionandmarketing,seedsecurityandsupporttodeveloptheprivateseedindustry.

3. PostHarvestTechnology:HugepostharvestlossesinfruitsandvegetablesandmeagrecoldstoragefacilitiesareabigconstraintinBangladeshforhorticulturesector development.Nearly 75%of the tuber crops are stored at homeunderunsanitaryconditions. Duetothelackofmanypostharvestarrangements,thefarmers resort to illicit preservation techniques by applying hazardouschemicals,compromisingonfoodsafety.

4. FoodSafetyandAdoptionofGAP:Thecurrentoutputofhorticulturalcropsthatare harvested in Bangladesh are prone to heavy doses of contaminationwithtoxicchemicals,foodbornebacteriaandpathogensduetoexposureofthecropstoindiscriminatesprayingofchemicalsandmovementofharvestedproduceinunhygienicconditionspriortotheirconsumption.Foodcontaminationexposurealsooccursduetolackofprocessingcapacityandlackofaccesstotechnologies

tostoreharvestedproduce.Theabilitytodetectfoodbornepathogensislimitedduetolackofappropriatedetectionsystems.

5. FoodProcessingandValueAddition:ThefoodprocessingsectorinBangladeshrelies heavily on its domestic agricultural production and mainly focuses onservingdomestic requirements. In recent times, fruitandvegetableprocessinghasreceivedconsiderableattentioninBangladesh.However,theeffortshavenotbeenconvertedtomeaningfulresultsduetolackofaccesstovitaltechnologiesnecessaryforvalueaddition.

6. Market Linkage: The unavailability of real time information to farmers on thewholesale prices of horticultural produce in the nearby markets has been amajor reason of low returns on the farm produce. Substantial progress isforeseeninBangladeshundervariouson‐goingprojectstoenhancethedomesticandinternationalmarketaccessforhorticulturalproducts.

7. Extension Education: The Bangladesh agriculture backdrop is constrained byweakextensionsystemsseriouslyimpactingtransferofsuitabletechnologiestothe farmers.Whileextension isan importantelementofeachof theobjectivesmentioned above, revamping the system is considered to be a key and isthereforeaddressedseparatelyunderthisobjective.

PARTNERINSTITUTIONS

TheCRSPproject inBangladesh brings togetherBangladeshAgricultureResearchInstitute, two leadinguniversities in theUS,CornellUniversity, Ithaca,NYandUCDavis,California,andSathguruManagementConsultants,atechno‐marketadvisorybodybasedinIndiaasleadingpartnersinthiseffort.WhiletheUSinstitutionsandBARIwillexploretogetherthetechnologicalsolutionstoaddressmajorissues,BARIwillactasaleadin‐countryimplementationpartner,withIndianpartnerprovidingtranslationalsupportfortechnologiesandthemarketaccessstrategy.ManypublicandprivateinstitutionsinBangladeshwithsynergisticeffortswillalsobeassociatedbythepartnersinthisinitiativeonneedbasis.

NEARTERMANDLONGTERMOBJECTIVES

Consideringvariousresourcesavailableandthenumberofareastobeaddressedaspartoftheoverallplan,partnersfelttheneedtoprioritizeandarriveatneartermandlongtermobjectivesoftheplannedengagements.

NearTermObjectives

ConsideringfarmlevelfoodsafetyandadoptionofGAPastheimmediateprioritywhich can bring aboutmaximum impact in short time to improve the livelihood,partnerscollectivelyselecteditasneartermobjective,anddecidedtoachievethisobjectiveintwopartsoveraperiodof4years.

Part‐1beingaoneyeareffort, tocarryoutagroundlevelsituationanalysisstudyfor developing understanding of the current synergistic efforts in food safety inhorticulture sector and identifying potential partners. Subsequent to this study, astakeholder consultation workshop is planned to be organized in Dhaka forsensitization of potential partners on critical elements of the project, and tocollectivelydevelopactionplanforPart‐2oftheproject.

InPart‐2, which will be a three years engagement, will undertake various tasksrelating to baseline assessment of prevalence of food borne pathogens andchemicals;implementationofmeasurestoenhancetheleveloffoodsafetythroughadoptionof apackageofpractices that are cost effective, sustainable andgloballyrelevant;Capacitybuildingandawarenessprogramsintheareaoffoodsafety;anddevelopmentofdetectionsystemswithlowcost.

LongTermObjectives

Thelongtermplanwouldinvolveeffortsonallsevenkeyobjectivesofthepartnersaiming at accomplishing holistic socio economic gains for the economy of theBangladesh.

PRE‐WORKSHOPSTUDYINBANGLADESH

AteamofexpertsfromHortCRSPvisitedDhakatomeetwithstakeholdersworkingintheareasofhorticulturefoodsafetyinBangladesh.Thepurposeofthisvisitpriorto the consultation workshop planned in August, 2011 was to understand thecurrentlevelofeffortsthatarebeingpursuedbyBangladeshiinstitutionsworkingintheareaoffoodsafetyinhorticulture.Aspartofthispreliminarywork,meetingswere held with the government departments, NGOs, and private institutions inBangladesh.AchronologicallistofthesemeetingsisprovidedinAnnexure1.

KeyIssuesFlaggedDuringthePre‐WorkshopStudy

The visiting team had a wonderful opportunity to meet with senior officials andheads of the institutions with synergies in horticulture food safety. Theseinstitutionswereidentifiedpriortothevisitsandappointmentsweresoughtfromkeyofficialstounderstandtheircurrentengagementsinfoodsafety;theirstrengths;synergieswithourefforts;willingnesstocollaborate;andtounderstandthestatusof data availability related to sampling of produce for heavy metals, microbialcontamination, pesticide residues and other post harvest losses. The local freshproducemarketswerealsovisitedtogainawarenessonthefoodhandlingpracticesadopted.

ThekeylinksinthehorticulturevaluechaininBangladesharefarmerswhoproducevegetables; wholesalers/food‐handlers/retailers who buy, distribute or sell thesevegetables to consumers; and consumerswhobuy these vegetables frommarketsandconsumethem.

Exhibit2highlightsvariousfoodsafetyissuesprevailingineachlinkinthevaluechain

Thevisitingteamunderstandsthatstrategicinterventionswithclearunderstandingof the issues prevalent in the value chain can play a pivotal role to bring in aturnaround in thehorticultural sector inBangladesh.What follows are key issuesthat were highlighted by the key stakeholders in various segments, followed byobservationsofHortCRSPteam.

FarmLevel

Issuesflaggedbystakeholders

Highchemicalsandpesticideusageinfruitsandvegetables

o Indiscriminateuseofpesticidesbyfarmers

o Artificialripeningchemicalsusedforfruitslikebanana,mango,etc

o ArtificialcolorinPotol(localvegetable)tomakeitlookgreener

Little efforts towards development and implementation good agriculturalpractices(GAP)whichcanensurefoodsafetyinhorticulturalproduce

Contaminated water is used for irrigation and on farm washing of freshproduceafterharvesting

Very limited amount of food processing and value addition happens,althoughitcaneffectivelyreducethehighpostharvestlosses

Observations

TheBangladesh foodchain from the farm to the consumermustbe considered inunisonwhendevelopingmitigationplansthataretoeffectivelyimprovefoodsafety.Early in this food chain is the farmer. Appropriate education and mitigationmeasures aimed at farmers can have obvious benefits in the livelihood of allagriculturalworkersbyimprovinghealth,reducingoccupationalriskandsuccessfuladoptionofmitigationmeasuresresultingingreateroverallfarmerincome.

There isneed tocreateawarenessamong the farmersaboutcausesof foodborneillness due to chemical and microbial contamination. It is often assumed thatfarmers may learn from government and NGO‐based farm extension advisors,however, there need for external experts to educate these trainers providingknowledge in the areas of food safety and GAP implementation, so that theextension professionals are in a state of preparedness. The hazards of chemicaltoxicants are generally recognized but the implementation of improved farmingpracticesareimpairedbythemisconceptionthatreducingchemicalusewillresultinlowerhorticulturecropyields,qualityandshelflife.

FoodBorneDiseases

Issuesflaggedbystakeholders

MostprevalentfoodbornediseaseinBangladeshisdiarrheaanditscasesarereportedeveryday,withmajor causes/sources for it beingpoor sanitationand hygiene, bottle feeding in infants, water contamination mainly in therainyseason

Rotavirus,ecoli,salmonella,choleraaremajormicrobescausingdiseases

Tube well water, city municipal water supply, pond water are the majorsources of drinkingwater in Bangladesh, andmany times salmonella (nontyphoid)hasbeendetectedindrinkingwatersamples.Morethan35%ofthepopulationdependsonpackagedwaterforhumanconsumptionneeds

Prenatal nutrition ‐womeneat after feedingothers in the family and theirhealthisnotconsideredonpriorityinthesociety

Food poisoning ‐ need to check the safety of all agro chemicalswhich arebeingused,presenceofheavymetalscanalsobelookedinto

Absenceofcentralfoodsafetysurveillancesystemtogeneratebaselinedataonpesticideresidues,heavymetals,etc.Arcenic,Cadmium,leadandmercuryarethemajorproblemsinheavymetalcontaminantscategory

Absenceofhi‐techandmodernfoodsafetylaboratoriesandrapiddetectionkitsforsurveillancework

Observations

It is observed that there is the need to enhance the quality of baseline datacompilation.Most of the institutions having a food safetymandate in Bangladeshwhichwere visited by the HortCRSP team informed that very little baseline datarelating to levels of toxicological and microbiological risks in fresh produce isavailable,andthecredibilityofwhateverlittleavailableisquestionable.

Throughoutthe foodvaluechainthesourcesofhealthrisk includeboth infectiousmicrobes and chemical toxicants transmitted through contaminated food. Amongthe infectious microbes impacting the population Salmonella, Shigella,enteropathogenicE. coli and Campylobacter, are derived from animal and humanreservoirs. Thesemicrobes enter the food chain at various points along the foodchain. On the farm, the common entry points include the use of contaminatedsurfacewaterforirrigationandapplicationofincorrectlycompostedanimalwaste.Vibriocholeraeisanadditionalinfectiousmicrobethatisendemicinthewatershedthatpresentsseasonalissues.

There is also serious risk introducedpostharvestwhenhorticultureproductsare“cleaned” or “washed” using unhygienic methods with contaminated water andreusing of untreated water. Other poor practices include, reusing uncleancontainers, storage on the ground and lack of sorting. Adoption of mitigationmeasures to improve these practices can provide greater food safety, decreaseproduct losses and increase quality. The common misconception by farmers,handlersandsellersisthatiffoodlookscleanthenitmustbesafe.Anothersourceofcontaminationcomesfromthecompletelackofhandwashingandtoiletfacilitieson

farms and in local markets. This presents Bangladesh with a guarantee forcontinuedroutinefoodbornediseaseoutbreaks.

ThehealthoutcomesduetoinfectiousmicrobesinwaterandfoodconsumedbytheBangladeshipeoplearebothacuteandchronicmanifestationsofdiarrhealdisease.AvisittotheWomen’sandChildren’sHospitalinDhakaprovidedinformativefirst‐handobservationsof thosestrickenbydiarrhealdisease.Physiciansreported thatthe incidence of diseases by food borne illness was exasperated during the dryseason and was a countrywide issue. Hypothetically, this is due to less waterflushinganddilutingareasofcontaminationintheenvironmentwhereanimalsorhumansarehoused.Formanypeople,thepersistenceofchronicdiarrhealillnessisaccepted as a normal part of challenges of everyday life. Chronic diarrhea isespeciallyproblematic for childrenwhosuffer symptomatically andcontinuewithlong‐term health deficits caused by chronic interruption of normal nutritionabsorption from a diet that is generally nutritionally limited. Children in regionswherechronicfoodborneillnessisprevalent,combinedwithnutritionallimitationsdevelopmoreslowlywithdecreasedoverallcognitivefunctions.

The health risks from the combined exposure to infectious and chemical hazardsresult indepressedabilitiesofhumanimmuneresponseanddiminishednutrition.Decreasedimmunesystemfunctionsetsupadownwardspiralofhealthforfarmers,farmer’sfamiliesandconsumersofhorticultureproducts.Thelong‐termeffectstakesocietyagenerationormoretoovercome.

ProduceHandling&Markets

Issuesflaggedbystakeholders

Hugepostharvestlossesoccurduetoimproperfacilitiesforfoodstorageandtransportation

Insufficientpowersupplyisalsoamajorissue.Currentsupplylevelsarenotsufficienttosupportthestoragefacilities.

Lack of proper infrastructure for selling of produce. Local fresh producewholesalemarketsareinabadshapewithfoodproductslyinginmudunderunhygienic conditions in the wet markets, coupled with improper freshproducehandlingpractices

Insufficient and contaminated water usage for short term preservation offreshfruitsandvegetablesbysmallretailers

TheimportedfruitsandvegetablescomingfromAus,India,etcarealsonotbeingtestedforpesticideresidues

Observations

Furthermore,horticultureproductsaresoldinlocalmarketswherevisits(inDhaka)by theHortCRSP teamduring June,2011revealedacomplete lackofpostharvestconsiderationsthatcanpromotebothshell‐life,qualityandfoodsafety. Generally,

products laydirectlyon theground incontactwithwater,waste, anddirt.Duringperiods of rainfall, vendors crowded into the sheltered areas making space forpeople by placing fruit and vegetables out into the surrounding streets andwalkways. The use of tables and clean containers was limited. The location ofgarbagebins orwastepiles on the groundwasoftendirectly adjacent to vendorsselling freshproducts.Human fecal andurine remainswasnot restrictedas toiletfacilities were absent. It was observed that defecation and urination by humansoccurredinareasnearwastebinsandnearvendorsontheperipheryofthemarket.Therewasnohandwashingfacilitiesavailable.

Thereisneedtodevelopcustomizedtrainingprogramswhicharerelevantforfoodhandlersandretailers,andalsoengageinorganizingtrainingprogramstoprovidelatest scientificknowledgeongoodhandlingpractices (GHP)coveringall the foodsafety aspects. Partners feel that lack of storage and cool chain transportationfacilities severely restricts timely movement of products from producer to theultimateconsumers.Thisrequiresattractinggovernment’sattentionforpolicylevelinterventions.

CapacityBuilding

Issuesflaggedbystakeholders

MalnutritionisrampantalloverBangladeshthereforeadequatenutritionoffamilyfoodisveryimportantareatobeaddressed.Modernmalnutritionisashighas46%andthetraditionaloneisaslowas11%

Consumptionof fruitsandvegetables isnotcommon inBangladeshas theyare expensive, and food habits in Bangladesh are different in whichmeat,fish,beef,chickenandeggsarepreferredoverfruitsandvegetables.Modernfoods likeComplain,Horlicks,Cerelac,arepopularallover thecountryandtheydon’tsufficethenutritionalrequirement

Horticultural produce gets contaminated at both on farm and off farm.Therefore,foodsafetyrelatedtrainingavitalneed,aspeoplearenotawareofthehealthhazardsofmicrobialandchemicalcontamination.Sensitizationworkshopsfortheproducers,foodhandlersandalsofortheconsumersisabasicrequirement

Observations

Thereisasevereneedforeducationthatinvolvesmodernapproachestopromotebehavioral adoption of good agricultural practices that improve food safety.AdoptionofGAPcombinedwithappropriatestreamlined localandnationalpolicywill positively benefit farmers through increased livelihoods, better health and areductionofoccupationalhazards.Mitigationofinfectiousandchemicalfoodsafetyhazards is a complex goal. Successes will be achieved through a combination ofvariousobjectivessuchasimplementingappropriateirrigationpracticesandproperapplication of compostedwaste. Further success can be achieved through proper

limited use of chemicals and fertilizers. There is a need for educating farmers,handlers and sellers on proper toilet usage and hand washing. Post harvesttechnologies can be implemented that improve shelf‐life of products whileimprovingfoodsafety.

The food chain is a complex open‐ended system involving farmers, collectors,distributors,andsellers.The foodagribusinesssectorofBangladesh isdynamic inwaysthatpreventinterventionsthatdependhighlyonthecontrolofa“closed”foodchain. Implementing educational programs is a challenging element in a programthatseeksbehavioralchangesinapopulation.Theeducationaltargetsmaybewell‐definedbutthemethodologiesforachievingpositiveoutcomesarenotalwaysclear.Recent successful programs have implemented participatory action plans thatdirectly target farmers, collectors and sellers or target trainerswho then interactwith aforementioned. Most important is that the educational program directlyinvolvesparticipantsinplanningandexecutingtheeducationalplan.Anenormouschallenge in food safety education programs is creating positive reinforcingincentives toenable lastingbehavioralchanges.Onesuccessfulapproachhasbeenthe use of participatory projects. Priorities for project goals can be assigned byparticipantstobestensurethattheyaredirectlyinvolvedthroughouttheprogram.Implementing a participatory program will require trained specialists who canprovideonsiteprogramswithfollowupsessionsonaroutineschedule.

Apilotprojecttothiseffectmaybeplannedandexpandedtootherareasatalaterstage.

EXPECTEDIMPACTS

The overall impact of the near term efforts under HortCRSP will be beneficialeconomic engagement of farmers in sustainable horticulture crop production byadoptinggoodagriculturepracticesthroughalongtermengagementofpartnerstointroduce,disseminateandadoptgoodagriculturepractices; reduce the incidenceoffoodpathogensandchemicalresiduesinfood;andenhancethevalueofthefarmproduce through appropriate adoption of post harvest technologies. Theseinterventions will factor comprehensively the impact of each intervention onenhancing the engagement of women in the decision process, adoption of bestpracticesthatwillbenefitwomenfarmersandwomenengagedinsmallenterpriselevelvalueenhancementprojectsandcapacitybuildingamongwomenstudentstogainexposuretobestpracticessothattheycaneffectivelydisseminatethemtotheneedyplayersinthefarmingtofoodmarketingnetworkofthecountry.Theprojectwilladdressanimportantcomponentoftheholisticdevelopmentneed,theneedtoproduce safe horticulture products that are free of contaminants. A much largerimpact that this project will create on the society will be the establishment ofhealthierlivingconditionsamongresourcepoorBangladeshnationalsduetobetteraccesstonutritionandlowerspendingonmalnutritiondrivenhealthissues.

REFERENCES http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pnadh769.pdf

http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADI147.pdf

http://www.banglapedia.org/httpdocs/HT/A_0077.HTM

http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ag126e/AG126E05.htm

http://www.bids.org.bd/bds/31‐3&4/BDS‐31_%283&4%29%20R%20K%20Talukder.pdf

ANNEXURES Annexure1:HortCRSPacknowledgesthetimeandsupportprovidedbythe followingorganizationsduringthepre‐workshopmeetingsinDhakainMay‐June,2011

MeetingDate Organization

May25,2011 BangladeshAgricultureResearchCouncil(BARC)

May26,2011andJune9,2011

BangladeshAgriculturalResearchInstitute(BARI)

May29,2011 AtomicEnergyCentre(AEC)

May30,2011 InstituteofEpidemiology,DiseaseControl&Research(IEDCR)&NationalInfluenzaCentre(NIC)

May31,2011 InternationalCentreforDiarrhoealDiseaseResearch,Bangladesh(icddr,b)

June1,2011 BRACUniversity

June1,2011 NationalInstituteofPreventive&SocialMedicine(NIPSOM)

June2,2011 FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations(FAO)

June6,2011 GemconFood&AgriculturalProductsLtd

June7,2011 BangladeshAgricultureUniversity(BAU)

June8,2011 ConsumersAssociationofBangladesh(CAB)

June9,2011 HortexFoundation

June9,2011 DepartmentofAgricultureMarketingandDepartmentofAgricultureExtension

June11,2011 InstituteofChildandMotherHealth(ICMH)

June14,2011 BangladeshStandardsandTestingInstitution(BSTI)

June15,2011 BSAFEFoundation

June15,2011 InstituteofFoodScience&Technology(IFST)