World Bank approves $120m to improve food security in Bangladesh

The World Bank has approved $120 million to help Bangladesh improve food security. Part of that project includes enhancing climate resilience and productivity of irrigated agriculture and fisheries.

The Climate-Smart Agriculture and Water Management Project, funded by World Bank, will rehabilitate and modernise public Flood Control, Drainage, and Irrigation (FCDI) infrastructures, according to a press release issued yesterday in this regard.

The project will help increase the incomes of 170,000 poor people who are vulnerable to climate change, and half of the beneficiaries will be women, the release reads.

"In Bangladesh, more than 70 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, but their exposure to climate change and natural disasters makes them vulnerable," said Mercy Tembon, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.

"Climate-resilient water management provided in this project combined with increased agricultural productivity will ensure income growth, protect livelihoods and build the resilience of the local communities to climate change," the release quoted her as saying.