Climate Change and Food Security: Health Risks and Vulnerabilities of the Poor in Bangladesh

By:

In Bangladesh, food security is increasingly being adversely affected by extreme climatic events almost every year. The food price hike has been fueled by the consecutive floods and cyclone in 2007. While the immediate health impact of these disasters last year included illnesses, deaths and psychological stress or trauma. The secondary impact of the disasters that is food insecurity is profoundly affecting the health of majority of population in multiple ways. With the fall in their income, rise in the expenditure, with their asset being lost in disaster situation and with the burden of loan repayment the process of pauperization of the low income households is getting faster. Low household consumption of food and eroded livelihoods are exposing people more to the health risks. While the impoverishment is exposing the poor more to the adverse impact of climate change ironically the sum of all the incidences is barring people from prioritizing their health. Besides highlighting the health impacts of the extreme climatic events the paper analyzes the policies and interventions addressing the need of the people grappling with the complex problem of climate change, livelihood security, food security, health and development.

Stream: Human Impacts

Paper: , Climate Change and Food Security

I have disciplinary orientation in Anthropology. I am presently working with Social and Behavioral Sciences Unit at ICDDR,B as a Senior Research Officer. I am working in a research project titled "The meaning of health security for disaster resilience in Bangladesh".

Obtained Masters and PhD. in Medical Anthropology from the University of Amsterdam. Working as an assistant professor in Department of Gender and Women Studies at Dhaka University. Also involved with the research project on health security and disaster resilience as a consultant of ICDDR,B.

Andrew Collins is Director of the Disaster and Development Centre, Northumbria
University, UK. His research examines varied links between disaster reduction
and sustainable development including health and climate aspects.

Dr Ray-Bennett has a PhD in Sociology from
Warwick University. Currently, she is a ESRC Research Fellow at the Disaster and
Development Centre, Northumbria University. Her research interests include,
Human and health security for disaster resilience, sociology of disasters and
disaster risk reduction in the developing nations.

Dr. Bhuiya has a long experience in
community based health research with special focus on equity issues, behaviour
change, public health challenges, and community initiative for better health.
He is the head of Poverty and Health Programme and Social and Behavioural
Sciences Unit at ICDDR, B.