Proceedings of the National Seminar on Food Security and Ecosystem Management in COVID-19 held on 19 November 2020, Dhaka

Abstract

A national seminar on “Food Security and Ecosystem Management in COVID-19” was held on 19 November 2020, virtually. The seminar was organized by the IUBAT Institute of SDG Studies (IISS) and Reginal Centre of Expertise (RCE) Greater Dhaka, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh and it was participated by 131 academician, professionals, researchers and high officials from the Bangladesh Government, representatives from FAO and Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) and foreign delegates. Four papers were presented, and 16 dignitaries participated in the discussion. It was a four-hour-long seminar, had a good discussion on the topic mainly highlighting the importance of healthy and functional ecosystems in ensuring food and nutrient security. They expressed their concern about the highly deleterious ecosystems and made recommendations to improve the situation at the earliest. The important comments and suggestions are recorded and compiled in the proceedings with policy recommendations for the policy makers of the government.

Preamble

Food is the basic requirement of human beings and all other living organisms in the world. It is the media for energy that comes from the ultimate source, the sun. The energy passes through the food chain and food web in the ecosystems involving biotic and abiotic factors in the form of food and nutrient consumption and recycling. Therefore, to secure quality food, a healthy and functional ecosystem is of utmost essential. Unfortunately, the importance of a functional and healthy ecosystem is seldom realized and so global hunger persists, as that has not been properly addressed. Despite technological advancement, hundreds of million people are hungry throughout the world and billions are suffering from malnutrition, obesity and diseases. Disasters, natural calamities, and population growth are being blamed for hunger and now global warming and climate change are greatly considered for food insecurity. But the food crisis was there in the early ages, in the near past, and at present. In the present COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has aggravated and more people are starving and will starve in the future. The targeted Zero Hunger by 2030 for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has become uncertain.

Click Here For More Details