The Global Hunger Index features Bangladesh as a country with one of the highest hunger indexes in the world. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries and also one of the poorest. A shocking 49 percent of the population lives below the national poverty line. Child malnutrition is the second highest in the world at 48 percent. The low social status of women in Bangladesh is one of the reasons why women and children continue to suffer from serious health and nutrition issues.

The northern regions of the country in particular face extreme poverty and frequently face food insecurity issues. Most of the populace is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Income and employment deficit is rampant in many rural areas where government welfare schemes are not implemented properly.

The primary source of income for a vast majority of the rural and semi-urban population is agriculture. Frequent floods and the vagaries of nature often result in failed or poor quality crops which result in practically zero income for these rural workers who are not skilled in any other job or profession.

The government does have schemes such as right to food and adequate healthcare. Article 15 of the Constitution states that the achievement of securing the basic provisions of life, including food and healthcare for its citizens is a fundamental responsibility of the State. There are multiple programs that focus on providing employment and support for those entrapped in the vicious cycle of poverty.

It is apparent from the conditions prevalent in the villages that much of these projects do not reach the parts of the population for whom the schemes were designed in the first place. Hunger and poverty continue to be the curse of these sections of the society.

A vast majority of the people living in rural areas, experience extreme poverty primarily because of failed crops. They depend heavily on agriculture to see them through for the rest of the year. When crops fail, they have absolutely no other means of sustenance. Food security issues and the need to have targeted assistance because of scarcity of essential services such as healthcare provisions and access to clean drinking water has seen matters go from bad to worse over the past few years.