The female farmers of the Moti Sardar Bari, Mung Bean group of the village called Chifli of Alinagar union, Bhola Sadar upazila, Bhola, have received health awareness information from the USAID Agricultural Extension Support Activity.

Rural and often destitute rural women are extensively involved in agricultural sector of Bangladesh but little do they know about the negative impact of their individual health due to daily diligence, unhealthy food habit and inadequate knowledge on health issues.

The USAID Agricultural Extension Support Activity works in 12 districts of southwest and central Bangladesh to strengthen the existing agriculture extension system to sustainably improve food security and nutrition for smallholder farmers with an emphasis on women.

The project organizes value chain based farmer producer groups around selected value chains such as jute, chili, mung bean, dairy, beef fattening, and fish and promotes improved technical production practices on these.

In addition to supporting the farmer groups and extension agents, the project provides nutritional awareness messages to its farmers.

Accordingly, a two-member team consisted of Dr. A. B. M. Muzharul Islam, Director-Institute of Public Health and Nutrition (IPHN) and Line Director, National Nutrition Service (NNS); and Dr. Md. Moniruzzaman, Assistant Director-IPHN visited the female farmers of the mung bean group of Bhola on September 4, 2016.

The health and nutrition experts have discussed with the all-female member group on nutrition integration of the project, especially about different nutritional actions. The topics covered are: essential hygiene practices, issues related to breast feeding, iron and vitamin deficiency and so on.The experts have also discussed about the adverse effects be fall on women’s health and nutrition resulting from early marriage.

The project organizes the nutrition awareness event with the assistance of the Health Unit of CARE Bangladesh. Mr. Md. Shafiqul Islam, Regional Manager of Barisal, Mr. Md. Faisal Hasan, District Manager of Bhola and Md. Misbahuzzaman, Technical Manager and the Nutrition focal point of the project were also present at the event.