- 27/07/2026
Youth participation is increasingly recognised as essential for transforming food systems, yet many young people remain underrepresented in formal decision-making, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In Bangladesh, recent policy momentum and growing youth mobilisation have created new spaces for engagement, yet how these developments translate into meaningful influence over planning and policy processes in practice remains unclear.
This qualitative case study explored how youth engage in Bangladesh's food system policy development through 27 semi-structured interviews with youth leaders and policymakers. Youth participants were purposively selected from GAIN's Food System Youth Leadership initiative while policymakers were selected based on their roles in nutrition, food systems policy, and youth development. Data were analysed thematically using hybrid deductiveinductive approach.
- 27/07/2026
Young people are increasingly recognised as important contributors to food system transformation: raising awareness, leading community initiatives and bringing new perspectives to food system challenges. However, opportunities for them to move beyond these roles and engage in decision-making processes remain limited. In Bangladesh, the Food Systems Youth Leadership Initiative was introduced to strengthen youth leadership in food system transformation and deepen young people's understanding of food systems. This initiative also encouraged community-driven actions through collective action campaigns, helping young people build the confidence and capacity needed to engage more effectively in policy and decision-making spaces.
- 22/06/2026
Workplace food provision represents a significant opportunity to improve diet quality among working-age adults. This working paper synthesises cross-country experience from GAIN-supported programmes in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Uganda on how improved workplace menus have been assessed, designed, and operationalised.
- 24/04/2026
The workplace can be an important environment to influence nutrition and food choices. This case study examines the potential to use workplaces and employers as leverage points for improving nutrition and fostering larger food system shifts by considering efforts made by individual employers in Bangladesh and how these have been expanded and supported under government leadership through the National Workforce Nutrition Alliance. It shows how a novel concept can gain traction and explores how it could potentially be institutionalised in policy.
- 02/03/2026
Many adults spend most of their waking hours in the workplace, making it an important—yet underappreciated—leverage point for change. In the context of food systems, workplaces can contribute to significantly improved nutrition through employer-provided nutrition programmes (also known as ‘workforce nutrition programmes’ (WFN)). However, the process of gaining support for these initiatives and the potential for institutionalising them within policy remain underexamined. This case study aims to address this by examining the development of WFN in Bangladesh, including at the factory level and through the government-led National Workforce Nutrition Alliance (NWNA). It also considers opportunities for integrating nutrition considerations into occupational safety and health (OSH) policies, regulations, and practices in Bangladesh.
- 21/10/2025
Bangladesh is redefining its path toward a more equitable, climate-resilient, and nutrition-secure future—and young people are at the centre of that journey. As the country advances major national strategies like the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy, this policy brief highlights how youth can move from community action to shaping national decision-making. It proposes creating formal youth roles in bodies such as the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC) and District Nutrition Coordination Committees and strengthening cross-ministerial collaboration through a Youth in Food Systems Working Group. The brief also calls for expanding Department of Youth Development (DYD) programmes to include policy and governance, integrating food systems into university curricula, and building leadership pipelines through fellowships, mentorships, and digital participation tools. By positioning young people as active partners in governance, Bangladesh can cultivate a generation of leaders driving food systems transformation in line with the country’s long-term development agenda.
- 03/06/2025
The world is facing multiple interconnected crises, including climate change and escalating conflicts, which pose significant challenges to food systems. These issues highlight the need for systemic transformation to improve food security, nutrition, and environmental sustainability. In response, GAIN's Nourishing Food Pathways (NFP) programme aims to strengthen and support the implementation of food system pathways in 11 countries.
- 16/05/2025
WHA Global Nutrition Stunting Target 2012-2025
Achieve a 40% reduction in the number of children under-5 who are stunted
WHA Global Nutrition Overweight Target 2012-2025
Ensure that there is no increase in childhood overweight
- 26/12/2024
Participatory Open Access Food Systems Dashboard Empowers South
- 16/12/2024
Foresight analysis of diet transformation in Bangladesh_A scenario simulation study
