By Naimul Haq

CHAPAINAWABGANJ, Bangladesh, Jun 16 2013 (IPS) - “I would never have believed it possible to get a bumper rice harvest during the drought season,” 43-year-old Mohammad Shajahan Ali, a farmer hailing from the village of Magtapur in Bangladesh’s northern Chapainawabganj district, told IPS.

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Good performance for the 2012/13 early season crops
• Near record 2012 paddy harvest estimated
• Rice prices remain generally stable at relatively high levels while wheat prices stabilise after a steady increase
• Localized food insecurity persists

Bangladesh: Indigenous Peoples engulfed in Chittagong Hill Tracts land conflict

A joint needs assessment was undertaken in Bangladesh in the three worst affected districts hit by the Tropical Storm Mahasen on May 16, 2013. This assessment was produced with technical support of ACAPS through a partnership with CARE, Bangladesh funded by DFID.

The main objectives of this assessment were:

“Pounds of Prevention” is a series of short articles that illustrate how disaster risk reduction works and why it is important. Take a behind-the-scenes look at aid work in action, long before the disaster occurs. How is that possible? Read on!

FOCUS: SOUTH ASIA MONSOON FLOODING

By Maherin Ahmed in Bangladesh

On 16 May, 2013, Cyclone Mahasen struck coastal Bangladesh, killing 17 people and affecting around 1.5 million people across the districts of Patuakhali, Barguna and Bhola.

Mofiza Begum was at home with her two sons when the cyclone struck in the early hours of the morning. Suddenly one side of her house fell apart and the entire building became unsteady. Fearing the tin roof and walls might collapse in on her family, she ran to a neighbor’s house, which was still standing.

Period covered by this Operation Update: 1 February to 15 May 2013

Appeal target (current): CHF 1,753,139

Appeal coverage: To date, the appeal is 81 per cent covered in cash and kind. The IFRC DREF allocation has been replenished.

Appeal history:

In this issue:

UN-SPIDER at a glance

Sudan: UN-SPIDER Training Course on space-based Technologies for Disaster Risk Management
Bangladesh: Capacity Building on Space Technologies for Floods
Dominican Republic: Training on Space-Based Information for Floods
UNOOSA/UN-SPIDER makes Statement during Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
Iraq: UN-SPIDER Network acquires Satellite Imagery for Floods

News from our Regional Support Offices

As world leaders prepare for the Hunger Summit in London on 8 June, international aid organisation CARE Australia is urging governments around the world to put female small-scale farmers in developing countries at the centre of efforts to end hunger.

Focusing on women is vital because women account for 60 to 80 per cent of food production in developing countries, and yet only five per cent of government agricultural services, such as training in agriculture techniques and livestock vaccination programs, ever reach women farmers.