Food security, agricultural diversification and the Monga in Northern Bangladesh

'Monga' -a localized seasonal incident of joblessness that results in prolonged impoverishment and destituition of population in the rural areas of Northern Bangladesh. In the present study, as far as the Monga areas are concerned, food security at national level would not help for managing poverty situation directly as it does not have the mechanism to address fully an enhancement of purchasing power of the affected people. Thus, while a national increase in food production could generate more food and income, it would not always deliver food for everyone. On the other hand, while many natural disaster events may trigger off food crisis, it is the government's action or inaction that determines their severity and associated consequences. This is the situation that exactly happens in the Monga-prone areas in recent years. There are various possibilities of extending food security concept at local level in the Monga-prone areas that could be explored. One main option is agricultural diversification through the intervention of science and[]technology. This option will not only address the higher production but also lead to various possibilities. for job creation in the Monga-prone areas. All those could effectively contribute to the anti-poverty interventions, and they could also he integrated into the whole development process in theMonga-prone areas with the aim of poverty alleviation.