The Economic Relations Division (ERD) has recommended Bangladesh take part in USAID's Feed the Future Initiative for another five years from 2017 for the noteworthy achievements made in food security, agriculture and malnutrition.

The US invited Bangladesh to join the initiative's Global Food Security Strategy, saying the names of 12 participants would be announced by the end of this month, the ERD stated in a summary prepared for the finance minister on Monday.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) ran the initiative in Bangladesh from 2011.

It said to have targeted investment in areas with the greatest growth potential for rice production and diversification, prioritised high-value agricultural production, and with high levels of poverty and malnutrition.

Its website says over 27 million people live in the target regions in Bangladesh, where food security and nutrition face considerable challenges along with scarce water resources, a rising sea level, vulnerability to extreme shocks and changing weather patterns.

The initiative says its aid helped some 2.2 million farmers use new technology and practices and apply those on some 512,000 hectares of land. 

It also said to have raised the value of agricultural sales by $146 million, attracted $750,000 worth new private investment and helped one million under-five children improve their nutrient intake.