Co-Designing Sustainable Futures: Multi-Stakeholder Workshops for Transforming Animal and Aquatic Food Systems in Bangladesh

Abstract

The purpose of the Workshop was Build a shared vision and sense of ownership among stakeholders engaged in animal and aquatic food systems, enabling them to collaboratively address key food system challenges. In Bangladesh, millions of people depended on animal and aquatic food systems for both nutrition and livelihoods, yet these systems faced significant challenges, including overfishing, disease risks, climate impacts, and gender inequities. To address these challenges in a locally relevant and sustainable manner, SAAF organized a Co-design Workshop in Rangpur Division, a northern agroecological zone marked by diverse socio-political and climatic conditions. The workshop convened local stakeholders—including government officials, particularly from the Department of Fisheries (DoF), Department of Livestock Services (DLS), and Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI), as well as academicians from universities, farmer groups, researchers, and private sector actors—to collaboratively identify priority needs, co-develop solutions, and design context-specific interventions. By fostering participatory planning, shared ownership, and strong local partnerships, the workshop ensured that SAAF initiatives were inclusive, relevant, and positioned to improve nutrition, livelihoods, and resilience of people in Bangladesh.