Bios:

Abu Hayat Md. Saiful Islam studied Agricultural Economics and International Rural Development at the Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh (Bangladesh), the Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany) and the Gent University (Belgium). Saiful is trained as an agricultural economist and holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Bonn, Germany supervised by Prof. Dr. Joachim von Braun (Center for Development Research). His thesis evaluated the impact of Integrated Aquaculture-Agriculture (IAA) in Bangladesh, focusing on the value chain participation and welfare as well as environmental impacts on the extreme poor. Dr Saiful’s research interests focuses on adoption and impact assessment of different technology, policy and institutional innovation with particular focus on developing country agriculture by using a range of cross sectional and panel micro econometric techniques including experimental and quasi-experimental methods. Saiful has also been involved in a range of projects, including contract farming, choice experiment, fertilizer use, climate change impacts, fish conservation, fish consumption and nutrition linkages etc. 

Project summary: 

Fish has long been an integral part of the diet in Bangladesh and is by far the most important animal source food consumed by the poor, as it provides important nutrients not otherwise obtained. This study involves both primary data collection (under the WorldFish tilapia value chain project) and analysis of secondary data (IFPRI-Bangladesh two round panel household survey) to understand the consumption of fish, disaggregated by gender, age and socioeconomic status, and the quantification of the contribution of fish and fish products to dietary nutrient supply. The result will be new methods and metrics for fisheries and aquaculture interventions to improve nutritional outcomes, in developing countries, and particularly in Bangladesh where fisheries and aquaculture production is closely integrated with other household activities.