Food waste management is a critical environmental issue in many developing countries, including Bangladesh, due to unplanned food waste disposal and lack of dedicated food waste legislation. In those countries, a significant amount of food waste is discarded to the environment rather than being recycled. In Bangladesh, food waste is traditionally often used for composting, landfilling, and feeding animals, as there is no valorization option. In addition, food waste and food waste streams of food industries are utilized for the recycling and production of diverse economically valuable bioactive compounds. Therefore, we conducted a detailed literature review on food waste management and valorization options in Bangladesh and discussed the findings in the context of global status. The amount of food waste in Bangladesh is quite high, and it needs to be recycled to promote the circular economy of this developing nation. In this study, it is revealed that various research uncertainties and gaps regarding sustainable food waste management exist in Bangladesh, which should be investigated as priority research. Furthermore, a logical and global synchronization of the contemporary approach to food waste valorization with policy advocacy is proposed, to ensure efficient food waste decontamination and recycling in Bangladesh. This is the first and most comprehensive evaluation of the present research trend and prospects for sustainable recycling of food waste for the circular economy of Bangladesh.

This study investigates the recent changes in natural hazard prioritizations in northern Bangladesh and presents community-based risk analyses of the various natural hazards that present threats to sustainable agriculture. The study area in northern Bangladesh included two union council areas under the Panchagarh sub-district. Climatological data analysis, a detailed questionnaire survey, and focus group discussions were conducted to assess farmers’ perceptions regarding the shifting and identification of hazards, their seasonal variation, and hazard prioritizations. The SMUG (seriousness, manageability, urgency, and growth) and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) models were applied for hazard prioritization. Hailstorms were found to be the most prioritized hazard over droughts and flash floods as perceived by the community. The farmers’ perceptions as evaluated through a questionnaire survey also support the findings of the SMUG and FEMA models. This was the first attempt to analyze the potential of hailstorms as a significant hazard in Bangladesh, and GIS maps showed their spatial distribution and temporal frequency across Bangladesh. This newly identified hazard is significantly diminishing farmers’ motivation to continue farming and has the potential to affect sustainable agriculture. The farmers’ perceptions, historical data analysis, use of the two models, institutional approach, hazard risk assessment, and vulnerability to the major sectors show that hailstorms should be considered as an important hazard in northern Bangladesh, and policymakers should pay urgent attention to minimize the threat to sustainable agriculture in northern Bangladesh.

The knowledge regarding male out-migration due to climate change and large-scale, rapid-onset disasters and their impacts on the left-behind families is well known. However, research on the adaptation strategies for the families left behind due to disaster-induced male-out seasonal migration is rarely carried out. Thus, this study attempts to explore the coping and adaptation strategies adopted by the left-behind families in the salinity-induced male out-migration context. Analyzing the factors affecting the adaptation behaviors is also a major objective of this study. The study was carried out in Shyamnagar sub-district of coastal Bangladesh, where male-out seasonal migration for both rapid and slow-onset disasters is evidenced. The data regarding the adaptation measures were explored through different participatory rural appraisal techniques. Primary data were collected from 213 women from the left-behind families through a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics as well as multiple linear regression for analyzing the factors affecting adaptation behaviors were applied. The results revealed that the left-behind families, especially the women and children, adopted a total of 35 coping and adaptation strategies in five different aspects, such as economic adaptation, social adaptation measures, environmental measures, educational measures, and health-related measures. Migrant husbands’ age and their education, the household’s alternative income sources’ availability, receiving loans, disaster history, and migration history variables contributed most significantly to the adaptation behavior. This study provides a new perspective on seasonal male out-migration and the adaptation strategies of the left-behind families, which could be helpful for disaster-induced human migration management and enhancing the resilience of vulnerable communities.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease outbreak has become a top global challenge. Critical issues have emerged regarding access to information, health services, and daily necessities. Effective access to such components is expected to promote public safety and survival as well as to help combat social fear and risk perception. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring public perceptions of access, risk, and government response during the COVID-19 outbreak.Material and methods: A quantitative field survey using a structured mailed questionnaire was conducted to collect primary data from 100 foreigners living in various cities in South Korea. Access to information, health and daily necessities, and overall risk perception were examined based on individual reports regarding sources, availability, credibility, and overall satisfaction.Results: Our finding suggest that foreigners are receiving reliable information from public and private sources. Although access to health services, daily necessities, and protection measures were perceived as limited due to government protection measures, survey respondents tended to perceive an overall satisfactory government response in terms of providing resources and reducing risks related to COVID-19.Conclusions: Model analysis indicates that gender, home location, and duration of stay are significantly related to lower levels of risk perception. This study provides a new lens for policymakers, administrators, and academicians by which they can ensure smooth public access to information, health, and daily necessities regarding the protection and containment of coronavirus.

Extreme weather events (EWEs) such as hailstorms are an increasing threat to agriculture worldwide. To develop successful and efficient hailstorm risk management policies, it is important to understand the composition of farmers’ hailstorm risk perceptions. This study aims to identify the determinants of these risk perceptions. This is done by collecting pertinent information on the perceptions of risk, farm traits, adaptive capacity, and various other personal characteristics from farmers’ households in hailstorm-oriented areas of northern Bangladesh. By analyzing the explanatory power of various risk factors using the binary logistic regression model, this study reveals that the hailstorm risk perceptions of farmers are embodied by subjective risk factors, such as their perceived control of hailstorm risk, and their personal circumstances. Their perceived resources for tackling hailstorm risk are the most significant predictor variable of hailstorm risk perceptions. Marginal and smallholder farmers are very vulnerable and perceive more risk than is the case with the medium-holder and large-holder farmers, owing to the lack of a compensation policy after the occurrence of hailstorms. The relevant authorities should pay urgent attention to managing hailstorm risks by developing adequate adaptive capacity among farmers in northern Bangladesh