Saha Sukanta

Saha Sukanta, a community nutritionist, is introducing rabbit farming to Bangladesh. His novel approach will not only fight malnutrition, but will also provide the rural poor with a new source of income.

During his work with low-income communities Saha Sukanta became aware that three main factors lead to malnutrition: low and inefficient levels of food production, relatively high cost of protein sources, and lack of knowledge of nutrition. Saha also knew that Bangladeshis prefer animal proteins such as meat, fish and eggs to vegetable protein, yet are unable to afford sufficient amounts of such foods to ensure a healthy diet. Thus, Saha realized that he needed to find an alternative source of low-cost animal protein, educate people about this protein source, and create markets for this alternative protein and its by-products. Saha's answer is rabbit farming, a concept that had not been considered before in Bangladesh. His proposition is economically attractive, for it requires a low initial investment and produces high returns within a short time frame. Since rabbit meat is high in protein, yet requires less input per pound than cattle or chicken, it provides both economic and nutritional incentives for production. With proper institutional support it can be disseminated successfully to a large number of people in the poor rural areas.

Food cost as a percentage of total household consumption is a high 59 percent in Bangladesh. With money so tight for the vast majority of families, buying sufficient food is a daily problem for most citizens and, as a result, child malnutrition (under age five) is 67 percent. Although protein-rich vegetables are more available than meat, Bangladeshis prefer not to eat them and depend instead upon relatively expensive meat sources for their protein. Insufficient protein in the diet causes many nutrition-related ailments, such as anaemia, avitaminosis A, and growth retardation. Many Bangladeshis suffer from such deficiencies because they are unaware of other less costly forms of animal protein. In the past, various international and national organizations have initiated nutrition programs that distribute food items such as powdered milk and supplementary vitamins. However, these programs fail to develop permanent solutions since they rarely include training in nutrition and self-sustaining income generation for the rural poor. Once the handouts stop, people again find themselves without adequate protein, for they are unaware of alternative low-cost sources.

Saha knows that his success will depend on a comprehensive strategic approach in the communities in which he hopes to work. In order to bring their nutritional problems to light, he first educates rural Bangladeshis about the nature and causes of nutritional deficiency and its effect on their daily lives. Then he encourages them to improve their nutrition by breeding rabbits for their own consumption, while simultaneously supplementing their income through sales of rabbits to others.
Rabbit raising is skill-intensive rather than capital-intensive, requiring only a modest initial investment. Simple bamboo cages, an initial breeding stock of three or four rabbits and some greens for fodder is all that is needed to start. Saha teaches the skills of rabbit farming to his target population both directly, through one-to-one interventions, and indirectly, through local organizations and agencies. To sustain the training and distribution efforts he sets up, Saha is organizing local committees that will be monitored by an animal husbandry expert.
As part of promotional and awareness activities, several programs on rabbit breeding have been aired on television and radio and leaflets have been prepared and distributed. A National Rabbit Meat Appreciation Committee has been formed to popularize rabbit meat. It consists of representatives from relevant university departments, nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, consumer associations and the media. As a result of his efforts, several major nongovernmental organizations such as the Institute of Integrated Rural Development, the Bangladesh Agricultural Working People's Association and the Bangladeshi Institute of Herbal Medicine have started their own rabbit raising programs. Two government agencies, the Bangladesh Rural Development Board and the Primary Health Care Intensification Program have incorporated rabbit raising programs into their projects for the destitute and landless.

Saha Sukanta was born and raised in a rural area of Bangladesh. While obtaining his university degree in animal science, he conducted extensive research on applied nutrition. After completing his studies, Saha joined the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science at Dhaka University, the pioneer organization for nutritional research in Bangladesh. At the Institute, Saha had the opportunity to work directly with the rural population under the "Ecology of Malnutrition Research Program." Through this project he became aware that deficient food production and lack of knowledge on nutrition are the root causes of malnutrition in Bangladesh. Saha later moved to Australia for advanced studies on nutrition. During his stay in Australia, where rabbits' ability to reproduce so rapidly and prodigiously in the wild has caused significant environmental damage, Saha conceived of the idea of introducing a domesticated rabbit project in Bangladesh.