On April 17, 2012, the preliminary results of the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) were announced and celebrated. The 2011 BDHS is the sixth national survey designed to provide representative information on demographic and maternal and child health. Data are collected through household and community surveys. The DHS series is conducted regularly in over 80 countries worldwide.  To learn more about the survey design, sampling strategy, and implementation of the 2011 BDHS, read the Preliminary Report.

The preliminary results indicate that Bangladesh is indeed on the move to better health with notable progress in family planning, maternal and child health, and nutrition, but there are also still significant gaps and areas for improvement.

Fertility continued to decline to 2.3 children per woman in 2011, down from 2.7 in 2007.  Two generations ago, the average woman had six or seven children, but the modern woman now has on average only two.  Social norms are changing, and 82% of women with two children do not want to have any more.  In one of the most densely populated countries in the world, declining fertility is great news.  Families with fewer children are healthier, can more effectively prioritize their resources, and have less impact on the environment. 

How does agriculture, education, gender, and combatting poverty affect the health sector in low-income countries? Here are a few innovative infographic examples that show the links from Farming First and USAID.

What are Infographics?

Infographics are a new,  powerful  internet-based communication medium that  marry pictures and words so people can absorb a host of important information without wading through a multitude of reports.

In this time where everything is fast paced, information must be quick and easy to digest. Infographics have become an easy way to display key information visually. In one glance, a person can look at an infographic and take away important facts.

I want to briefly discuss two different infographics and how they express concrete ideas about poverty and international development through the same medium.  Although these examples look at development in different ways—one more focused on agriculture and the other on combatting poverty—there is no doubt that these two sectors, together with education and gender, are interrelated and have a dramatic effect on the health and wellbeing of families in low-income countries.

Using Infographics to Illustrate Complex Data

Infographics from Farming First, “the Female Face of Farming,” explore the role of women in agriculture and ask three main questions:

·         Why are women so  important to agriculture?

·         Where does a gender gap in agriculture exist?

·         What are the impacts of the gender gap in agriculture?