UNOPS Bangladesh hosted the 6th episode of "SDG Café", a monthly roundtable discussion series dedicated to addressing pressing development challenges and co-creating innovative solutions.
As part of their commitment to getting Agenda 2030 back on track, this episode will put the spotlight on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, which seeks to "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture", says a press release.
The roundtable took place on Thursday with the theme, "Building Climate-Resilient Agriculture Value Chain with Partners in Bangladesh."
Bangladesh faces significant challenges in ensuring food security and the resilience of its agricultural sector, especially considering the nation's vulnerability to climate change and extreme weather events. Sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture is fundamental to achieving SDG 2 and ensuring food security and nutrition for all. The episode aimed to explore the challenges and innovative approaches to building climate-resilient agricultural supply chains through strategic partnerships between different stakeholders.
UNOPS Bangladesh is excited to host this important discussion, and we look forward to the insights and recommendations that will emerge from the dialogue on building climate-resilient agriculture value chains in Bangladesh.
The round table welcomed Dr Md Shah Kamal Khan, project director, Agro-Meteorological Information Systems Development Project (AMISDP) within the Ministry of Agriculture, as the keynote speaker who shared his invaluable insights.
He highlighted: “Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries of the world in the event of climate change. It is a disaster-prone country and it is frequently affected by flood, drought, tropical cyclones etc. It ranks 7th in the world risk index 2021. So, Agro-Meteorological information is essential for ensuring Climate Smart Agriculture.”
He said that AMISDP project is working for ensuring Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) in the country. It is ICT related and working for 4th industrial revolution (4IR). The project is contributing for Digital and Smart Bangladesh formation as per the mandate of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The current mission of DAE is “to ensure the growth of sustainable and profitable crop production, optimize the knowledge and skills of farmers of all tiers through providing skilled, effective, decentralized, localized, needs based and integrated agricultural extension services.”
He shared with the government several initiatives for sustainable and profitable crop production. Already provided 20.54 million Agriculture Input Cards among the farm families for easy access of agricultural inputs and government providing subsidies up to 70% in purchase of agricultural machinery.
To ensure easy access to the latest agricultural technologies they established 1,621 Farmers Information and Advice Centre (FIAC). They also reduced fertilizer price subsequently four times to ensure balanced use of fertilizer through subsidies to optimized soil fertility and production and has instructed to ensure at least 30% participation of women in agricultural activities.
“DAE disseminates different technologies and crop varieties introduced by different research institutes as well as local and international development organizations through its core and project activities. DAE has been implementing about 35 different projects/programs at present,” he added.
The Country Manager of UNOPS Bangladesh Sudhir Muralidharan said that agricultural value chains in Bangladesh are complex involving various stages from production to consumption. They encompass areas including crop production, livestock farming, fisheries and aquaculture, agro-processing and value addition, distribution and logistics, agricultural marketplaces, and agro export.
The main challenges relate to land fragmentation, vulnerability to climate change and the slow pace of technology adoption and modernization.
However, the government has taken important steps including farm and fertilizer subsidies, agriculture extension services and export incentives for agro processing industries to strengthen the value chains.
The SDG Communication Advisor of UNOPS Bangladesh Renuka Naj said: “We must empower women in agriculture and address climate change simultaneously. They are the backbone of our agriculture. This means providing them with access to knowledge, technology, and resources to adapt to changing conditions. It also involves giving them a seat at the decision-making table, ensuring that their voices are heard in crafting policies and strategies related to agriculture and climate resilience.”
The session was conducted in a face-to-face format, allowing for direct and interactive engagement among participants with the presence of Anil Das, national consultant (Program) at FAO, Bangladesh, Zaki Uz Zaman, PhD, UNIDO, country representative in Bangladesh, Tapan Kumar Chakraborty, deputy country director of Action Against Hunger, Sardar Shafiqul Alam, coordinator-Urban Climate Change of ICCCAD, Ahmed Arif Rashid, deputy director and PD, Component: A of BWCSRP, Bangladesh Meteorological Department and various stakeholders were present.
They offered ground breaking ideas and advice on Building Climate-Resilient Agriculture value chains in Bangladesh.
The panel also discussed following points:
- The government supports greater public-private partnership in increasing agricultural productivity to meet challenges in food security.
- Bangladesh is leveraging cutting edge technology and data to address issues including weather forecasts and soil and inputs information, market intelligence, and capacity for data-driven Smart Agriculture. However, this technology needs to reach farmers in the communities.
- The government is going to introduce smart cards for farmers with an aim to provide area-based and demand-based agricultural services.
- The average Bangladeshi diet lacks diversification with the majority of calories consumed coming from rice. Awareness of food diversification should reach the farming communities.
