Experts Saturday stressed the need for development of more easily adoptable agricultural technologies suited for the haor areas of the country in order to bring socio-economic changes in the daily life of common people.
They also urged agri-scientists and government and non-government organisations concerned to create awareness among people in haor areas to adopt beneficial technologies to improve their standard of living.
“Majority of the people living in haor areas, especially in Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Habiganj and Maulvibazar, live below the poverty line as frequent natural calamities hold them back from prospering,” said Dr Wais Kabir, executive chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (Barc), while addressing a workshop on Bangladesh Agricultural University campus.
“It has become mandatory to bring a change in their way of living if we want to alleviate the course of poverty from the country and there is no alternative to adopting agricultural technologies,” he said.
The agronomy department of the university organised the daylong workshop titled “Livelihood Improvement of Farming Community in Haor Area through System Approach.”
Dr Wais said the scientists could play a key role to free the country from poverty.
Dr Md Khalequzzaman Akanda Chowdhury, member director of Barc, said for the development of agriculture and the people associated with it, agri-scientists should provide a “model” to follow.
He said: “Integrated farming system approach in the haor areas can bring a dramatic change since the people entirely depend upon single crop production.”
Prof Dr Sultan Uddin Bhuiya of Agronomy department, also the university’s students’ affairs adviser, presented the key note paper in the workshop.
