A field visit to Bangladesh to witness agricultural transformation in action
Gazipur, Bangladesh – Following the successful conclusion of the 36th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific, in early March 2022, hosted by the Government of Bangladesh in the capital Dhaka, it was time for the Director-General, QU Dongyu and his team to visit the field.
In more than half a century since independence, agriculture in Bangladesh has undergone a transformation. The country has attained a number of impressive agricultural milestones. These gains have been due, in large part, to consistent policy support and significant investment in agricultural research systems.
The country’s economic growth has been consistently high over the last few decades, showing impressive resilience to global economic shocks, including COVID-19. Having achieved food security for its population, which has more than doubled and continues to grow, Bangladesh is increasingly shifting its focus towards nutrition security and food exports.
Standing on the bank of a large fish pond, the Director-General took out his mobile phone to record the scene as several fishers waded in and caught a mass of thrashing big fish in traditional nets.
Muhammad Faisal Sikder, 38, the owner of the fish farm was recommended to open a restaurant so that local people could taste fresh carp. Mr Sikder was previously a poultry farmer, but moved into fish farming because it was more lucrative. He now earns around USD 47 000 in profit each year and he encourages more young entrepreneurs to become fish farmers.
“I feel that I have come home,” the Director-General said. “I was so delighted to see a traditional village.”
He then said he wanted to include the village as part of FAO’s 1000 Digital Villages Initiative. FAO has worked with Bangladesh, a FAO Member in the identification of more than 50 digital villages.
The next stop was a ‘model’ poultry farm, one of many in the country that are helping to reduce the spread of avian influenza, which continues to be a constant threat to all poultry farms in Asia. Avian influenza can devastate the livelihoods of smallholders as an outbreak requires the culling of their entire flock
The Director-General also visited a community-based initiative that trains farmers and veterinarians to reduce the use of antimicrobials. Overuse is contributing to a reduction in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Both the bio-security and antimicrobial projects are supported by FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease (ECTAD). The Director-General exchanged views with a group of female backyard poultry farmers to better understand the disease challenges they are facing and how they are helping to tackle AMR.
The two leading centres for agricultural science – the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) – were the focus of the visit in the afternoon. At both institutes, the Director-General visited exhibitions of various stalls that showcased innovations, including pest management, irrigation and water management, and biotechnology.
Joined by the directors of both institutes, and several eminent scientists, the Director-General gave a short speech outside the BRRI central laboratory. Bangladesh is one of the biggest producers of rice in the world, feeding a population of more than 170 million people.
“Rice is the backbone of your food security,” Qu said. “Rice is not only food, rice is civilization.”
The Director-General commended both institutes for their commitment to science and research.
“Science is our future” he said. Before leaving, he also visited nearby rice paddies that are trialing various new rice, vegetable and fruits varieties.
The field visits evidenced that Bangladesh is a country well on its way to agrifood systems transformation, with high ambitions to achieve even better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all its people, leaving no one behind.