Experts for public-private partnership for sustainable agriculture

Experts at a knowledge-sharing and dissemination event on Saturday stressed the need for government actions, and support from private sectors and other agencies to ensure sustainable agriculture in the country.

USAID's Strengthening Household Ability to Respond to Development Opportunities (SHOUHARDO) III Plus Activity of CARE Bangladesh and Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) jointly organized the event titled 'Strengthening Agricultural Pathways: Agriculture Support System within SHOUHARDO III Plus' on BAU campus in Mymensingh, said a press release.

Acting-Chief of the Party of SHOUHARDO III Plus Abdul Mannan Mazumder inaugurated the programme while Professor of BAU Animal Science Department and Director of Haor and Char Development Institute Dr Md Abul Kalam Azad and Professor of Agronomy Department Dr Romij Uddin, Deputy Director of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Kishoreganj, Abul Kalam Azad spoke at the function, among others.

Head of BAU's Department of Agricultural Extension Education Associate Professor Dr Most Zannatun Nahar Mukta chaired the event while Acting-Senior Team Leader of CARE Bangladesh Dr Faisal Kabir presented the keynote paper.

Dr Faisal Kabir in his keynote paper stressed the need for collaboration among the government and private sectors and programme-oriented Local Service Providers (LSPs) to enhance the Deep Haor and Remote Char areas' agricultural support systems as well as their productivity and access to markets. 

He suggested that LSPs' recognition, public-private partnerships, and female LSP empowerment can sustain agriculture.

Abul Kalam Azad, the deputy director of DAE Kishoreganj, said joint projects can be taken with the Department of Agriculture Extension for emergency disaster response, especially during flash floods in the haor regions. 

A wide array of participants, including Agricultural University Academia, graduate students, high officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension and CARE Bangladesh officials, attended the event.