Speaker for climate smart agriculture tech to ensure food security

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DHAKA,May 03, 2018 (BSS) – Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury today stressed on innovation and adoption of emerging climate smart technology in agriculture for increasing food and nutrition security of the people.

“Bangladesh has already achieved tremendous success in food production …but the food production is being affected due to lack of technological breakthrough, flash floods and other climatic vulnerabilities,” said the Speaker.

The Speaker made this comments while addressing as the chief guest at Global Food Policy launching programme organized by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) at a city hotel here.

Along with increasing food production, the government has enacted seventh-five year plan and Bangladesh perspective plan 2041 by giving emphasis on ensuring nutrition security of the people, she said.

In addition to this, as Bangladesh is most vulnerable country in terms of climate change impacts, so the government has to formulate smart climate change adaptation policies both in agriculture and food security, she added.

“Bangladesh already has created climate change trust fund with its own fund and that’s why Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been awarded with ‘champion of the earth’ award, “Dr Shirin detailed.

Chaired by Emeritus Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and former Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) Professor Dr MA Sattar Mondal, the programme also was attended by Economic Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister Dr Mashiur Rahman and additional secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Sirajul Haider Chowdhury as the special guests.

IFPRI Country Representative Dr Akhter Ahmed gave welcome address while its Director General Dr Shenggen Fan gave the keynote address.

The IFPRI report highlighted that increased restrictions on international migration by the primary host countries may exacerbate food security in high-migrant source countries like Bangladesh.

“Foreign remittances from migrant Bangladeshi workers play a key role in the domestic economy and help in ensuring food security for migrant source families. Any drastic changes in international migration policies in host countries with large Bangladeshi population may pose a challenge to food security of those families,” said Dr Akhter Ahmed.

On the domestic front, the IFPRI report also notes the progress Bangladesh has made in reducing hunger and malnutrition through implementation of social protection programs.

In its recommendations, the report emphasizes increasing efficiencies, reducing postharvest losses and developing agro-processing sector to meet some of the challenges the regions faces due to climate change and its implications for the food security of vulnerable populations in Bangladesh and South Asia, as a region.

Executive Director of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr Fahmida Khatun, Advisor of the former caretaker government and Executive Chairman of Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC) Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Executive Director of Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF)Drr Wais Kabir and Senior Research Fellow of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr Nazneen Ahmed also spoke as the panel discussants.