Country needs sustainable agri system: speakers
Bangladesh needs a green, affordable and sustainable agricultural system, which can produce quality crops without hampering biodiversity while keeping the environment safe, speakers said at a roundtable discussion yesterday.
The discussion titled "Agriculture and Climate Crisis" was organised by Research Initiatives, Bangladesh (RIB) at The Daily Star Centre.
"We are using 70 percent of our drinkable water for cultivation, that's why the water level is decreasing," said Md Iftekhar Ali of RIB while presenting his paper.
"The quest for greater productivity -- overuse of chemical fertillisers and pesticides are killing the soil," he added.
Md Shamsuddoha, chief executive of Center for Participatory Research and Development-CPRD, said, Bangladesh needs to raise the issue of compensation for climate change, which was not fulfilled in the COP26 conference.
"A farmer's crisis is never-ending…," said Md Mazid, a farmer from Bagura's Shariyakandi.
"Farmers need more engagement with science and technology for better farming to deal with the crises," said Prof Md Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan, vice-chancellor of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, while addressing as the chief guest of the programme.
"We need more research and development on this front," he added.
The roundtable was chaired by Dr MM Akash, professor of economics at Dhaka University, and participated by Meghna Guhathakurta, executive director of RIB, among others.
Comments