PKSF, CAB International sign MoU to make Bangladesh’s agricultural system more effective

Photo: Courtesy

Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) and CAB International will work jointly to make Bangladesh’s agricultural system more effective and sustainable by promoting safe food production, reducing farmers’ production costs, and addressing climate and environmental risks.

To this end, the two institutions on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) titled “Up-scaling of Sustainable Agroecological Farming in Bangladesh.”

PKSF Deputy Managing Director Akond Mohammad Rafiqul Islam and CAB International Regional Director for South Asia Vinod Pandit signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations, according to a press release.

Speaking as the chair of the event, PKSF Managing Director Md Fazlul Kader emphasised the need to advance Bangladesh’s agriculture sector through sustainable and market-driven solutions.

He stressed the importance of promoting science-based agriculture and agroecological farming, while equipping farmers with the skills needed to adopt modern and environmentally friendly farming practices.

He also highlighted the potential for developing microenterprises among local farmers to produce bio-pesticides, which could reduce farmers’ production costs and minimise risks to the environment and public health, while accelerating the transition towards safer food production.

Vinod Pandit said the key objective is to reduce the use of harmful pesticides and promote safer biological pest-control solutions through training and enhanced technical capacity.

He stated the initiative would also focus on raising awareness among stakeholders across the agricultural sector, strengthening digital data management, and developing market-based partnerships to reduce farmers’ production costs and promote environmentally friendly and sustainable agriculture.

Under the MoU, the technical expertise of CAB International’s PlantwisePlus programme will be combined with PKSF’s implementation capacity and extensive grassroots network, read the release.

This collaboration is expected to strengthen the skills and capacities of smallholder and marginal farmers and support the wider adoption of sustainable agroecological farming practices.

Saleh Ahmed, country representative of CAB International in Bangladesh, also spoke at the event.