Bangladesh gets USD 35m US fund for climate-smart agri project
Representatives from the US embassy, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) have launched a project named the Feed the Future Bangladesh Climate-Smart Agriculture Activity on Thursday.
The five-year project, with a budget of USD 35 million, aims to support Bangladeshi farmers in mitigating climate impacts and enhancing agricultural productivity, reports UNB.
Funded by the US government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the IFDC will collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture to educate smallholder farmers in the southern districts of Bangladesh on adopting climate-smart cultivation techniques, including the utilisation of improved seeds and optimising fertiliser usage.
In addition, the project will foster collaboration among private sector firms, agri-input service providers, and public sector actors to promote resilience in the agricultural sector through the implementation of climate-smart technologies and practices.
The project was officially unveiled at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium, in presence of agriculture secretary Wahida Akter, Muhammad Khan, USAID/Bangladesh's director of economic growth programmes, Henk van Duijn, president and CEO of IFDC, and Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, executive chairman of BARC.
In addition to addressing climate change challenges, the Feed the Future Climate-Smart Agriculture project will also assist Bangladesh in overcoming difficulties resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and disruptions in the supply chain due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The project also aims to reduce fertiliser usage by farmers, save fertilizer subsidies, and increase the overall production of crops.
Over the years, the US government has provided over USD 8 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh since its independence.
USAID funding for Bangladesh in the previous year amounted to USD 200 million. These funds were granted to various programmes aimed at improving food security, enhancing economic opportunities, advancing health and education, promoting democratic institutions and practices, safeguarding the environment, and bolstering resilience to climate change.