Prof. M Zahidul Haque :
Agricultural Extension plays a crucial role towards raising productivity and sustainability in the agriculture sector through providing scientific information to the farmers. In developing countries including Bangladesh, agricultural extension transfers scientific knowledge, necessary farming information including latest research findings and advices to the farmers by following non-formal educational procedure. It helps farmers and rural people to realize their problems and supervises to move for solving these applying their own efforts. There are subject specialists in an Extension organization who deliver solutions to farmers’ specific problems.
In many countries particularly the developed ones, extension works as advisory service maintaining communication between farmers and extension personnel. In Bangladesh, sector-wise extension activities are being performed, such as, crop production, livestock, fisheries sectors, etc.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) performs the main extension work in Bangladesh.
An agro-based country needs an effective and dynamic extension service for boosting agricultural productivity. The UN High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) argue that “national research and extension systems need full attention and investments from governments and the donor community.”
In order to bring about productivity in all the sectors of agriculture, the respective government needs to increase budgetary allocation to agricultural research and extension.
Meanwhile a Society named “Bangladesh Agricultural Extension Network (BAEN)” was established in 2015 with the noble mission to accomplish sustainable growth in agricultural productivity through identification, documentation and dissemination of good agricultural practices and extension approaches for environment friendly socio-economic growth in Bangladesh which has been registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in 2017.
The executive committee of BAEN for 2016-17 is headed by Kbd. Md. Hamidur Rahman, Director General (DG), DAE with Prof. Dr. Md. Sekender Ali, Pro-VC of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University as its Secretary General.
The BAEN has made important accomplishments towards realizing its objective which include preparation of Report on “Capacity Development for Extension and Advisory Services in Bangladesh.
Two representative of BAEN attended in the Inception Workshop of the IFAD funded Project on “Supporting Smallholder Farmers in Asia and Pacific through Strengthened Agricultural Advisory Services (SAAS)” at Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in Philippines in September 2016.
BAEN co-organized Interactive Workshop with fellow agricultural extension and advisory services stakeholders in Dhaka on 04-05 December 2016 at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) Complex, Dhaka in collaboration with Digital Green, Feed the Future, USAID, CARE and AESA. BAEN has developed it website-http://baenbd.net/, Project staff of Agricultural Advisory Services (SAAS) Bangladesh has been trained to operate the website, and 25 personnel from 25 organizations were trained to use the website and uploading the content of the website.
Recently, BAEN Secretary General Prof. Dr. Md. Sekender Ali attended an IFAD Supervision Mission titled-“Supporting Smallholder Farmers in Asia and Pacific Islands Region through Strengthened Agricultural Advisory Services” held at SEARCA Headquarters in Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines.
The BAEN is going to hold its annual general meeting on November 18, 2017 where among other things the future activities of BAEN will be discussed and chalked out.
In conclusion, it is expected that the BAEN through its national and international extension network will make a mark in raising productivity and ensuring sustainable growth in the agriculture sectors (crops, livestock and fisheries) of Bangladesh.
(Prof. M Zahidul Haque is a Faculty at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka and a Life Member of BAEN)
