Strengthening the Bangladesh Agricultural Research System

Abstract

There is general awareness, nationally and internationally, that Bangladesh--with most arable lands now utilized --faces critical challenges in increasing agricultural production to meet future demands. Agricultural research capabilities have been both neglected and disrupted for most of the three decades since partition of the sub continent in 1947 and the subsequent independence of Bangladesh in 1971. Efforts to strengthen agricultural research in Bangladesh have been concentrated on selected commodities, such as rice, jute, and sugarcane, through autonomous or semi-autonomous institutes and centers. The narrowly focused attention of these separate institutions--which are dispersed among many different ministries--has resulted in the neglect of research on other commodities that must become more important in agricultural development, on many non-commodity production factors such as soil and water management, crop protection, and engineering, and on the complex needs of farmers operating different systems of farming in the various agricultural areas of Bangladesh. The strengthening of the research capabilities, and the building of an effective national agricultural research system, must address the following: 1. Combining and integrating resources for agricultural research and development--now separated into different ministries for agriculture and forestry, livestock and fisheries, jute, industries, commerce, education, and others--under an organization and management structure that can give comprehensive attention to the many interrelated and complementary factors involved in national agricultural development. 2. Retaining and further strengthening the capabilities of the various research institutes, centers, and programs that have been built up over the past decade. 3. Putting into effect the functions, authorities, and responsibilities vested in the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, to ensure that it serves to build the kind of national agricultural research system that was envisaged in the Amended Ordinance for BARC of 1976.