By Dr Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, July 12, 2024 (BSS)- More than 25,000 grassroots farmers are seen
adopting climate-smart farming methods as they are being given ideas and
knowledge related to adopting the methods for making their farming outputs
profitable in the region, including its Barind area.
 
Already, they have started attaining practical knowledge about boosting
irrigation efficiency and farm productivity besides availing and expanding
local agro-business opportunities through connecting a strong public-private
stakeholder network.

On the contrary, the conventional farming system is facing a number of
challenges due to various reasons, including the adverse impact of climate
change, so time-fitting steps has become crucial to face the challenges.

The adverse impact of climate change at alarming rates has severely affected
every sector, including agriculture and its diversity, creating a real threat
to food production and public health.

To promote the climate-smart farming method, a project titled "Climate
Resilient Agriculture Advancement in Barind" is being implemented in Paba
upazila of Rajshahi, Sadar upazila of Chapainawabganj and Niamotpur and
Potnitola upazilas in Naogaon districts.
 
DASCOH Foundation has been implementing the project, technically supported by
the Syngenta Foundation while financially supported by the Hongkong and
Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited since last year.

Chief Executive Officer of DASCOH Foundation Akramul Haque said they are
promoting climate smart technologies for increasing water use efficiency and
farm productivity coupled with fallow land utilization.
 
There are provisions of empowering women and youth in agriculture through
creating job opportunities and agro-entrepreneurship programmes.
 
Partnership development among public and private sector stakeholders are
being done for innovations, value chain strengthening and export promotion.
 
The project is intended to bring 12,000 farmers under the farmer entrepreneur
hub network and there will be 25 of them in each of the developed hubs.

Besides, five supply chains are being developed for local and export markets.
 
Income generation of each of the entrepreneurs will stand 3,600 US dollars
annually side by side with two to five price advantages for the farmers'
better market linkage.

Akramul Haque said integrated efforts of all the government and non-
government organisations concerned can be the best way for protecting
agriculture in Rajshahi Barind area as its living and livelihood condition is
largely dependent on agriculture.
 
Country Director of Syngenta Foundation Farhad Zamil said there are enormous
scopes of increasing the acreage of various low-water consuming crops like
wheat, black gram, sesame, lentil, maize and pulse in the high Barind tract.
 
He also underscored the need for making agriculture profitable and
commercialized to ensure sustainable farming promotion of high-valued crops.

Zamil said there is no alternative to encouraging the farmers to promote
various cereal crops and vegetables instead of only Irri-Boro paddy on the
dried land to face the water stress condition.
 
Large-scale promotion of less-water consuming crops could be an effective
means of mitigating the condition of water crisis.

Besides, he said all the authorities concerned and farmers should come
forward and work together to promote climate smart conservation technologies.
 
Farmers in the hard Barind area need time-befitting training and motivation
on how to cultivate more less-irrigated crops to lessen the existing pressure
on groundwater.

As a whole, concerted efforts of all the government and non-government
organisations concerned has become crucial to mitigate the adverse impact of
climate change in the region, including its drought-prone Barind area.