DHAKA, Nov 23, 2023 (BSS) - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has signed a financial agreement recently with the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) to enhance locally appropriate and socio-economically beneficial adaptation, and promote climate resilient crop value chains in Bangladesh's climate-impacted areas.

FAO will support DAE for Bangladesh’s transition to a climate resilient and nature positive production system, consistent with national development goals and adhering to best practices of social and environmental safeguards through this US$ 6.57 million project intervention.

The objective of the “Building Climate Resilient Livelihoods in Vulnerable Landscapes in Bangladesh” project is to improve the resilience of people, communities, and ecosystems to climate change, and improve livelihoods through increased value addition in the agricultural food systems of Bangladesh, a FAO press release said today.

DAE Director General Badal Chandra Biswas said: “We hope that FAO and DAE partnership will reduce climate vulnerability and build local level resilience in High Barind Tract (HBT), Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), saline and waterlogging prone areas in the view of the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events combined with low socio-economic situation, inadequate enabling conditions, and limited coping mechanisms.”

Under this agreement, the DAE will bring 16,000 hectares of land under climate resilient agricultural practices; train 32,000 farmers on adaptation; provide machineries, farm equipment, and stress-tolerant seeds to 19,000 vulnerable farmers; establish 150 rainwater catchment structures and 300 women-led vermicompost pits and 100 community seed banks.

DAE will also develop and disseminate crop advisory and agro-met information to 27,200 farmers twice a week for wheat, maize, mango, cashew nut, watermelon and dragon fruits. To engage private sector and increase farmers income DAE will facilitate the selling of 45,000 tons of produce through agreements between the farmers organisation and private sector, and provide business training to 100 entrepreneurs and micro SMEs.

In the signing ceremony, high officials from the DAE and FAO attended and expressed their enthusiasm to work together in the areas of climate resilient agriculture, agri-food system transformation, technology transfer, nature based solutions, climate finance and private sector engagement.