Technology for Sustainable Growth and Development

Tanvir Sultana

Manager (Operations); PKSF

Topic focused on Agricultural Technology

Agricultural Technologies refers to the tools and machinery that are used primarily or entirely in order to support agricultural enterprise.

Types of agricultural technologies are – New Varieties Improved Management Practices

Agricultural machinery

Agricultural Technology can…

• Increased employment opportunities and higher wage rates.

• Allowed farmers to cut their units costs of production by using of new varieties, fertilizer, expansion of irrigation.

• Increase cropping intensity and changes cropping patterns.

• Improved varieties with increased vitamin content that contribute to the reduction of human disease.

• Longer cropping seasons to regulate food supply and reduce the number of months that households go hungry

• Improved storage and processing to extend the shelf-life of food and reduce waste.

• Overcome major inequalities in access to land.

Increase Agricultural Productivity in a sustainable way should be based on

• improving resource productivity by reorganizing production processes and managing resources more efficiently;

• increasing the use of intellectual capital as a production input;

• up-grading farmers’ levels of education and farming skills;

• creating an environment and incentives conducive to farmers’ adoption of appropriate technology;

• implementing safeguards against negative environmental effects; and

• managing the resulting social adjustment processes

Projection of Structural Change Percentage share of GDP

Sectors Average(FY 04-FY10)

TargetFY 2015

Target FY 2021

Agriculture 19.5 15.5 15.0

Industry 28.0 32.0 37.0

Of which Manufacturing 17.3 21.1 28.0

Service 52.5 52.5 48.0

Source: BBS and Vision 2021

How Big is Bangladesh’s Agriculture

• Cropping Intensity-191%

• Cultivated area is decreasing at 0.43% but no. of small farms increasing at 2% per year

• Average farm size is 0.5ha, which is decreasing but no sign of decreasing productivity

• High degree of land fragmentation 3.2 plots per farm, average size of plots 0.16 ha.

• Non farm household number is increasing at 7% per year

• Irrigated land 61%

• Homestead agriculture is becoming important.

For Sustainable Agricultural Development Need…….

• Financial Support

• Technical Support

• Technology

New Variety

Innovate new strategy for management practies

Cropping System

Machinery

Why they are

Because

Government’s recent interventions

Initiatives Taken by research institutions

• BRRI has released salt tolerant, submerge-tolerant , drought tolerant, salt-cold-drought tolerant rice varieties using gene-marker technology. Short duration varieties are also innovated by BRRI.

• BARI is working with growing high value vegetables, wheat, maize and flower esp. heat tolerant wheat and tomato varieties, develop large number of farm machinery.

• BINA released short duration crops helps to reduce food scarcity in monga-prone areas and generate employment.

• BADC multiply the seed varieties

• DAE disseminated modern technologies and effective agricultural extension services to the farmers, providing training, field demonstration.

Initiatives Taken by private Companies• IFDC- priority focus on soil fertility management,

agribusiness and fertilizer sector development.

• Bengal Meat offer top manufacturers of fresh, hygienic and halal meat (cattle, goat and sheep) in the local and international market.

• BRAC has developed a popular maize hybrid from imported lines

• BRAC, Lal Teer, and other companies breed vegetables including bottle, snake, sweet, and bitter gourds from both imported and local genetic materials;

• BRAC and at least one private company breed hybrid rice, using materials from the IRRI and BRRI.

Inline with GoB initiativesMFIs are providing

Loan support

Capacity building training

Technology dissemination

Value Chain Development

Livestock insurance

Agricultural Loan Disbursed by MFIs is gradually increasing

Tk. in Crore

04/19/23 14

Sector 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011* 2012* 2013*

Total Loan Disbursed

24170 34910 47360 132650 168940 147480 31260 37910 56310

Agriculture Loan disbursed

5950 9170 11770 30470 41330 47620 15040 17450 26510

Agriculture (%)

24.63% 26.3% 24.9% 22.9% 24.5% 32.29% 48.1% 46.04% 47.08%

a) Crop (%) 7.6% 9.8% 9.9% 10.8% 12.1% 16.99% 37.13% 34.32% 34.13%

b) Livestock (%)

13.8% 13.1% 11.8% 9.4% 9.3% 11.43% 6.09% 5.69% 9.37%

c) Fisheries(%) 3.3% 3.3% 3.1% 2.8% 3.1% 3.86% 4.88% 6.03% 3.57%

Source: Bangladesh Microfinance Statistics; Credit Development Forum (CDF) and InM. * Excluding GB

Capacity Building TrainingCapacity Building Training

1. Crop Related Training 2. Non-crop Related Training 3. Specialized Training

Training for Beneficiary

Training for POs’ Staffs

Technology Use and Management Related Training

Urea Super Granule (USG)Urea Super Granule (USG)

•Production of rice increased by 15-20 %•Decreased urea application by 20-30%

Porous Pipe (AWD Method)Porous Pipe (AWD Method)

26

Saves 20-25% water over traditional method

Pheromone TrapPheromone Trap

Controlled insect infestation in Brinjal/Gourds by 80% . Reduced cost (50-70%) of insecticides application.

Vermi compost

• Brings back natural fertility of soil• No chemical fertilizer are required• Absorbs and retains rain water in soil

• Year round availability• Reduce, reuse, recycle• Non polluting• Profitable commercial business

Summer Tomato

04/19/23 20

13.17 ton/acre; Net Profit- ~Tk. 3.0 lakh

Maria Model Maria Model

Production increased by 10-15 %

Solar power irrigation system will save 760 MW power and 800 million liter diesel every year if the conventional power and diesel run irrigation pumps are converted into solar power.

Mechanization of farming• Irrigation was the first operation that was mechanized

• Tillage was the next operation that was mechanized

• Power thresher has been developed to thresh bulk production of rice and it is estimated that more than 60 thousand are in use in the country.

• Entire maize shelling is done by power corn sheller.

• Rice transplanter, reaper and combine harvester became cost effective farmer using these during sowing/planting and harvesting time.

Some agricultural machineries that are used in different stage of crop cultivation

Value Chain Development

Protect the farmers from their financial losses due to death of cows

Farmer is provided maximum up to tk.35000/= as a compensation against the premium of tk.200

Ensure the livestock treatment for insured cows, necessary immunization and medicines are supplied

About 200,000 number of cows have been insured under this livestock insurance

No. Insured cattle died- 983 and claim has been settled by the Premium

Agricultural Call Centre

Provide agricultural information to the farmer according to their need

Ensure gaining information related to agriculture, livestock, fisheries, nutrition and weather

Easy communication with specialized agriculturist

Agricultural Counseling Centre

New idea and technologies can disseminate to the farmers and farm owners

To decrease the distance between farmer and technical

To give easy excess to the technical knowledge for the farmers

To develop self confidence of the farmers

Mobile Cinema Van

Food Grain Production In lakh MT

Contributes 13.09% to the Total GDP, 47.5% labor force involved in AgricultureRemarkable progress has been done mainly because •Use of green Revolution Technology (HYV, fertilizers, irrigation and pesticide) coupled with growth of institutional infrastructure•Appropriate use of production inputs under favourable climatic conditions

Challenges

• Ensuring Food Security at national, household and

individual level

• Decline in soil fertility and lose of land and water resources

• Non availability of quality seed

• Lack of maintenance of soil fertility

• Lack of irrigation coverage

• Lack of linkage between research extension linkages

Strategies•Diversification of Agricultural crops •Priority attention in planned crop intensification•Motivate farmers to use recommended doses of chemical fertilizer and use of organic fertilizer•Proper utilization of soil guide and soil testing facilities•Ecological favourable months may be devoted for growing high profit non rice crops•Efficient management of seed beds and adoption of the System of Rice in Intensification (SRI) for reducing yield gap•Distribution of Khas land to the landless and marginal farmers in rental basis

Number of poultry and livestock

Contributes 1.84% to the Total GDPMain growth drivers are supply of improving breed, feed fodder, veterinary health services, small holder farmers and private sector investment.

Challenges•Restriction of breeds and livestock breeding programme. inappropriate organizational setup with inadequate extension manpower, •No land especially is ear-marked for animal grazing and fodder production•inadequate animal health care services,•limited diseases diagnostic and research facilities, •preponderance of emerging and re-emerging diseases, •shortage in preventive and curative inputs supply,•increasing population and food safety issues,•poor investment and weak value chain, weak research-extension linkages.

Major potentials are• Livelihood development tools for poor and pro poor employment and income generation poverty reduction, nutrition, food security and safety, and social safeguards,

• Export earnings, rising demand and scope of increased productivity.

• Some comparative advantages over crop, fishery and forestry as they require less land, small capital and is least influenced by seasonal changes

Fish Production Trend In lakh MT

GDP contribution 3.68%Fish production has increased through pond aquaculture using hatchery-reared fish fingerlings, conversion of fish pond by raising embankments around low laying lands.Production of capture fisheries has stagnated because of underinvestment in fishing in the flood plains

Challenges• Genetic degradation in crap and other farmed

fish species

• Decline in the growth of inland open water fisheries

• Depletion of resources and degradation of public water bodies and habitat

• Low productivity of aquaculture fish and brackish water shrimp

High priority given to closed water fisheries production

Increasing fresh water, (rather than brackish water) golda production in coastal areas.

Potential use of cage culture in flood plains, with individual ownership.

Emphasis on supply of inputs and promotion of technical knowledge among the educated youth, in pond and other closed water bodies culture.

Breed development, feed production and supply, extension and supply of veterinary services, including vaccinations, shall be promoted.

Ensuring quality fish seed and quality fish feed towards the fish farmer

Agricultural growth and poverty reduction

• Direct and relative immediate impact of improved agricultural performance on rural incomes.

• Impact of cheaper food for both rural and urban poor.

• Contributes to growth and the generation of economic opportunity in the non-farm sector.

• Shift away from being primarily agricultural towards a broader base of manufacturing and services.

Sustainable issues of technology

• If new technologies are not carefully managed, they can create additional demand on resources which may simply

not be sustainable in the future.• Poorly managed irrigation has led to falling water tables,

salinisation and other problems.

• Modern crop varieties have frequently displaced many local varieties. But the relationship of these changes to overall genetic diversity is difficult to unravel.

Recommendations• Modern high techs in agriculture that are available in

Bangladesh are need to adopt judiciously• Develop climate impact modules that give a better

understanding of how climate change may affect total agriculture sector at local level in order to be well prepared.

• Establish storage and cold storage facilities• Use organic fertilizer to safeguard soil health• Develop market for agro commodities for both local and export

market• Escalating women’s participation in agricultural farming• Development modern testing facilities and accreditation• Introduce Micro Insurance• ICT for extension will be widely used for regular forecasting

Thank You