BSS-04 Farmers’ role stressed for sustainable land management in Barind region

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ZCZC

BSS-04

SUSTAINABLE-LAND-MANAGEMENT (with picture)

Farmers’ role stressed for sustainable land management in Barind region

RAJSHAHI, Oct 24, 2020 (BSS) – Experts at a participatory discussion stressed the role of farmers for sustainable land management (SLM) as it has become crucial to address the existing challenges of enhancing land productivity and water use efficiency in the Barind region.

Time has come to stimulate innovative possibilities with building a shared understanding to amplify the potentials and reduce the adversities in the dry areas, they opined.

Highlighting the importance of SLM, they viewed that measures should be strengthened to improve land resources and ecosystems including soil, water, flora and fauna.

The experts came up with the observations while conducting a technical training session on the SLM technologies selected by Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA).

BMDA hosted the daylong farmers training at its conference hall in Rajshahi city on Friday on behalf of its project titled “Establishing National Land Use and Land Degradation Profile towards Mainstreaming SLM Practices in Sector Policies”.

Executive Director of BMDA Shayam Kishore Roy addressed the opening ceremony as chief guest, while Superintending Engineer Abdur Rashid and Executive Engineer Zinnurine Khan spoke as special guests with focal person of the project and Deputy Manager (Agriculture) ATM Rafiqul Islam in the chair.

In addition to Abdur Rashid, Zinnurine Khan and Rafiqul Islam, Assistant Engineers Rafiqul Hassan, Rezaul Islam and Safiqul Islam conducted technical session of the training as resource persons.

Engineer Abdur Rashid said the introduction of bio-agriculture systems together with sustainable land management (SLM) is crucial to curb land degradation.

Land is a very important component for environment and land degradation is now being considered as a serious threat to sustainable development and food security, he said.

To address the situation, emphasis should be given for increasing understanding of the people on land use and state of land degradation for mainstreaming the SLM in every sector.

In his remarks, Rafiqul Islam said ensuring a prudent use of land resources has become a major challenge as the agricultural land in the country is shrinking at an alarming rate.

He laid importance on time-befitting ways and means to protect lands from further degradation against the backdrop of increasing demand for land in terms of development and multipurpose uses.

As a whole, the scheme focuses on land degradation and other critical environmental hazards and demonstrates practical solutions through awareness building and engagement of stakeholders, he said.

Around 40 farmers including 20 females from different areas of the region took part in the training in two batches and they were disseminated with various modern knowledge and ideas on how to ensure SLM in their respective areas.

BSS/AH/GMR/1045 hrs