Photo : BSS

RAJSHAHI, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS)- The Annual Conference of Farmer Hub Owners of Sustainable Agriculture Foundation (SAF) Bangladesh was held successfully here today with the call for strengthening collaboration among farmer hub owners, public institutions and private sector stakeholders.

SAF Bangladesh’s Introducing Water Efficient Technology (IWET) Project organized the event at the BRAC Learning Center supported by the Coca-Cola Foundation and the 2030 Water Resources Group (WRG) of the World Bank Group.

Strengthening collaboration among farmer hub owners, public institutions, private sector stakeholders, and development partners coupled with promoting sustainable agricultural practices through enhancing backward and forward market linkages was the prime objective of the event.

Around 120 participants, including 80 Farmer Hub Owners, who play a crucial role in providing services, inputs, and market linkages to farmers at the grassroots level, joined the conference.

Additional Director of Department of Agriculture Extension Dr Azizur Rahman, Deputy Directors SM Aminuzzaman and Sabina Begum, Executive Director of SAF Bangladesh Farhad Zamil, 2030 WRG Consultant Syeda Sitara Shahed, SAF Director Abdur Rouf and IWET Project Manager Shahidul Islam were present on the occasion.

Representatives from network management organizations, online sellers and mango processing enterprises reflected strong multi-stakeholder engagement. 

Besides, the conference focused on water-efficient technologies, sustainable input use, private sector engagement, and the role of farmer hubs in scaling climate-smart agriculture, particularly in the Barind region.
In his remarks, Dr Azizur Rahman highlighted the importance of collaboration between public institutions, private companies, and farmer-led enterprises to address quality inputs as well as forward market linkage and enhance agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner.

He said strengthening farmer hub networks, promoting efficient irrigation technologies, and enhancing market-oriented services for farmers can be the crucial means of making agriculture more value-added and profitable.

Dr Rahman attributed that the event facilitated experience sharing among Farmers’ Hub owners, government and private stakeholders.

In addition to strengthening business and market linkages, the conference promoted access to quality agricultural inputs, technologies and innovations supporting market-oriented and climate-resilient agricultural service delivery.
A small-scale climate-smart technology fair was organized alongside the conference to enable practical demonstrations and focused knowledge exchange.