The Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), a development finance organisation supporting poverty reduction and rural livelihoods, and CAB International, a global agricultural research and development organisation, have joined forces to promote safer and more climate-resilient farming in Bangladesh.
The two organisations signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday titled ‘Up-scaling of Sustainable Agroecological Farming in Bangladesh’, focusing on reducing farmers’ production costs, cutting harmful pesticide use and expanding environmentally sustainable farming practices.
The partnership comes as farmers face rising input costs alongside growing climate and environmental risks. By promoting biological pest control and locally produced bio-pesticides, the initiative aims to reduce dependence on harmful chemical pesticides while improving food safety and protecting public health.
PKSF Managing Director Md Fazlul Kader, who chaired the signing ceremony, said Bangladesh needs to advance agriculture through science-based and market-driven solutions while equipping farmers with skills to adopt modern and environmentally friendly practices.
He also highlighted opportunities for local farmers to develop microenterprises producing bio-pesticides, which could lower production costs, create rural income opportunities and reduce environmental risks.
CAB International Regional Director for South Asia Vinod Pandit said the initiative would focus on reducing harmful pesticide use through training and stronger technical capacity for safer biological pest-control solutions.
The programme will also raise awareness among agricultural stakeholders, strengthen digital data management and develop market-based partnerships to reduce farmers’ costs and promote environmentally friendly agriculture.
Under the agreement, CAB International’s PlantwisePlus programme will provide technical expertise, while PKSF will use its implementation capacity and extensive grassroots network to strengthen the skills of smallholder and marginal farmers and expand adoption of agroecological practices.
The memorandum was signed by PKSF Deputy Managing Director Akond Mohammad Rafiqul Islam and CAB International Regional Director for South Asia Vinod Pandit. CAB International Country Representative in Bangladesh Saleh Ahmed also spoke at the event.
The initiative could help address two pressures facing Bangladesh’s farmers at once: rising production costs and growing climate and environmental risks. Expanding biological pest control and local bio-pesticide production could reduce dependence on chemical inputs while creating new rural microenterprise opportunities and supporting safer food production.
