SASKATOON — A research and training initiative launched by the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture in Bangladesh has received a $56.2 million commitment from the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
The funding, to be invested over five years, will support the establishment of the Bangabandhu-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Agriculture Technology Centre (BP-ATC) as a centre of excellence at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute in Gazipur, Bangladesh.
The commitment to the BP-ATC will support the development of research infrastructure and help GIFS, BARC, and other partners to purchase equipment, train more than 30 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, and lead research enhancing wheat, rice, lentils, canola, and other crops.
Approximately $9.8 million will support research and training occurring within Saskatchewan through activities at GIFS and other partners, including the Global Institute for Water Security, USask College of Agriculture and Bioresources, the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre, the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute, and the National Research Council of Canada.
“With the expertise of Saskatchewan’s agri-food sector, we are building capacity and infrastructure to support advanced research in Bangladesh that can inform sustainable, climate-resilient agriculture in that country, as well as Canada.” said Dr. Steven Webb, CEO, Global Institute for Food Security/
GIFS’ partnership with BARC was established in 2020 to promote sustainable food security. Bangladesh has experienced food security and production challenges resulting from rapid population growth, loss of agricultural land to urbanization, post-harvest losses and climate-induced stresses, including drought, heat, and soil salinity.
Research and innovation have driven Canada’s and Saskatchewan’s agriculture success and GIFS’ partnership with BARC is designed to use these assets to deliver joint programs that enhance farmer incomes, address the effects of climate change, and provide valuable research information for Saskatchewan and Canadian agriculture.
Through the BP-ATC, partners in Saskatchewan and Canada will contribute to programs pursuing the following research objectives within Bangladesh:
Enhance crop breeding and plant improvement using genomics and phenomics;
Advance soil health and quality;
Improve soil water regime and adaptation;
Deliver innovations for post-harvest food handling and processing; and
Increase data management and analytics in agricultural research.
Since the establishment of the GIFS-BARC partnership, GIFS has opened its regional office in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and established two research chairs in food security — one at USask, held by Dr. Andrew Sharpe of GIFS, and a second in Bangladesh — who are already working with graduate students and post-doctoral fellows researching plant genomics and postharvest traits.
“The infrastructure we are building, scientists we are training and research we are conducting will support enhanced and sustainable agriculture for future generations in Bangladesh,” said Dr. Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, executive chairman, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council
The BP-ATC’s name recognizes the longstanding ties between Canada and Bangladesh. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and Canada – led by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau at the time – was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.
The GIFS-BARC partnership also builds on the history of collaboration and trade between Saskatchewan and Bangladesh, which is one of the province’s Top 10 trading partners.
For more information on the GIFS-BARC partnership and the BP-ATC, see .
— Submitted by USask Media Relations
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