# Modern agricultural machinery and technological services through the subsidy of the DAE brought about a revolutionary change
- Agriculturist Shahidur Rahman Khan, Former VC, KAU
# DAE ensured 30 percent participation of women in all types of agricultural training and demonstration activities
- Lubna Rahman, Deputy Director, DAE
# Projects are being prepared giving priority to the coast and haor area of the country
- Sadekur Rahman, Deputy Chief, DAE
About 85 percent of the population is directly or indirectly dependent on the agricultural sector, which is the main pillar of Bangladesh's economy. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) is working to maintain the development trend in the agriculture sector and implement the government's directives.
The DAE is playing an important role in taking the country from hunger-free to nutritious safe food Bangladesh and making the development achieved by completely poverty free and making it a developed country by 2041.
Although the agricultural land in the country is gradually decreasing every year to keep pace with the increase in population, the production of rice, potatoes, fruits, vegetables and maize has increased to a great extent in the last three decades.
The DAE is working to improve the quality of agriculture sector through the use of sustainable technology necessary for this radical change and modernization of the agricultural sector. The government organization has been working since its inception to improve the living standard of farmers dependent on agriculture and agriculture.
Meanwhile, agricultural extension services are being expanded in remote areas of the country by implementing research and activities of more than three thousand BCS Agricultural Cadre Officers and Agriculturists as well as more than 15 thousand Diploma Agriculturist Officers (Diploma Agriculturists). The DAE, which is constantly working to make the country self-sufficient in food, has its own office in every upazila of the country. Through which the department is working to improve the living standard of the farmers as well as to facilitate agriculture.
In 1870, the DAE was established as part of the Revenue Department, but later in 1906, the department was established as an independent department. In 1982, the DAE was formed by merging six agencies engaged in crop technology extension namely DA (E&M), DA (JP), Directorate of Plant Protection, Horticulture Board, Tobacco Development Board and SARDI.
The organization is working to create sustainable, safe and profitable agricultural areas, providing sustainable machinery, providing training, modernizing crops, diversifying crops, increasing production of nutrient-rich safe crops, improving marketing management and ensuring food security through profitable agriculture. DAE is working to increase the availability and supply of agricultural inputs. To increase crop production and productivity, the organization is organizing necessary workshops and trainings to provide advanced and conventional agricultural technology among the farmers and to enhance the skills of workers and farmers in using technology.
Not only technical services, the department is also working to supply various agricultural inputs including fertilizers and seeds and control the quality of pesticides, chemical fertilizers etc. The company is also playing a role in increasing the production and use of compost, vermicompost, green manure to protect soil health.
Besides, the department is producing, preserving and distributing quality seeds at the farmer level. As a result of these activities, the production of agricultural products is increasing even after the reductions of agricultural land, as well as the people related to agriculture are also praising the DAE.
Renowned agriculturist and former vice-chancellor of Khulna Agricultural University (KAU) Shahidur Rahman Khan told The Daily Post the government is giving huge incentives to the agriculture sector. The DAE is providing modern technology services to the farmers through subsidy. As a result, the hardship of the farmers to do farming is reduced and we are getting quality agricultural products. Due to modernization and the supply of machinery and technical services through the subsidy of the DAE, there has been a huge response. Besides, educated youth are also coming to agriculture.
The agriculturist also added that if these positive activities of the DAE are publicized more, the youth will show more interest in agriculture. Besides, farmers will be benefited more if the DAE is vocal in the field of marketing and monitoring.
Meanwhile, the DAE is working to involve women in the development of agriculture and increase their skills. It has ensured 30 percent participation of women in all types of training and demonstration activities. The organization is providing training on vermic dump, tricho compost and compost pit, homestead vegetable cultivation, roof garden, seed preservation, agricultural production, food and nutrition security and to become financially self-reliant. As a result, women are being encouraged to increase income through production and marketing of agricultural products.
Lubna Rahman, deputy director (farmer training wing) of the DAE, told The Daily Post that farmers are being trained through the project. Farm mechanization projects are underway in different upazilas. Women are being involved in various activities including seed lifting, cutting, composing. Women are being involved in seed preservation. So women are now able to run modern agricultural machinery.
According to the department, a radical change in production and productivity is being seen due to the expansion of necessary agricultural technology and tolerant varieties, assistance to farmers in getting agricultural credit, disaster management and agricultural rehabilitation, innovation and application of time-befitting technology in agriculture, relentless efforts and employment of farmers and dedicated activities of extension and research system institutions. The knowledge, skills and capabilities of farmers are also increasing manifold. Besides, the foundation of sustainable economic development has been strengthened by overcoming the long-term challenges of disasters including increasing the number of agricultural households and the impact of climate change, maintaining food and water security and environmental balance. For this, coastal and haor areas are being given priority in the formulation of the project.
Sadekur Rahman, deputy chief (project preparation) of the DAE, told The Daily Post that we are preparing projects keeping in mind the current climate change in agriculture. We prepare projects giving priority to coastal and haors. Usually, keeping the coast as the first priority, then the haor and plains, we prepare the projects and send them to the ministry. We are continuing the projects continuously through rotation so that agriculture is not disrupted.
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