The Department of Economics of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) has organised a Seminar on Agriculture and its Prospects for Sustainable Development in Bangladesh” under the prestigious “Dr. AnwarulAbedin Lecture Series” of AIUB on Monday at AIUB.
The “Dr. AnwarulAbedin Lecture Series” is an initiative to facilitate the engagement of students in learning and interacting ideas with the experts from a specific field to cater to the quest for the factual and meaningful education.
The seminar was graced with the presence of IshtiaqueAbedin, Founder Member and Chairman, Board of Trustees, American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) as the special guest of the occasion. The distinguished Keynote Speaker of the seminar was ShykhSeraj, Director and Head of News, Channel i and an agricultural activist in Bangladesh.
In his keynote speech, Seraj has talked about the evolution of agriculture sector in Bangladesh from its independence till today. He said that agriculture in Bangladesh is vital for people's livelihood, employment, and it is contribution to GDP is undeniable.
He also mentioned that there are three driving forces of our economy, i.e., farming, RMG and remittance—in all these sectors, the sons and daughters of farmers are working.
And they're sending money to their parents in the villages. And this money is being invested in farming, either at small scale or in large scale farming initiatives. This has not only strengthened our economy but has empowered the youth, especially the women. Moreover, agricultural tourism has opened a new door for us. He also mentioned about Climate change, which we have to face with the facilitation of new agricultural technologies and adaptability.
Seraj stressed on the development of curriculum addressing the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and its involvement in modern agriculture practices.
Then there was an open floor discussion for the audience. Students and faculty members participated in the discussion session by sharing their queries with the invited speaker.
IshtiaqueAbedin, Founder Member and Chairman, Board of Trustees of AIUB highlighted the importance of modern agriculture practices infused with cutting edge technology to overcome the recent socio-economic challenges and put an emphasis on discussing the possible ways forward for sustainable development in Bangladesh. He concluded with a vote of thanks with appreciation to the speaker and the enthusiastic audience.
In the end, a token of appreciation and a crest was handed over to the Speaker by Chairman, Board of Trustees, AIUB.
