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Agricultural
Database
National
Agriculture Policy:
Food-based
Nutrition:
As a follow up to the World
Declaration of the International Conference on Nutrition, 1992, the
following agriculture related programs are identified:
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Improving nutritional
objectives, components and considerations into development policies
and programs.
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Improving food security
down to the household level.
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Protecting consumers
through improved food quality and food safety.
The government has already
approved the National Food and Nutrition Policy and the National Plan of
Action on Nutrition in the light of unanimously adopted resolutions of the
above mentioned conference. In this perspective efforts are being made to
increase production and supply of nutritious crops and thus improve the
status of food-based nutrition through implementing nutritional programs
in the agriculture sector. These development activities will be continued.
Environmental
Protection in Agriculture:
One of the objectives of the
National Agriculture Policy is to create awareness so that the chemical
fertilizers and pesticides used for increased crop production do not turn
out to be responsible for environmental pollution.
Water logging and salinity are appearing to be a serious problem in some
parts of the country including the coastal areas which is not only a
threat to the agricultural activities in those areas but also can cause a
great damage to the overall environment. The steps to be taken by the
government in this respect are:
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Measures will be taken
to resist water logging and the farmers will be motivated to follow
appropriate crop rotation as well as to practice crop and fish culture
by turns.
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Salt tolerant crop
varieties will be developed and extended along with possible measures
to resist salinity.
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Considering the
environmental hazards associated with the implementation of crop
production policy, necessary steps will be taken to protect the
environment in the light of the approved National Environment and
Water Policies.
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Although earning of
foreign exchange is largely attributed to the shrimp culture in the
southern saline areas, saline
water together with shrimp disposals in shrimp enclosures and adjacent
areas have been appearing as a source of
environmental pollution. In this respect, realistic steps will be
taken in the light of the already formulated Fisheries
Policy.
Women
in Agriculture:
In the socio-economic
context of Bangladesh, involvement of women in agriculture is very
important. It would be easier to control rural-urban migration by engaging
women in agricultural activities to a greater extent. Considering
women’s involvement in agriculture, the following programs will be taken
up for enhancing their role under the scope of the National Agriculture
Policy:
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Agriculture related
activities like post harvest operations, seed preservation, nursery
business, jute stripping, vegetable cultivation, homestead gardening,
floriculture, production of horticultural seeds, establishment and
management of cottage industries based on locally produced
agricultural commodities, etc. are very suitable for women. Extensive
training programs will be conducted and capital support will be
provided to encourage women’s interest and improve their skill in
such activities.
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Separate extension
program will be organized for women in the light of the New
Agricultural Extension Policy (NAEP), as they also take part in the
production of field crops.
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Appropriate research
program will be undertaken to identify constraints with regard to
women’s participation in agricultural activities and measures will
be taken to remove those identified constraints.
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