—Md. Toufique Hossain—

Food insecurity and global warming are two big problems facing the world now. Agroecology with its earth-friendly farming practices can help resolve these issues to a considerable extent. Sixteen out of every ten people in South Asia depend on agriculture for their livelihood. So, the countries in this region can utilise this latent capacity and convert the agrarian existence into profitable ventures.

Agroecology means incorporating ecological principles and socio-economic issues into the agri-food systems with the aim of ensuring sustainable agricultural development. The original proponents of ecological farming, which later developed into agroecology, were the likes of J. Russell Smith and Charles A. L. Schlich. Agroecology developed as a credible alternative to industrial agriculture in the 1970s.

It is mentionable here that the National Agroecology Program in Nepal, funded by groups like Helvetas Nepal, works with local people to improve soil quality, grow species diversity and fortify resilience to the effects of climate change by means of agroecological methods raising farmers’ earnings. Changes in conventional methods indicate that the South Asian territory has the power to transform green soils into economic and self-sustaining potential. Meanwhile, small farmers in Bangladesh have also started to embrace agroecology thanks to many development projects. These projects enable farmers to raise their income by increasing their yield and crop resilience.

These initiatives are also helping to save the environment by means of sustainable agricultural techniques by lowering the amount of chemicals used and restoring soil health, thereby not only enhancing the level of living for rural areas but also aiding to preserve nature. In a country like Bangladesh, where agriculture is the backbone of the economy, agroecology swoops in as a fast remedy to South Asia’s pressing concern about food insecurity and climate change. Lots of financial support to augment agroecology, policies that provide an environment for eco-friendly agricultural innovations, access to microfinance, and teaching farmers, and these all defined by sustainable production systems, ought to be brainstormed and put in place for agroecology to bear maximum fruits.

The FAO’s publication ‘Finance for Agroecology: More Than Just a Dream?’ reiterates that these financial commitments are needed for agroecological methods to become a reality; otherwise, without good financing, the transformation to sustainable farming will remain a distant goal. By offering public policy direction to financial resources, therefore, Bangladesh can provide farmers with necessary support for the transformation and establish thereby an environment in which agroecology is the foundation of a prosperous and resilient agriculture.

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The writer is Deputy Coordinator (Fin Tech Unit), WAVE Foundation. Email: toufique @wavefoundationbd.or