"SEC | S20W4: "ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN THE ECONOMY"

Hello Friends,
Going to submit my participation titled Role of Agriculture in Economy organized by @xkool24 in Engagement Challenge Week 4. I am a Bangladeshi and Bangladesh is an agricultural country, 80% of people are directly and indirectly involved in agriculture. Agriculture is one of the means for our food security and poverty alleviation of rural life. I invite you to participate @max-pro @memamun @mostofajaman on the role of agriculture in this economy.

Homework1:

A. Explain the social and industrial role of agriculture in your country, looking at one of the major crops grown.

The soil of Bangladesh is very fertile and suitable for agriculture. Each region of Bangladesh is famous for producing different crops, but rice is produced equally across the country. All over Bangladesh, rice, jute, sugarcane, maize, almonds, chilli, mustard, wheat and many other crops are cultivated. While 80 percent of the total population is involved in agriculture, 100 percent of the people in the villages are involved in agriculture. Agriculture is socially food security, employment is created through this agriculture for a certain period of the rural population.

Rice is our main food crop which is produced all over the country of Bangladesh which makes us self-sufficient in food and contributes positively to the national GDP. Bangladesh produces rice mainly for domestic consumption. Even though we export very little, we do not need to import if our agriculture is not damaged by floods. Considering the industry, the rice mills of our country create employment for many people.

b. How has this major grown agricultural product helped in poverty reduction as well as rural development in your country?

^{Employment of men and women in agriculture}

As I mentioned above, 100 percent of the rural population of Bangladesh is directly involved in agriculture, some as owners and some as workers. Growing every crop in Bangladesh still requires a lot of labor (planting, applying fertilizers and pesticides, harvesting and processing). By engaging in these activities, poverty groups generate employment and reduce their poverty through this income.

Rice is not only cultivated and produced but also has a wider scope. Creation of paddy market and large labor and economic activities are conducted in this market which plays a major role in developing the rural economy. After the paddy is marketed it goes to rice mills for processing and marketing which creates additional employment and promotes rural development.

Homework2:

c. What are the main challenges for your country's top crops (eg, cocoa, palm, maize, wheat, rice, etc.) in terms of economic impact?

The main challenge for agriculture is unintended (natural) disasters which are predictable and very difficult to overcome. This time Bangladesh agriculture suffered a big blow due to the flood situation where crops of target hectares of land were submerged and which were completely destroyed. This year's floods were a threat to agriculture in some areas. Similarly drought (lack of rain) becomes a challenge for our agriculture. Our changing climate threatens food security and agricultural economics.

Also crop growing diseases hamper rice production. Repeated cultivation of the same crop on the same land is depleting the soil and overuse of chemicals which will affect the yield in the long run. As agricultural labor does not earn much, many people are losing interest in this work, thus labor shortage is becoming a major challenge.

Even if the agricultural yield is high, if the supply in this market increases, the price will rise and the income will change due to the farmers not getting fair price.

Homework3:

d What current or past government initiatives are increasing agricultural productivity in your country?"

To increase the agricultural productivity of Bangladesh, the government established the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and through research from the institute, research is carried out to increase the production of rice and develop new varieties of rice. Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) is another organization for agricultural development of the Government of Bangladesh which works for overall development of agriculture. Fertilizers for agriculture from BADC provides subsidies and supplies of better quality seeds and modern technology agricultural equipment to encourage farmers.

Increases interest in agriculture by providing microcredit for agricultural development and farmer financial support. A team of government is working on information supply for agriculture to know climate and reduce losses by providing advance weather information. Advanced agricultural training and advice on growing different crops on the same land.

In order for the farmer to get fair price for the crop, the government has taken the initiative of buying paddy directly from the farmer and providing fair price to the farmer which frees the farmer from financial loss and worry of selling the crop.

e. What solutions can increase agricultural productivity and growth in your country?

Improved agriculture and self-sufficiency in production gives Bangladesh food security. But there are still many hurdles in agriculture which if solved will improve agriculture and farmers. I mention some of the ongoing problems and solutions to many of Bangladesh's problems.

• Advances in Agricultural Research: At present most of the time agriculture is suffering due to climate change. Improved seed production in Bangladesh agriculture It is imperative to bring a permanent solution to climate change in agriculture by producing seeds of varieties that have tolerance to climate. At the same time ensuring soil health improvement and nutrition by conducting soil research.

• Improved Irrigation System: Irrigation is very important in agriculture and agriculture is impossible without irrigation. Drip irrigation from natural sources or from rivers needs to be improved to ensure improved irrigation system to ensure irrigation during drought.

• Development of technology: The current fourth industrial revolution is going on and technology is being touched in every field. Similarly, technology is also being touched in agriculture. Government measures are being taken to make it more advanced and permanent. For example, availability of rice planter machine for planting paddy and harvester for harvesting will promote more agriculture to eliminate labor shortage.

• Market regulation: Agricultural production is not the end but it is very important to regulate crop storage, transportation, and sale and market so that farmers get fair price for their produce and gain interest in agriculture.

It is also possible to ensure disease diagnosis and use of bio-chemicals for agricultural development and to increase production in agriculture by diversifying cultivation rather than cultivating the same crop over and over again.

Thanks for reading my post
Good luck to you.
I wish you well