Partnership! Does it always a force marriage for professionals in development projects?

The issue of multi organizational partnership is the key factor for development even by it comes from government initiatives. The panelists of the 2^nd day sessions from the E-AG conference 2014 in Dhaka has discussed the difficulties and prospective attitudes to deal with partnership in developmental works. This conference was organized by BIID(Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development), mPower, MEAS and CRS and was ran for 3^rd and 4^th December at Pan Pacific Hotel.

“There would be more opportunities in building partnership when government is welling to create it with private organizations and obviously for private initiatives it is always worthy to work with government. Generally, public staffs in most of the time are inefficient and in this case, it can make opportunities if NGOs try to rich and support public service agents to be efficient. Though it is not profitable to serve community but sometimes its needed to be involve in non-profitable activities” mentioned by Andreas Bohn, expert in agriculture extension and advisory services, University of Illinois.

“If Agriculture Information System is present, value chain is the right in the development”, she also included when it become a major discussion issue on how partnership can be brought to enhance development using ICT.

Mahmud Hossain added as a panelist that it is very necessary to dissemination of knowledge and experiences country-wide. He is the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer in Grameenphone, Bangladesh.

Can ICT be used in education, extension in University level? If this become a question, experts said this is not the only country like Bangladesh needs ICT to integrate into education and knowledge exchange and its really quite exceptional if it is the USA.  Three external and internal factors involve in involvement of ICT in education: government, educational ministry and Universities like, if a agriculture student do an internship in an ICT organization this can easily influence others to be interested his/her career in such techno-based agro initiatives.

It has been recommended from the professionals from the conference that we have to do such kind of workshop/seminars to involve government and policy makers. Thus it can be a formal way to be act, like government would lead initiative under their umbrella which can bring all the actors and be gathered easily and another is non-formal e.g. development of a forum. Such as B.net (Bangladesh agriculture network) is trying to develop by the Bangladesh government which can bring the professionals into a common platform and all the actors in agriculture(from farmers to experts) can join here.

(more pictures are here).

Bring everyone with common interest of ICT is now one of the major tasks to step forward to fasten agriculture with development if you really think to kick off it in developing countries like Bangladesh even after two third of its populations are using cell phones!

ICT Experts Heading in Dhaka to Enhance Agricultural Development in Bangladesh: Connecting Farmers and ICT

"This is true, when a hawker shouts in streets and lanes to collect and buy trashed papers from house as well as watching a video song in cell phone, to imagine undoubtedly the fascination of mobile use in Bangladesh" said by Dr. Craig Meisner, Country Director, World Fish Center at the very early morning of 3rd December at E-AG Conference 2014. This event is holding at Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka. Not only him, several speakers mentioned as the same that they are fully motivated with the scenario of mass use of mobile on an average of 73% of Bangladeshis and 50% poor families have cell phone. It is not the matter that the device is used widely, the fact is that it the most vital tool to communicate with farmers, share formation and deliver services to accelerate the agricultural development in the country. Ether youths or even older persons are very eager to use the device and ready to accept services through it. There are many successful stories in most developed countries and now in several developing countries like Bangladesh. Putting the ICT in the front, from experts to researchers, University faculties, beneficiaries and policy makers gathered in the conference to present their activities, share experiences and delivers difficulties they are facing to step forwards. They hope to carry the issue of connecting ICT with agriculture and make the farmers more functional and efficient in Bangladesh. 

The team of YPARD (Young professionals for Agricultural Development) Bangladesh has the gratitude to the organizers for finding scope to act as social media representative for the event.

The two days conference will be held to find recommendations to the government to bring the service comfortable to the farmers and related stakeholders. This conference is solely organized by partnership with BIID (Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development), mPower, MEAS and CRS. All the people in the field of ICT and agriculture sectors are looking forward for the outcomes of this long-waited event.