Dhaka: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on Wednesday called for stronger government leadership to translate growing knowledge and evidence on agricultural methane reduction into policies, programmes and investments for climate-resilient, low-emission agriculture in Bangladesh. The call came at the policy dialogue on ‘Accelerating Methane Reduction for Climate Resilience and Low-Emission Agriculture in Bangladesh’, organised by IFAD in Dhaka.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the event brought together government representatives, researchers, development partners, international financial institutions, civil society, private-sector actors, and farmer representatives to examine how evidence and technologies can inform national agricultural planning, investment and implementation. Speaking as the chief guest, Additional Agriculture Secretary Mostafa Kamal emphasised the importance of knowledge in strengthening future agricultural interventions. Kamal highlighted IFAD as a trusted partner that brings a global and tested knowledge base in agriculture and agroecology, urging for this knowledge to be translated into effective interventions.
IFAD Country Director for Bangladesh Valantine Achancho stressed the need for a cohesive national pathway led by the government. He highlighted the availability of evidence and technologies, and the presence of partners, asserting that alignment, policy commitment, and investment are necessary under government leadership. The dialogue explored approaches such as alternate wetting and drying, urea deep placement, smart irrigation, digital agriculture, livestock methane reduction, climate finance, carbon markets, and credible measurement, reporting, and verification systems.
Technical discussions underscored the importance of linking field evidence with policy, farmer incentives, extension systems, and investment. A panel including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Department of Environment, the Department of Agricultural Extension, Bangladesh Agricultural University, and the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute examined partner coordination, Nationally Determined Contribution implementation, and the relationship between methane reduction and food security.
Participants also engaged in thematic breakout sessions on methane-reduction technologies, climate finance and carbon markets, digital agriculture and IoT-enabled irrigation, and extension models for climate-smart agriculture. The dialogue builds on IFAD’s Reducing Agricultural Methane Programme (RAMP), which has supported various initiatives in Bangladesh. As this phase concludes, IFAD emphasised the need for actionable recommendations, a government-led roadmap, stronger delivery systems, credible emission reduction measurements, investment pathways, and improved institutional coordination.