Eco-friendly Pest Management for Good Agricultural Practice
Dr. Mohammad Arifur Rahman, Bangladesh, Regional Alumni Campaign on Agricultural Study in South-East Asia
Mohammad Arifur Rahman from Bangladesh is an awardee of The Netherlands Government’s NFP/TP Fellowship on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) & Food Safety at Wageningen University in 2012. He now holds his PhD degree and has been assigned as Senior Scientific Officer at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) under the Ministry of Agriculture. Introducing himself as an ‘entomologist’, Mohammad concerns to develop eco-friendly IPM packages which help farmers to grow more food by protecting field & fruit crops from insect pests to ensure increasing productivity. He conducts Training of Trainers (ToT) to producers, delivering lectures and presentation on integrated pest management (IPM) against Insect pest of field & fruit crops and food safety.
For Mohammad, taking a career path in eco-friendly pest management and food safety gives him an ample opportunity to work as a global citizen as well as from farm to factory by protecting field & fruit crops from insect pests to ensure increasing productivity. As a food safety professional, he strives to ensure a healthy world and well-being of millions by preventing food-borne pathogens to which also related to food security.
Studying agriculture in the Netherlands was a decision taken from various considerations. Despite that the Netherlands is the second largest exporter (65 billion Euros each year) of agricultural goods in the world, Dutch education system and the way of life convinced him to grab the opportunity.
"I have seen the vitality of Dutch positivity, straight forwardness, professionalism, innovativeness, and warmth of friendship from my Dutch friend (who lived in Bangladesh) which inspired me a lot to fill-up the scholarship form.”
The gathered knowledge and experience from the Netherlands urged Mohammad to bring changes to his community back in Bangladesh. The Dutch’s green house method is one out of many lessons and inspirations he can share to Bangladesh’s entrepreneurs. He and the community could latter set-up the instruments for the pesticide residual analytical laboratory. He also manages the Netherlands Alumni activities at home to developed capacity building and project development. Studying in the Netherlands has brought him improvement in knowledge and skill in integrated pest management and food safety as well as leading him toward his current career path.
There are still many challenges to realize such eco-friendly pest management in the country. He recognizes the work just like a marathon as he needs to speak, share ideas and technologies to farmers, while their working place (laboratory and field) remains lack equipped. Nevertheless, the knowledge and experiences he gained from studying in the
Netherlands and other global exposures encourages him to keep working on it and being efficient at the same time.
Encouraging young people, either from his homeland or abroad to study agriculture in the Netherlands considered as a must for him. The Netherlands been foremost for its high-tech system and institution on agricultural production and quality of environment. More than that, there are many notable figures who possibly influencing many more young people to be engaged in agricultural sector.
“[the Netherlands have many] resourceful academicians & trainers and have vast practical experience on agricultural products as commercial business which can influence young people for taking its as profitable job. It will pursue a positive impact to young people for taking an agricultural entrepreneurship.”
Making more young people to be interested in studying agriculture, it is important to make some improvements include the network and social media link on agriculture, optimizing the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), empowering young people to speak up, a fair youth policies as youth empowerment (Govt. policy instrument, Institution, Financial support and Marketing, etc), insurance for crop/animal/fish farming, gender impartiality, inter-sectoral approach and research & extension linkage are to be developed and put in place. Youth training canters can take foreign exposure trip for the young people, as a part of training, to encourage them in farming.