Shahinur Rahman Sona, Rajshahi

Netherlands potato Valencia is being cultivated in Barendra region. Farmers are benefiting by cultivating this variety of potatoes using smart agriculture technology.

Impacts of climate change such as drought and salinity are among the obstacles to meeting the food needs of a growing population. Godagari of Rajshahi and Nachol upazila of Chapainawabganj are among the drought-prone regions of Bangladesh. The government has been running various agricultural activities to give more importance to these areas. But three teachers of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University are working to increase the yield of various crops by developing drought-tolerant crops by applying smart agricultural technology in all these drought-prone regions in cooperation with Dhaka Bank PLC to deal with the adverse environment caused by climate change.

Prof Dr. Zubair Al Mahmud of Department of Agriculture Forestry and Environmental Science, Professor Dr. Muhammad Mahbub Islam of Department of Agricultural Botany and Professor Dr. Md Hasanuzzaman of Department of Agricultural Theory.

These smart agricultural technologies include improved varieties of drought-tolerant, short-duration, high-yielding varieties of crops. Imported from Netherlands including Valencia potato varieties without mustard-9, without lentils-6 improved varieties of cucumber etc. Earthworm manure, humic acid etc. have been applied to the soil to improve soil health and fertility. Other techniques include mulching and lofting of vegetables. These technologies are being implemented in 30 demonstration plots in five different villages of two upazilas to create sustainable cropping systems, focusing on the comparative results of conventional farming and smart technology farming. For the implementation of this program, free seeds, fertilizers and other necessary agricultural materials are being provided from the project allocation of Dhaka Bank PLC. In addition, farmer training, field monitoring and necessary advice are being provided to increase farmers' knowledge and skills in this modern agriculture. Potato, mustard, lentil and cucumber etc. are being cultivated in the said project in rabi season.

At present, potatoes are being collected from Kazipara field of Mohanpur, Godagari, Rajshahi. Demonstration plot farmers Jasim Uddin and Gholam Mustafa harvested potatoes from their field, showing a yield increase of about 40% compared to conventional varieties and farming methods. If the CSR fund of Dhaka Bank PLC continues under the guidance of Bangladesh Bank, it will be possible to deal with the damage caused by climate change, increase the production of crops and improve food security and quality of life of farmers.

Farmers Jasim Uddin and Gholam Mostafa, the potato growers of the exhibition plot, said that the yield of Dutch Valencia variety of potatoes is higher than that of ordinary potatoes. It also takes less time than indigenous varieties. The yield is about 100 sacks per bigha. By this we farmers are benefiting.