Bangladesh will receive $447,000 in grants from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for safer pesticide management and green businesses led by rural women.
The Economic Relations Division (ERD) and the FAO signed two agreements in Dhaka yesterday to implement the projects.
ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky and FAO Representative in Bangladesh Jiaoqun Shi signed the agreements, according to a press release.
Of the total grant, $200,000 will fund a four-year project to strengthen pesticide management, while $247,000 will support a 24-month initiative to help rural women establish environmentally friendly businesses.
The first project, titled “Strengthening Capacities for Lifecycle Management of Pesticides”, is part of the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme, funded by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
The project will support updated pesticide regulations, digital registration systems, stronger enforcement and improved laboratory capacity for residue testing. It will also raise farmers’ awareness of safe pesticide use.
The project document reports that more than 30 percent of vegetables in Bangladesh contain excessive pesticide residues.
The second initiative, “Green Roots Women’s Farm Labs”, is being piloted in Bangladesh and Uganda. Building on the FAO’s Farmer Field School approach, it will help rural women develop green micro-businesses through training, appropriate technology, and access to finance and markets.