I have participated in nearly 50 F2F Assignments in the past 22 years but this is my first visit to Bangladesh. The level of poverty, the small farms, the density of agricultural activities, and the tropical conditions were all that I expected and more. However, I was not prepared for the Bangladesh people. I found the people of the Satkhira region of southwest Bangladesh delightful. They were open, courteous, sharing, appreciative, diligent, and smart. I will look forward to a return visit in the future.

My assignment focused upon a 5-day training of small scale youth farmers in basic techniques for commercial vegetable seed production. Rice and jute are the primary cash crops of the region, but we focused upon tomato, pepper, eggplant, cucumber, pumpkin, and gourd seed production. After reviewing basic plant biology, I covered seed production technology. The final day concluded with a field trip to a government-operated rice breeding project and foundation seed producer. Although on a much grander scale, participants were able to see basic processes, seed treatments, seed testing, and storage of agricultural seed in their home territory.

Dr. Williams shows the farmers the symptoms of insect attacks and prevalence of powdery mildew problems on cucumber leaves during a field visit

Dr. Williams shows another farmer the damage and color change on eggplant leaves due to an aphids’ attack

The conditions were not perfect. The electricity went on and went off and temperatures in the seminar room were sometimes hot, but no one complained. Participants came up to me many times and said how much they enjoyed the presentations and appreciated the information I was sharing with them. During the field visits, farmers showed enthusiasm for information and techniques in plant protection and cultivation.

The experience was truly humbling. I sincerely hope my efforts will help some of the Bangladeshi people to attain their goals and dreams.

Dr. Williams shows a group of farmers how to get rid of unwanted plants from any kind of orchard during a practical training session

Thomas Sallee recently returned from his second trip to Bangladesh, where he built the statistical analysis skills of faculty from Jessore University of Science and Technology and International University of Business Agriculture and Technology in order for them to conduct improved, advanced agricultural research. He shares his thoughts below on the differences and similarities between his two trips to Bangladesh. 

My second visit to Bangladesh was somewhat different from my first trip. This time it was during the monsoon season which came early this year. It rained just about every day while I was in Dhaka, although mostly at night and in the early morning so I never got soaking wet. Also, my hosts were very considerate and held umbrellas for me and loaded me into vehicles under overhangs or covers. Luckily, none of the areas where I needed to visit were flooded although some parts of the city did experience inundated streets. Other parts of the country weren’t as fortunate. Heavy rains further upstream in India and Nepal along with locally severe rains caused extensive flooding in the eastern part of the country. The people I spoke with endured this with an optimistic resiliency based on the fact that they had seen this year after year and had always come through it and prospered. In Dhaka, I provided some training at the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT). This University, founded in 1991, was the first private university in Bangladesh.

I also presented training at Jessore University of Science and Technology (JUST), a newer public university, founded in 2007. The rains continued as I traveled to Jessore. Again, my hosts graciously arranged to keep me dry and comfortable. I saw jute being grown, a new experience for me. Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. At one time jute was a major export crop for Bangladesh, but declined as a significant crop as plastics took over the bag and rope market. Today, as the world tries to reduce its dependence on petroleum products, there has been a small revival in jute production.

Another difference from my previous visit was that mangoes and jackfruit were in season. Again, my hosts were diligent in providing for me and I had plenty of delicious fresh fruit. I didn’t know there was such an assortment of mangoes. The inside of each variety has a unique color ranging from light yellow to dark gold. The flavors are also quite different. I ate a lot of mango and finally decided I couldn’t pick a favorite. They were all delicious. I also ate a lot of fresh jackfruit, which is nearly impossible to find back home. I didn’t know that the seeds of the jackfruit could be prepared and eaten several different ways. I had some that had been roasted and it reminded me of eating unsalted roasted peanuts.

I would like to share how my Winrock International USAID-funded Farmer to Farmer (F2F) volunteer assignment was one of much excitement and full of very rewarding humbling experiences. One experience stands out as a professional one that led to a career culminating experience for me that I would like to share in this blog. The experience deals with my career as an irrigation agronomist/horticulturist of 42 years (1975-2017), which concentrated on “drip irrigation technology” in developed and developing countries. My initial career path in drip irrigation technology started in 1975 with my research at Virginia Tech as a Ph.D. student in the Department of Horticulture doing research on the development and use of drip irrigation on tomatoes in Western Virginia. The drip system that I was using to irrigate the tomato plants with was developed and provided for my research by Mr. Richard Chapin of Chapin Watermatics, considered to be the “Father of Drip Irrigation” in the United States.

My drip irrigation career took me to developing drip systems for bananas and pineapples in Honduras, Costa Rica, and Hawaii with Dole Foods, working with commercial drip irrigation vegetable growers in Florida. In addition, I was involved in agricultural development projects with USAID and USDA where drip irrigation for fruit and vegetable growers was emphasized in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Guinea, Senegal, and finally- in Bangladesh. The drip irrigation projects that I was involved in were not all success stories. One in particular failed in 1987 in six months after I departed the country, due to the end of the development project I was serving on. Failure occurred because there was not a dealer network for drip irrigation supplies and technical support. This failure haunted me for a long time. The training experience with Winrock International in March-April 2017 has left me very excited and encouraged about the drip irrigation systems. I used Mr. Chapin’s drip tape that was installed by the Thanarbaid banana growers in the Madhupur Upazila of Tangail District in Bangladesh through the auspices of Shalom (formerly Church of Bangladesh Social Development Programme-CBSDP and their Youth Beneficiary Group). Drip irrigation success in Bangladesh is assured via dedicated banana farmers, Winrock International, USAID, and partner, ACI Agribusiness, who works with Jain Irrigation of India, a key supplier of drip irrigation technology, including Chapin drip tape. What a rewarding experience it was to culminate my drip irrigation career knowing that drip irrigation technology in Bangladesh will thrive and serve as a food security tool to help feed the people of Bangladesh.

Dr. Kovach working with the banana farmers to connect the tubes through the bottom of the bucket to the irrigation tape.

Dr. Kovach with banana farmers over the Chapin Drip Irrigation Tape. Note the dark circles next to the black drip tape where water has come out of the water emitting orifices and began to wet the soil to supply water to the banana plants.

Chapin Bucket Drip Irrigation System supplying water to the two black drip tubes next to the banana plants. The major advantage to using drip irrigation versus the traditional irrigation method of flooding the field is in water savings, where 50% less water is needed to irrigate banana crops.

Dr. Kovach observes one of the participants pouring urea mixed water into the buckets to provide plants with water and fertilizer through the Chapin Bucket Drip system in the orchard.

This week’s blog comes from F2F volunteer, Thomas Sallee, who traveled to Bangladesh to build the capacity of faculty and students from Khulna University Life Science School and Sylhet Agricultural University on advanced statistical analysis in agricultural research. Mr. Sallee is an agricultural economist and a former agent with the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). He also has experience working in nine developing countries where he has designed software and management systems for agricultural data and provided training on data collection, database design, survey design, and data analysis using statistical software packages.

“When I arrived in Dhaka I expected a lot of traffic and I wasn’t disappointed. Honking horns from rickshaws to compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to buses surrounded me. But I never saw any accidents during my entire stay. Dhaka is a large modern city with high-rise buildings and nice hotels. Flying to Jessore on my way to Khulna was quick and easy and the drive to Khulna took me through some beautiful countryside. Even though it was the end of the dry season, the irrigated rice paddies were lush and green and seemed to stretch on as far as I could see. Khulna is a divisional city with many modern buildings and shops filled with fashionable clothes and the hotel where I stayed was as nice as any I’ve stayed in back in the States. The people I met were friendly and courteous. Participants involved in the training I was providing at Khulna University were knowledgeable and quick to grasp new ideas. They were also hospitable and invited me to a barbeque of delicious chicken. I enjoyed all the food in Bangladesh, but the friendly atmosphere of the barbeque made this meal particularly pleasant.

Traveling to Sylhet I saw a different landscape full of hills and tea gardens. I had never seen tea being grown before and it was interesting to see the sturdy green shrubs clinging to the sides of the sometimes rather steep hillsides. I wondered how the harvesters could trudge along those narrow paths carrying baskets full of tea on their backs, but it is all they do for a living and they seem to have learned how to overcome gravity. A tour of a tea drying plant, which was founded in 1875, was also quite fascinating. I was invited to a dinner party by the participants in the training at Sylhet Agricultural University. This was a banquet at which various participants played the harmonium, drums, and the flute, accompanying themselves beautifully as they sang songs composed by their Nobel Laurate, Rabindra Nath Tagore. Finally, the group sang several traditional folk songs with quite a lot of gusto and hand clapping. After a delicious meal, they kindly presented me with a miniature rickshaw, which is the customary gift for visitors to Bangladesh. They also graciously gave me a gift of a purse to take to my wife back home.

Although Kabaddi is their national sport, cricket is very popular in Bangladesh. While I was there, Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in Test cricket[1] for the first time ever and became the fourth team in the history of cricket to win their 100th Test match. The whole country was celebrating. Everyone was more than happy to explain what was happening and by the end of the second day I could almost keep up with the play-by-play announcers.

I really enjoyed my time in Bangladesh, with its beautiful scenery, cheerful people, and wonderful food. Everyone I met was interested in the United States and thought highly of Americans. Even though there have been rare isolated incidents, I never felt threatened or alarmed. My only concern was trying not to eat too much of the delicious food.”

[1] Test match cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket and regarded by players and serious cricket fans as the ultimate test of playing ability as compared to one-day international cricket. Test matches are played only between national representative teams selected from the best players within a particular nation.

This week’s blog comes from F2F volunteer, Dr. Peter Flanagan, an experienced professional in ruminant farming, including dairy production and reproduction management (goats, sheep, and cattle). He also has extensive international development experience and has worked in South Sudan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and India. He currently resides in Guam, where he has established a veterinary clinic. He recently returned from Bangladesh, where he provided training to youth goat farmers and host staff on improved goat rearing techniques, including climate-smart adaptation practices.

“Standing in the long line at the immigration desk at the Dhaka International Airport provided ample opportunity to wonder what the next two weeks would be like. As the assignment unfolded, it turns out that the 2 hours needed to obtain the visa was more likely the result of unfortunate timing rather than an omen of things to come. Once the logistics were under the direct control of Winrock management, travel was easy. No other significant delays hampered the smooth flow of the remainder of the trip.

Upon arrival at the Winrock International office, I received a warm reception by Dr. Kabir, Dr. Rahman, Mr. Badal, and other Winrock staff. The program managers provided clear guidance on what the assignment would entail and were especially thorough when reviewing the safety precautions, which were followed conscientiously by the entire staff for the duration of the assignment. After a long night on several airplanes, it was pure pleasure to plunge into the luxurious comfort of the Bengal Inn, which is located just around the corner of the Winrock offices.

The first thing in the morning, my companion for the next 10 days, Dr. Rahman, joined me for the short flight to Jessore, followed by a 2-hour drive to the headquarters of Satkhira Unnayan Sangstha (SUS), my host for this assignment. For the remainder of the assignment, Rahman was a good-humored companion who assured that everything flowed smoothly from his invaluable translations, to his seamless coordination of various activities, to his willingness to provide insightful cultural information.

We were greeted warmly by the SUS staff, including Mr. Sk. Eman Ali, the founder and Executive Director of this NGO, which has focused on improving people’s livelihoods in this rural area in southwest Bangladesh. Over lunch, Mr. Ali described the wide range of activities that the 400+ employees of SUS have been involved in over the past 30 years. Lunch was the first of many, many scrumptious meals served by the SUS kitchen. I never would have guessed that I would gain weight on this assignment, but the abundant fish, meat, vegetables, and fruit were quite simply too delicious to resist. After lunch, we joined a group of SUS employees to visit a small homestead and a local village to observe typical goat husbandry practices in the area. Of course, the villagers were as curious about me as I was about them. Wherever we went we were surrounded by local people who were ready to answer my many questions about their daily goat-rearing practices. I slept very well at the SUS headquarters, where the accommodations were clean, comfortable and secure.

Dr. Flanagan is welcomed by goat farmers during a field visit

The next day was consumed by site visits to villages and households, where goats are raised for supplemental income. The visits provided a good opportunity to observe and discuss routine husbandry practices, including feeding, housing, and medical care. After lunch we traveled 1 hour south to a homestead located in the flood areas. The farmer reported that his small plot of land adjacent to a medium-sized canal is flooded annually, and thus he is only able to harvest one crop of rice each year. As a result of the flooding, the land is increasingly salinized. A taste of the dirt revealed just how salty it had become. His goats were left to scrounge what they could from the sparse vegetation that managed to grow. The farmer described in detail how he has to relocate his household during the rainy season every year.

It was remarkable to see in this case and many other cases, just how vulnerable the villagers are to the indiscriminate effects of climate variability. Despite the precarious living conditions, the Bangla welcome was warm, patient, and informative wherever I visited.

Dr. Flanagan guiding a hands-on training session on nutrition management for improved goat production

One evening after a training day, Mr. Sk. Eman Ali invited Dr. Rahman and me to participate in an interview session at the Tala Press Club. Before attending the meeting, Mr. Ali guided us through the evening market to show me the items that were available for sale. It was an excellent tour thanks to the many introductions to the local merchants, who all seemed to be very familiar with Mr. Ali and his tireless efforts to improve living conditions. The reception at the Press Club was even more welcoming as several journalists and even more community leaders were in attendance to ask questions about the Farmer-to-Farmer program as well as several questions regarding cultural differences between Bangladesh and the United States.”