Bangladesh Agriculture & Food Security: Agriculture research and development

The core of our work lies in research. At BRAC, we work towards researching better crop varieties which have higher yield, higher quality and higher profit for farmers. We have two research centres – at Gazipur and Bogra - where applied agricultural research is being done to fulfill the increasing demand for successful crop production by Bangladeshi farmers. At present we are working with plant tissue culture, rice maize and vegetables. Our research centres conduct adaptability trials for exotic varieties. To facilitate large-scale researching, BRAC has established 9 agricultural farms in different agro-ecological zones of the country occupying 210 acres of land.

We coordinate with both national and international agricultural organisations for collaborative research opportunities. We work closely with the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) and the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA). BRAC coordinates with international research organisations such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI, Philippines), the International Wheat and Maize Research Centre (CYMMIT, Mexico), the International Potato Centre (CIP), the Asian Vegetables Research and Development Centre (AVRDC, Taiwan) and the Yuan Long Ping High Tech Agriculture Co. Ltd (China) to further invest in research potential.

BRAC’s Agriculture programme is working with a number of multinational seed companies to share technology and marketing ideas for agro-products. At present, the partnership with multinational seed companies includes: Yuans Hi-Tech Seed Co. Ltd, China, Hi-Tech Seed Co. Ltd, Pacific Seed Company, Australia, Mahyco Seed Company, India, Druk Seed Company, Bhutan and Seminis Vegetable Seed (India) Ltd.