KKM, ActionAid Bangladesh and partners conduct National Young Farmers’ Conference

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Kendrio Krishok Moitree, AFA member in Bangladesh, conducted its first National Young Farmers Conference last December 22, 2020. As a result, a 15-member National Young Farmers Committee was formed, and a Young Farmers Strategic Plan 2021-2022 was adopted. The conference, co-organized with Action Aid Bangladesh, was attended by 28 young farmers from 14 Upazillas, as well as government officials and other development partners.

During the conference, some young farmer participants shared the challenges and successes they faced while farming.

“I couldn’t reach anyone to get help for my farming, ” said Shantona Rani from Lalmonirhat.

“I have to give up my education because of the family hardship. But these hardships could not break my determination. I invested BDT 45,000 and my income from the leaf is more than BDT 2 lac and I also completed my education.” says Amrit Bakchi of Rupsha Upazilla. Now, Amrit is a successful leaf farmer earning more than BDT 3-4 lac (USD 3541-4722) yearly.

Moyajjem Hossain has produced 3-4 types of crops and fish in one land and now he and his family are living a well-off life.

Mr. Amit Ranjan Dey, Deputy Manager of ActionAid Bangladesh highlighted that while agriculture engages the largest number of people, it is mostly neglected. As such, the youth has to come forward. “Our youth has to be organized… and be strong,” said Amit Ranjan Dey. He also added that government policies are not youth-friendly and need to be refined. KKM President, Md. Monir Ahmed added that their very first target is to raise their voices and fulfill their demands from policymakers. He urged farmers from all over Bangladesh to be connected through social media.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ruhul Amin, Agricultural Extension Officer of Ghoraghat said that the Agricultural Extension Depart and the research institutes are working for a long time for the betterment of farmers. “We have training facilities for our farmers. Without coordinating with us, they will be deprived of facilities.” Currently, they have two projects under ‘Small & Medium Enterprises’ or SME where farmers can get a 50 percent subsidy from the government. Md. Abdul Awal, Social Services Officer of Ghoraghat Upazila is hopeful for the young farmers. Along with the Bangladesh government, there are other non-governmental organizations like ActionAid, Dipshikha who are working on youth issues in the agricultural sector.

After the committee formation, a one-year action plan is adopted. This was an interactive session among Abdul Qaiyum (AAB), Amit Ranjan Dey (AAB), and the youth participants from different parts of Bangladesh. They discussed the different aspects of the Action Plan 2021.

After adopting the Action Plan the newly elected President and General Secretary gave the closing speech. General Secretary Bidhyut C. Ray said he expects a lot from this committee and every youth of the country. He hopes to get the desired result for what they were gathered. President Abul Hasan said this is their right to produce crops in their own land. And without proper support from govt. this is not possible. He further hopes to get full support to be more organized and fulfill their demands.

National Committee of Jubo Krishak Maitree

A 15-member committee is formed from 15 Upazilas of Bangladesh. Each member of the committee is a young farmer. The newly formed committee includes:

1. President- Md. Abul Hasan
2. Vice-President- Shantona Rani
3. General Secretary- Bidhyut Chandra Ray
4. Joint Secretary- Nur Bahadur
5. Organizing Secretary- Moyazzem Hossain
6. Treasurer- Rakibul Islam
7. Communication and Office Affairs Secretary- Mst. Reshma Begum

Members

1. Alam Mia
2. Nazmul Hossain
3. Nurjahan Begum
4. Amrito Bakchi
5. Abdul Baten
6. Shwapan Uddin
7. Farmina Begum
8. Not decided (Sunamgonj)

The Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) supports the establishment of YFCs in its member FFPOs. Last 2019, it launched the “Young Women and Men Farmers for Sustainable, Resilient, and Gender-Sensitive Agri-Forest Based Livelihoods”, a project supported by the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Representatives from KKM joined other YFCs in Asia to share their experiences and challenges as young farmers and young farmer leaders in a regional learning exchange and knowledge management fair held virtually last October 2 and 3, 2020.