Govt, FAO strengthen evidence-based agricultural investment planning

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh, convened a high-level workshop recently to discuss and validate initial findings from a policy analysis of the agriculture sector, marking an important milestone in the nation's efforts to modernise and strengthen agriculture sustainability, resilience, and productivity.

The initiative, "Technical Support for Sustainable and Resilient Investment towards the Agriculture Sector Transformation Programme of Bangladesh (AsTP)", has been spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture and funded by the Gates Foundation, a FAO press release said today (24 May).

The workshop brought together 35 participants in Dhaka and focused on advancing Bangladesh's efforts toward evidence-based agricultural transformation and sustainable development through strengthened analysis of agricultural policy in the country, public expenditure over the years, and scenarios for optimising investments for greater returns.

Senior government officials, policymakers, economists, statisticians, researchers, and technical experts from various ministries and institutions along with experts from FAO Headquarters and the FAO representation in Bangladesh, attended the workshop.

The workshop built upon the important groundwork laid during the first inception mission and technical workshop held in March 2025, where the FAO team introduced the MAFAP programme and its analytical framework and initiated technical collaboration with Bangladesh counterparts on agricultural public expenditure analysis and investment optimisation modelling.

Speaking as the chief guest at the opening session, Rafiqul E Mohamed, secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, emphasised the critical importance of evidence-based planning and efficient public investment in transforming the future of Bangladesh's agriculture sector.

He stated, "As Bangladesh moves toward a more resilient, climate-smart, diversified, and investment-oriented agricultural system, stronger policy coherence, strategic public investment, and analytical decision-making tools will become increasingly important."

He also highlighted that initiatives such as the MAFAP programme provide valuable technical support for future policy formulation and investment prioritisation.

Marco V Sánchez, deputy director of Agrifood Economics and Policy at FAO, said: "Bangladesh has achieved remarkable agricultural progress, but this is being challenged by climate change, market volatility, resource constraints, and the fast-evolving agrifood systems dynamic.

"We must use evidence to rethink how we prioritise and design agricultural investments, so that every taka spent and every agricultural policy designed can help Bangladesh to better face these challenges."

Md Abdus Salam, executive chairman, BARC, emphasised the importance of institutional collaboration and evidence generation in supporting Bangladesh's agricultural transformation agenda.

He noted that stronger coordination among research institutions, policymakers, technical agencies, and academia would be critical for developing region-specific and climate-sensitive investment strategies for the country's diverse agro-ecological systems.

The workshop featured a prospective modelling approach to spending on food and agriculture generated by FAO's Policy Optimisation Tool (PolOpT).

It uses state-of-the-art economic modelling techniques to help governments to assess and optimise public spending by generating country-specific investment scenarios that align agricultural expenditure with national development priorities and environmental goals.

The discussions contributed to the preparation of six Regional Investment Plans under the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 climate hotspot framework as part of the broader AsTP initiative.

These investment plans will feature high-potential agricultural commodities expected to yield the highest socioeconomic and environmental returns for each climatic zone.

As part of a country-owned approach to the workshop and policy support, participants actively engaged in technical discussions and provided recommendations and feedback on improving analytical approaches, strengthening institutional coordination, and supporting more efficient and evidence-based agricultural investment planning in Bangladesh.