Barciknews.com desk
BARCIK organized a regional dialogue titled “Climate-Resilient Food Systems in Bangladesh: Agroecology Leads the Way” on 6 October 2026 at Khulna University, with support from Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung South Asia.
University teachers, researchers, students, and departmental representatives participated in the dialogue and shared their views on climate change, sustainable agriculture, food sovereignty, and gender equality in food systems.
The dialogue was chaired by Professor Dr. Abdullah Abu Sayeed Khan, Head of the Sociology Discipline, Khulna University. BARCIK Regional Coordinator Md. Shaheen Islam delivered the keynote presentation, highlighting the challenges facing coastal food systems and the importance of agroecology in addressing them.
Key issues discussed included climate change impacts, excessive dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, declining food-system resilience, recognition of women as farmers, unpaid agricultural labour, wage discrimination, and the importance of Indigenous and local knowledge in sustainable agriculture.
The discussants emphasized that women play a vital role in agricultural production, seed conservation, and food security, yet their contributions often remain unrecognized and undervalued. They stressed the need to recognize women’s agricultural labour, eliminate wage discrimination, and ensure that agroecological practices do not further increase women’s workloads.
Participants also highlighted the livelihood challenges faced by Sundarbans-dependent communities, particularly during seasonal forest closures, and emphasized the importance of incorporating grassroots experiences and community recommendations into government policies.
The dialogue concluded with a call to integrate agroecology into national agricultural policies and development plans, strengthen collaboration among universities, government institutions, civil society organizations, and farming communities, and promote a sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient food system in Bangladesh.