Mr. Md. Abeed Hossain Chowdhury has over twenty nine years of professional experience in the field of ICT and its implementation for agricultural development planning and management. Also, he has sufficient knowledge and expertise in Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) and its application in agriculture. He has demonstrated proficiency as a program manager, ICT resource planner, information management, and with a special competence in developing training modules and as resource speaker. Mr. Chowdhury has a recognized ability to work with national, international and CGIAR organizations and also donor’s funded project towards development of functional ICT environment and tools.

Mr. Chowdhury was actively involved in establishing ICT infrastructure at National Agricultural Research System (NARS) organizations and Data Center, a knowledge repository, at BARC under World Bank supported National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) Phase-I. Also, worked as committee head towards establishment of MIS and strengthening of ICT-MIS activities of NARS organizations. In addition, he worked as a member of Proposal Evaluation Committee (PEC) and Tender Evaluation Committee (TEC) of Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of BARC; Chairman of Recruitment Committee for recruitment of temporary/contractual staff under Project Coordination Unit (PCU) and PIU-BARC of NATP. For NATP Phase-II, he has prepared ICT requirements for research component in the form of hardware, software, training including budget and participated in the negotiation meetings with World Bank for finalization of the requirements.

Under World Bank supported Agricultural Research Management Project, he worked for preparation of specification of computer hardware, software and network accessories for procurement and installation of LAN and setting up of internet/email facilities at BARC. Also, involved in preparation of specification of computer hardware, software and network accessories for procurement and setting up of Internet/Intranet at SAARC Agricultural Information Centre (SAIC).

He has worked for creation of crop zone of 17 crops based on edaphic and climatic suitability by administrative unit (district and upazila), delineation and estimation of drought prone area at upazila and district level and produced maps by cropping seasons using GIS, and developed necessary databases and information systems required for mitigation/adaptation to climate change and agricultural vulnerability.

In the recent past, he was involved as Principal Investigator of a SPGR Sub-project titled “Application of GIS for farm productivity enhancement through land suitability assessment of major cropping pattern of Bangladesh” of NATP Phase-I, AgMIP supported “Strengthening simulation approaches for the understanding, projecting and managing climate risks in stress prone environments across the central and eastern Indo-Gangetic basin-Bangladesh component” project and AFACI Korea supported PAN-Asian project “Agricultural Technology Information Network in Asia (ATIN)”.

In two occasions during 2004 to 2007 and 2009 to 2011, worked for the development of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and agriculture (PGRFA) database of Bangladesh, a project funded and coordinated by FAO. During 2006 to 2010, associated with ACIAR supported research project “Addressing legume constraints in cereals-based cropping systems, with particular reference to poverty alleviation in north-western Bangladesh” and worked as “Visiting Research Fellow” at Murdoch University, Australia during 11 January to 12 February 2010. During 2002 to 2005, worked as a member of the Technical Implementation Committee and as an Associate Investigator in the CIMMYT-USAID funded project on Development of Bangladesh Country Almanac (BCA): A tool for dissemination of information generated in the field of agriculture, fisheries, livestock and natural resources in spatial and non-spatial form. During September 2002 to June 2004, worked as Associate Investigator in the “Bangladesh Rural Poverty Mapping Project” jointly implemented with International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, and worked as Visitor/Collaborator in the Social Sciences Division of IRRI, from 23rd February to 22nd March in 2003 and 14-27 March in 2004. In the year 1996 to 2001, he acted as a member of the Technical Implementation Advisory Committee of the UNDP/FAO funded project on “Utilisation of Agro-ecological Zones (AEZ) Database and Installation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at BARC” and worked as a System Analyst counterpart to expatriate computer consultant.

Mr. Chowdhury was a part-time faculty, Department of Agricultural Extension and Information System (AEIS), Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. Worked as resource person in training courses on (i) AEZ/GIS Methodology and Applications in Land Resources Management (ii) Application of GIS in Agriculture (iii) Database Design and Development (iv) Use of Awhere-ACT software and BCA database (v) Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and other computer based training programs.

Mr. Chowdhury received numerous training pertinent to the task of the assignment as mentioned in the training section of the CV. In the year 1997-99, completed Master of Science in “Geographic and Geodetic Information Systems (GGIS)” from University College London, University of London, UK. The title of the M.Sc dissertation was “Integration of GIS and Remote Sensing for Agricultural Crop Area Monitoring”. During June 1991 - December 1992, attended in a training courses on “Study Skills” at Bedford Study Centre, Bedford and “Information Systems and Technology (IS&T)” at City University, London, UK. Mr. Chowdhury has good number of publications including co-author of 3 books and co-editor of 4 books.