Farmers, researchers, extension professionals, NGOs, government officials and business owners come together in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, for the inception workshop that officially launched the Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation System (CDAIS) project in the country. Organized by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council and FAO country office in Bangladesh, the meeting took place on 5-6 December and was attended by almost one hundred people, offering participants an opportunity to understand that collaboration and networking play a key role in the promotion of agricultural innovation. 

The organizers of the meeting aimed to raise awareness among participants about the benefit of collaboration and provide a platform upon which they could build a shared vision on capacity development for agricultural innovation in Bangladesh. "NGOs often have no contact with the government or the private sector: working together with people here was in itself a great success", said Rokeya Begum Shafali, executive director of Aid-Comilla, an NGO that works with farmers in the implementation of new researches. 

The CDAIS project, funded by the EU, allows the implementation of the TAP Action Plan in eight pilot countries in Africa, Asia and Central America. The TAP Action Plan is jointly implemented by FAO and Agrinatura. 

More information about Bangladesh is available here.