Agrilife24.com: SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) and Gram Unnayan Karma (GUK) reaffirmed their joint commitment to empowering smallholder farmers through agricultural collaboration, innovation and inclusive value chain development in the SAARC member states.
A delegation from the SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) visited the GUK headquarters in Bogura on Saturday (18 October 2025) as a following event closing workshop of the regional project titled “Livelihood Enhancement of Small Farmers in the SAARC Region through Small-Scale Agro-Business focusing on Value Chain Development,” funded by the SAARC Development Fund (SDF).
The meeting was attended by Dr. Harunur Rashid, Director, SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC); and Dr. Md. Younus Ali, Senior Program Specialist (Livestock), SAC. From GUK, Dr. Mahbub Alam, Senior Director, delivered a presentation on GUK’s ongoing activities and achievements in rural development, agro-based enterprise promotion and farmer capacity building.
The session was also joined by Md. Raihanus Saadat, Director (ICT & RM), GUK; Md. Zia Uddin Sardar, Assistant Director (Communication & Documentation), GUK; and officials from SAC, SDF, and the Rural Development Academy (RDA). Project focal points of livelihood enhancement project of SAC from Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives participated in the meeting.
During the meeting, both organizations discussed opportunities for joint research, knowledge exchange and scaling up innovative models of small-scale agro-business to enhance farmers’ access to technology, market linkages and financial inclusion. The collaboration between SAC and GUK aims to create a sustainable agricultural value chain that supports employment generation, women’s empowerment and rural prosperity across the SAARC region.
Dr. Harunur Rashid highlighted the importance of partnerships between regional institutions and local development organizations like GUK in translating research into real-life benefits for small farmers. He noted that such collaborations play a crucial role in achieving food security, nutrition improvement and rural economic resilience in South Asia.
Both SAC and GUK expressed their strong commitment to continue working together in advancing agricultural innovation, strengthening rural livelihoods and promoting inclusive growth across the SAARC member states.
