Academic experts at a seminar arranged by International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) viewed that professional approach is necessary to resolve problems in broad spectrum of human society to facilitate socio-economic transformation leading to ensure higher growth and development. They underscored the need of developing professional approach, conceptual change, prudent interpretation and dynamic intellectual ability through advanced knowledge, technology and professionalism which is the driving force to face global challenges at home and abroad.
Speaking at a Seminar on “Climate Change and Global Food Insecurity: A Trend Analysis” recently at the Conference Hall, both foreign and local academics conversed their ideas saying that universities need to produce professional graduates for widening the scope of higher education for all strata of the society. The students from lower income groups represent the maximum population, mentioning this, experts opined a developing country like Bangladesh has to go for massive program for higher education effecting more stress on professional education, they visualized.
IUBAT, first non-government university regularly organizes seminars on vital issues as a part of academic program to brush up intellectual capability of both old and new academics. Exploring new ideas on contemporary global changes many a way help bringing conceptual change in society by way of policy suggestions, organizers thought.
Presided by Prof Dr M Alimullah Miyan, Vice-Chancellor of IUBAT, the seminar was addressed by Bangladeshi born US Fulbright Scholar Dr Mohammed Rabbi, Associate Professor, Life Sciences and Environment Science, Valley Forge Military College, Pennsylvania, USA. He comprehensively dealt different issues of food insecurity correlating global environmental factors and climate change in different parts of the globe. The program was attended among others by Chairs Directors, Coordinators and Faculties including students. The seminar was followed by reception accorded to Bangladesh born US Fulbright Scholar engaged in teaching and research in the relevant areas.
The old and new scholars of different Colleges and Departments mainly faculties from College of Agricultural Sciences and Department of Environmental Sciences joined the program and took part in the discussion.
US academic expert
US based Bangladeshi professional Dr Mohammed Rabbi graduated from University of Dhaka in 1972 with a Masters in Biochemistry and later completed his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Miami University, Ohio, USA in 1992. Earlier, he obtained his Masters degree in Biochemistry from University of Leeds in 1980 and involved in research in HIV and Cancer at Rush University, Chicago, Tufts University and Boston University, Boston. He is also awarded the distinguished Fulbright teaching fellowship in Bangladesh for 2013-2014 by the Fulbright Scholar program, sponsored by the U.S. government.
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Core analyses
Dr Rabbi demonstrated visual view of different scenario with relevant maps, charts, data’s, graphs and study reports of concerned International Bodies. He said environmental factors play a crucial role in the growth of crops, supply of food and its marketing process which determine the overall food security/insecurity in global societies. Thus, environmental difference and climate change continue to remain an important concerning factor in food economy worldwide
Presenting keynote speech on “Climate Change and Global Food Insecurity: A Trend Analysis” at IUBAT Conference Hall he detailed the vast canvas specifying different conditions those have evil effects on overall security/ insecurity in food sector across the globe. Focusing every areas of the topic he was of the opinion that rising temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns have contributed immensely in reducing relative yields of rice, especially in rain-fed areas. He said rice and wheat yields have declined by approximately 8 percent for every 1°C increase in average growing-season temperatures.
Quoting from global study he said significant change in average weather of a specific region (over around 30 years time) may create wide ranging effects in crop production process creating serious threat to food security in many countries of mother Earth.
In his hour long delivery Dr Rabbi highlighted that nearly 900 million people in 70 lower income countries remain insecure in terms of food. Referring FAO Report, 2008 he said the situation could grow worse in the poorest low-income countries in producing enough food. Uneven purchasing power being the most common factor, inequality of food consumption within countries become serious concern for food analyst across the world. He said changes in the tropical atmosphere could precipitate a transition of the monsoon to a drier state.
In his hour long delivery, the Fulbright scholar from USA viewed that over the past century; most of the Himalayan glaciers have been retreating, melting glaciers and loss of snow cover pose a significant risk to stable and reliable water resources. Thus, the major rivers, such as the Ganges, Indus and Brahmaputra, depend significantly on snow and glacial melt water since they are highly susceptible to climate change-induced glacier melt and reductions in snowfall, he analyzed
Dr. Rabbi projected some climate change scenarios saying that it would have possible impact on agriculture based on some computer models most of which, though, taken from IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) derived opinion. In practical terms, some of the worst scenarios already took place, in view of extreme climatic events resulted alarming anthropogenic global warming without cutting down the emission of green house gas. This could raise earth’s temperature 3-5 degree Celsius at the end of this century.
Prof. M Alimullah Miyan
Prof. Miyan appreciated the valuable deliberation of Dr. Rabbi, saying that significant contribution has been made him through academic dispensation on sensitive area such as global food security aspect. The critical deliberation made by him in this seminar showing how the combined effects of environmental factors and climate change thresh serious challenges upon food security/ insecurity in large number of countries in every continent across the world.
Pointing out IUBAT’s comprehensive endeavor for producing professional graduates in various disciplines he said, only professional education and professional attitude can properly diagnose for addressing problems in professional manner. Disclosing core philosophical concept of ‘Knowledge Based Society (KBAD), Dr Miyan said focal point of this program is to creating scope for educating students of lower income groups. IUBAT has set out the long term visionary steps for producing one technical graduate from each village/word under this program. We have introduced internal financing through Multipurpose Cooperative Society (IMCSL) to help students from comparatively lower class of the society to have access to higher education. Through this program the university has been able to accommodate talented students from lower income class of Bangladesh society who have the desire for higher education.
Reiterating policy guidelines, IUBAT Vice Chancellor portrayed the working plan of the university for producing technical and professional graduate in each village/word. Process will be continued to produce one graduate from every cluster of families to break up the vicious cycle of poverty countrywide. We believe, when somebody is graduate and earning member of his family he becomes more enlightened to bring conceptual change in family as well as society, he added.
Disclosing further Dr Miyan added KBAD, program moves ahead with the coordinated efforts of university’s Education Extension Center. Academics associated with the center continue to visit different parts of the country and also arrange to utilizing the services of other professionals at every layers of academic management to help enroll students from their own locality. ‘We want to translate academic knowledge for facilitating social transformation in the best interest of people in different fabrics of the social organs’ stating this he stressed on bringing conceptual change through higher education. He said higher education has a catalytic role in restructuring social norms leading to changing the agrarian pattern to knowledge based society. The dissemination of advanced knowledge, technology and professionalism have combined effect as driving force on the way of socio-economic transformation, Dr Miyan clarified.
Expressing critical views about government’s efforts for extension of primary education he said widening primary education will not be able to solve the problem and will simply increase the number of clerks. Instead, by increasing access to higher education by students from lower strata of the society, we could bring new dynamism leading to dramatic change in socio-economic transformation. Thus, instead of expansion of primary education, professional higher education would strengthen the base of our social fabric if universities continue to produce technical graduates to add professionals in meeting demand of different sectors at home and abroad, he strongly advocated.
Thus, pragmatic policy direction is necessary for restricting the production of clerks with robust long term planning and implementation process to increasing the pace of professional graduates, he asserted. Mentioning the objective of the seminar on food security, climate change, Dr Miyan said professional approach could be the panacea to address the problem focused in bigger canvas by the guest speaker, he concluded.
Earlier, M Ibn Mujib, Assistant Registrar, International Programs, introduced the guest speaker highlighting his professional profile focusing specialization, efficiency and expertise in the core areas of relevant subjects.
Dr. M Rehan Dastagir, Faculty, Department of Environmental Sciences and Dr. Mohammed Ataur Rahman, Faculty, College of Agricultural Sciences IUBAT in their speech on the occasion portrayed the academic excellence of the guest speaker in teaching profession and research. Both of them appreciated Dr Rabbi for his applied knowledge in seminar topic ranging from food security to environmental factors and climate change. They thought, two areas, presently stands as a legitimate concern for the professionals, policy makers and government functionaries in most of the countries across the globe.
Adaptation rather than mitigation
In his comprehensive delivery before the old and new academics Dr. Rabbi emphasized on adaptation strategies rather than mitigation strategies of climate change impacts on agriculture in his delivery. According to him, mitigation of global warming is somehow impossible and as such adaptation strategies more recommended considering changing climate unlike selection of right varieties of crop in right place, he opined.
Forest Land
US academic preferred managing forest land and strongly opposed destroying it by converting into agricultural crops land. He believed forests are the consumer of carbon, i.e forests can destroy carbon effects thereby minimizes the crude effect which mounts global worming leading to worse further climate change. Alternatively, the conversion of forest land into crop field does dose not have that much capability of reducing the carbon effect.
Answering question rose by this writer, whether this conversion of forest into farm land is necessitated or not for social change and development of society to facilitate forward march of the civilization in different ages in the past? Dr. Rabbi, however stressed on planned urbanization to address the worse effect generated from crushing forestry instead of answering directly to forest destructing process necessitated for marching ahead of the human civilization.
South Asia
Speaking on ‘Climate Change: Impact on Agriculture and Costs of Adaptation, 2009’ Dr Rabbi explained that Asia-Pacific region will experience the worst effect on rice and wheat yields. This could threaten the food security of 1.6 billion people in South Asia. Expressing further concern he said South Asia will be particularly hard hit by climate change since the entire region will experience the greatest yield decline. The average crop yields in South Asian region in 2050 will decline from 2000 levels by about 50 percent for wheat, 17 percent for rice, and about 6 percent for maize production.
Bangladesh
US based Bangladeshi professional said potential impact hotspots such as Bangladesh is projected by the environmentalists saying that the country may confront increasing challenges from extreme river floods, more intense tropical cyclones, rising sea-level and very high temperatures. With South Asian coastlines located close to the equator, projections of local sea-level rise show a stronger increase compared to higher latitudes, he viewed. Explaining further he said two-thirds of the country is only Two third of Bangladesh is only two meters above sea level rendering it particularly vulnerable to sea level rises and tidal waves, he pointed out.
