Bangladesh has secured $447,000 in grant assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its partners for safer pesticide management and the development of environmentally friendly businesses led by rural women.
The Economic Relations Division (ERD) under the Ministry of Finance and the FAO signed two project documents in Dhaka on Sunday to implement the initiatives.
ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky and FAO Representative in Bangladesh Dr Jiaoqun Shi signed the documents on behalf of their respective organisations.
Of the total funding, $200,000 will support stronger pesticide management, while $247,000 will finance a programme to help rural women establish and expand green micro-enterprises.
The pesticide management project will run for four years under the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme, with funding from China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
It will support updated pesticide regulations, digital registration systems, stronger enforcement, improved laboratory capacity for pesticide residue testing and greater awareness among farmers about safe pesticide use.
The project document reports that more than 30% of vegetables in Bangladesh are contaminated with excessive pesticide residues, underscoring concerns over food safety.
The Ministry of Agriculture will lead the project’s task force, while the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) will participate in implementation.
The second initiative, titled Green Roots Women’s Farm Labs, will run for 24 months and be implemented in Bangladesh and Uganda. Bangladesh’s share of the funding is $247,000.
Building on the FAO’s Farmer Field School approach, the programme will provide rural women with coaching, appropriate technology and access to finance and markets to help them develop environmentally friendly micro-businesses.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Marketing, Department of Agricultural Extension and Sara Bangla Krishak Society will serve as national partners.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, FAO Representative Dr Jiaoqun Shi said the organisation was pleased to support Bangladesh in building safer agrifood systems and creating opportunities for rural women.
ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky said the projects reflected a shared commitment to food safety, climate-resilient livelihoods and women’s economic empowerment. He pledged continued coordination to ensure the benefits reached farmers and rural women.
A K M Sohel, wing chief of ERD’s UN Wing, said the FAO had been a trusted development partner of Bangladesh since independence and had invested more than $500 million in improving the country’s agriculture sector.
The women-focused initiative coincides with the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026.