The Saline Farming, Lal Teer Seed Ltd and ICCO have signed a cooperation agreement to set up a training centre near Bagerhat, Bangladesh. This training facility will be used to test crops for salt tolerance and to show and develop agricultural techniques. The research results will be used for the project 'The Salt Solution' and possibly for follow-up research. The project directly involves 5000 and indirectly 25,000 small farmers.
Dr. Arjen de Vos of Saline Farming said, “Lal Teer Seed Ltd., the largest seed company in the private sector in Bangladesh, is well aware of the problems faced by farmers in the coastal area of Bangladesh. The company is engaged in the development, production, processing and marketing of high-quality seeds, to develop a sustainable base of agriculture and food security in Bangladesh and the rest of the world."
For Saline Farming the realization of this training center is an important first milestone. The aim of the company is to open 5 training centers within 10 years, one on every continent. This way knowledge about saline agriculture can be available to everyone, focusing on geographical conditions. By combining the knowledge of crop, soil and water management, it is possible to improve harvests under saline conditions. This will increase food security in saline areas and increase the livelihoods of farmers.
Worldwide, 62 million hectares of the irrigated agricultural land has already been affected by salt. This increases every day by 2000 ha, especially in countries where there is already a food shortage.
The Salt Solution is a consortium project, funded by the Dutch Postcode Lottery, and implemented by ICCO (lead), Salt Farm Texel (SFT), and CODEC.
