A workshop on “Implementation of Improved Agricultural Practices for
Sustainable Land Management in South Asia,” organized at the Asian
Institute of Technology discussed these issues and explored ways to
mitigate land degradation, enhance soil fertility, land productivity,
agro-biodiversity and carbon sequestration for improved and assured
land productivity, particularly in the context of extreme weather
conditions. The workshop focused on the need to improve social
conditions through food security and poverty reduction. The principal
aim of the workshop was to discuss the issues on land degradation in
the sub-region and agree on possible focused areas of activities in
addressing the above objectives through a Technical Cooperation
Project.
The two days workshop, which was sponsored by the United Nation’s Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) witnessed participation from senior
government officers engaged in policy making from Bhutan, Bangladesh,
Nepal and Sri Lanka. It was facilitated by Dr. Yuji Niino, Land
Management Officer, FAO and Dr. Des McGarry, Principal Scientist,
Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management,
Australia. Dr. Weerakorn Ongsakul, Dean, School of Environment
Resources and Development (SERD) inaugurated the workshop and Dr.
Rajendra Shrestha, Associate Professor and Coordinator, Natural
Resources Management Field of Study, SERD, coordinated the organization
of the workshop. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) had
conducted an institutional capacity assessment few years ago and had
selected AIT as the Regional Support Institution for Sustainable Land
Management (SLM) in Asia.
