Bangladesh to introduce remote sensing, drones to detect crop damage

Bangladesh is preparing to introduce remote sensing and drones to detect crop damage caused by extreme weather or diseases.

About 20 officers of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) are receiving training on how to use the state-of-the-art technologies.

Malay Choudhury, additional Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, and Edimon Ginting, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director for Bangladesh, inaugurated the seven-day training programme.

The event inaugurated in Dhaka was entitled: “The Use of Drone and Satellite Image for Crop Monitoring and Crop Damage Assessment”.

The trainees will receive four days of classroom training on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing analysis for crop damage detection.

They will also participate in a three-day field trip to Sylhet to learn how to collect ground data using mobile devices.

Local DAE officials are expected to participate in the training in Sylhet, where 2022 floods caused major crop damage.

“Proper assessment of crop diseases and losses are critical to take appropriate measures to ensure agricultural productivity and food security in the context of growing threats of climate change in Bangladesh.

“ADB will continue to bring in innovative solutions including advanced technologies to help Bangladesh tackle climate impacts.

“With advanced geospatial technology, our officers will be able to assess crop damage and provide effective government programmes to mitigate the expected damage caused by climate change in the future,” Badal Chandra Biswas, Director-General of the DAE, said.