(02/10/17) BOSSIER CITY, La. – A scientist from a Bangladeshi university recently completed a three-month stay at an LSU AgCenter research station, where he learned about ways to improve irrigation efficiency and promote environmental sustainability.

Hasan Abdullah, an assistant professor in the Department of Agroforestry and Environment at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, studied at the AgCenter Red River Research Station in Bossier City through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agriculture Service Borlaug Fellowship Program.

His mentor was AgCenter water quality specialist Changyoon Jeong, who taught him about different irrigation systems and analyzing data related to irrigation and rain events. Abdullah learned about using a hydrology model called the Soil and Water Assessment Tool.

Abdullah focused much of his time at the research station on tailwater recovery systems – one of Jeong’s specialties – which collect rainwater and irrigation runoff so it can be reused. The systems can improve water quality and soil health.

Abdullah said climate change has affected agriculture in Bangladesh, where many people farm on a small scale and depend on rain to irrigate their crops.

Bangladesh is a country of about 169 million people located in South Asia. It depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for about 15 percent of the gross domestic product.

Abdullah said his goals for the Borlaug project included learning more about water harvesting technologies and efficient water use on farms. He hopes to apply that knowledge in Bangladesh to help farmers mitigate the effects of drought and salinity and to improve the country’s food security.

In December, Jeong traveled to Bangladesh to visit Abdullah’s university, where he toured an experiment farm and laboratories and met faculty members and students. He also visited local farmers, many of whom are women and low-income, who use rainwater collection systems to irrigate their crops.

Jeong said he, too, has benefited from the project.

“My goal was to understand more about Bangladeshi agricultural systems and to find opportunities for collaboration with Dr. Hasan Abdullah and other faculty members at the BSMRAU via future research,” he said. “I felt that this trip was very successful and totally different experience for me.”

Abdullah is one of 34 scholars from 16 countries that the AgCenter has hosted through the Borlaug Fellowship Program.

“The program facilitates scientific training, research and collaboration to address global challenges that directly impact U.S. and Louisiana agribusiness operations,” said Susan Karimiha, AgCenter International Programs coordinator and Borlaug Fellowship Program principal investigator. “This project shows that our programs are being recognized internationally for their quality and impact.”

International collaborations also highlight the positive influence that AgCenter faculty and staff have on global agriculture, said David Picha, director of AgCenter International Programs.

“The applied research and training activities of Dr. Jeong and other staff of the Red River Research Station has resulted in improved and sustainable agricultural practices, thereby enhancing lives and livelihoods of individuals in Louisiana and throughout the world,” Picha said.

Hasan Abdullah, right, an assistant professor in the Department of Agroforestry and Environment at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University in Bangladesh, recently spent three months at an LSU AgCenter research station as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agriculture Service Borlaug Fellowship Program. From left to right, David Picha, director of AgCenter International Programs; Ade Nena Nurhasanah, Borlaug fellow and research associate, Genomics and Crop Improvement Laboratory, Research Center for Biotechnology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences; Susan Karimiha, AgCenter International Programs coordinator; Jonathan Hubchen, assistant director, AgCenter International Programs; and Abdullah. Photo provided by LSU AgCenter International Programs