In Teknaf, saline water has crept into farmland every Rabi season for years running. In the shrimp ponds nearby, most farmers still rely on methods passed down rather than tested. And when cattle markets fill up for Qurbani, disease risk rises with them.
These are the realities Innovision Consulting set out to address on 25 and 26 July, convening two Focus Group Discussions in Cox's Bazar under the Improving Skills and Economic Opportunities for Women and Youth in Cox's Bazar (ISEC) project. ISEC is implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) with funding from Global Affairs Canada. The goal: turn field evidence into action across four upazilas, Cox's Bazar Sadar, Ramu, Ukhiya and Teknaf, and five value chains supporting 400 agricultural MSMEs.
The first discussion put government extension agencies in one room: agriculture, fisheries and livestock. What emerged was a simple but important truth. There is no single fix for Cox's Bazar. Crops need soil testing and safer pesticide use. Fisheries need water-quality monitoring and a shift from tradition to science. Livestock needs vaccination coverage and better disease surveillance before the next flood or the next Qurbani season arrives.
Government agencies already have the field networks and technical knowledge to act on all three. What they need is sharper coordination and stronger last-mile delivery.
The second discussion brought that missing piece into the room: private companies like Ispahani Agro Limited, ACSL and EON Animal Health. Innovision's model is deliberate here. Government stays the source of technical authority. Private partners add reach, products and services that extend it further.
These conversations were never meant to end in a room. Innovision is now shaping them into training, field demonstrations and referral systems that connect farmers to the right support, at the right time, from the right source. The next milestone: three to four localized roadmaps that carry these priorities from paper into practice, built to outlast the project itself.
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