Bridging The Gap - Dr Md. Wakilur Rahman
Md. Wakilur Rahman is a Professor of Rural Sociology at the Bangladesh Agricultural University and a fellow of the Australian Centre of International Agricultural Research’s (ACIAR) John Dillon Fellowship (JDF) Bangladesh Cohort.
‘My work focuses on food security and community development. Promoting an ethical community engagement approach towards sustainable community development. As the work of my institution continues to document the meaningful transformation of smallholder farming in Bangladesh.’
As impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic climate change continue to affect the small holder farming communities in Bangladesh the JDF fellowship has increased Prof. Rahman’s capacity to approach his research area through the context of policy implementation.
Research to Policy
With the opportunity of the JDF program Prof. Rahman is working to bridge the gaps between small holder farmers, the important research of his intuition, and policy-makers. “My research focuses on the meaningful development of marginalised communities, but I often find it difficult to translate my research findings into the policy domain. Bangladesh is at a transitional stage of development which requires the equitable development of community and people, particularly across the farming sector.”
Connecting the stakeholders from farming to research, and then importantly on to policy is a fundamental part of the ACIAR-Bangladesh 10 Year Strategy where the integration of biophysical, social, economic and policy research is addressing challenges of climate change, resource management and poverty. Prof. Rahman’s goal is for policy to provide more support for small holder farming communities and increase the resilience and preparedness of farmers in the case of future disruptions and stressors to their livelihoods.
“My participation in the JDF has enhanced my leadership skills and has enabled me to perform my responsibilities to a greater standard. The enhancement of my own capabilities and skills to negotiate with policymakers has given me the opportunity to contribute to effective policy formulation and implementation.”
Looking Ahead
When asked what the most rewarding aspect of the JDF Fellowship has been, Prof. Rahman shared,
‘As a university faculty member, I work in different capacities including developing and updating course curricula, management of academic programs, conducting demand-driven research, and contributing to policy forums. The JDF fellowship has enhanced my confidence to work in multidisciplinary environment with better team management. Precisely, task distribution and time management lessons.’
The JDF Bangladesh cohort completed two weeks of leadership and management training in Australia at the University of New England in Armidale, NSW where they were tasked with developing collaborative research projects aimed at implementing institutional changes at their home research institutes. After 10 weeks, the cohort reconvened with trainers in Bangladesh to present their research project outcomes including recommendations in a special session to institutional leaders and ACIAR regional leaders.
On Prof. Rahman’s impact within his cohort, Professor Rebecca Spence, who delivered the training in both Australia and Bangladesh and is the Director of the International Capacity Building group at the University of New England shared, ‘Wakil was a tremendous support to the facilitators and cohort of the JDF program. He became the unofficial leader of the cohort, supported everyone to thrive and ensured that everyone participated. His kindness and influence were noted by all in the program, and he has gone on build strong collaborative working relationships within the cohort, and across the private sector as a result of his application of the learnings from the JDF fellowship.’
On being part of the Bangladesh cohort Dr Rahman shared,
‘JDF has formed strong bonds between scientists and academics working in Bangladesh. These relationships are based on mutual respect and trust, which I believe will lead to greater prosperity for the future of collaborative work for the betterment of Bangladesh.’
On the impact of the JDF program, ACIAR Regional Manager for South Asia Dr Pratibha Singh commented, ‘The JDF program builds the skills and capacities of the fellows who come from ACIAR partner institutions to be able to lead, influence, and understand the enabling environment for research and how to engage in collaborative projects and initiatives. This in turn helps ACIAR since the fellows are either currently involved in ACIAR projects or will be in the future. Often the links to policy is what is missing in most research projects. The JDF projects are an opportunity to pilot this approach of providing the evidence base for enabling better policy decisions.’
