“CDAIS has made me aware of the importance of soft skill development to support sustainable innovation practices via a learning cycle approach. In this system, farmers are now aware about where they are and what to do to overcome problem and challenges. I acknowledge CDAIS for giving me this opportunity to better help these farmers and to make me more effective in my job.”

Hello, who are you?

I am Mohammed Jamal Uddin, known as “Jamal”, from Bangladesh, from the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). I am the National Innovation Facilitator for the Pineapple cluster in Bandarban, Chittagong Hill Tracts.  I have a BSc Agricultural Economics Honours degree and an MSc in Agricultural Economics from Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. I obtained my PhD in Agricultural Economics (Hill Agriculture) from the same university. At present I am working as a senior scientific officer at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, BARI, Chittagong. For the past five years, I have worked as project leader of a value chain development project in the Chittagong Hill Tracts funded by the Krishi Gobeshona Foundation. Between 2009 and 2013, I worked with UNDP in Bandarban as a Master Trainer and consultant.  In 2014 and 2016, I worked with the FAO as a National Consultant on two technical cooperation projects.

What are your roles and responsibilities as National Innovation Facilitator?

My role in the CDAIS project is to support the Pineapple cluster to facilitate production of their Coaching Plan in collaboration with the lead NIF, organize cluster meetings with stakeholders, support implementation of cluster iterative and experiential learning cycles, organize review workshops, record progress markers and document stories of breakthroughs, lessons learnt and communication-related activities, participate in CDAIS related events and write up reports of the cluster activities. I have participated in the NIF training, CNA workshop, marketplace, MEL training and workshop, and the inaugural workshop in the Pineapple cluster. I have contributed to the Capacity Needs Assessment, to the CNA report, marketplace report, the coaching plan for the Pineapple cluster, and implementing the interactive learning cycles within it. I am also working with the Pineapple marketing group in Bandarban for identifying constraints and opportunities, capacity needs, capacity development strategies and expected outcomes with the progress markers.

What has CDAIS changed for you?

I have great interest in working with CDAIS as a new concept of capacity development particularly soft skills development. The NIF training has enhanced my knowledge of various learning tools and I had the scope to use these tools in various CDAIS events. I now understand how to engage participants in identifying problems and visioning and action planning to solve problems in an innovation process.