SUSLA dean aids farmers through development project in Bangladesh

Joseph Orban(middle) is shown with the managers of the Baluka Poultry Farm.

A Southern University, Shreveport dean traveled to Bangladesh earlier this year as part of a program to provide training and assistance to poultry famers in that impoverished country.

The international development project reflects the University's partnership with the Montana-based Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) and the Winrock International branch in Bangladesh.

Joseph Orban, dean of Science and Liberal Arts, represented the University as the principal investigator on the project. The project's goal was to expose Bangladeshi poultry farmers to current methods of commercial poultry production including poultry feed formulation, production, and management.

The 19-day project ended in mid-April and Orban worked with Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and consulted with Mohammed A. Saleque, BRAC's Program Head. BRAC is the largest Non-government Organization serving the people of Bangladesh as well as providing services world-wide including Srilanka, Afghanistan, and three countries (Uganda, Tanzania, Southern Sudan) in Africa in the areas of economic development, social development, health education, and support programs.

Orban was assigned to work with BRAC's Poultry Feed Mill in consultation with the Feed Mill general manager, Mohammed Rezanur Rahman.

The project organizers wanted to improve capabilities, practices, and technologies of BRAC, increase production of poultry products, increase revenue and resources through increased sales of better quality feed, increase profit of poultry products and improve training materials and skills of BRAC staff.

Orban's tasks included:

• Feed Mill Operations - Orban inspected the facility and made assessment of feed formulation, feed storage, raw materials storage, loading and unloading techniques practices and made recommendations for improvement.

• Training of Technical and Production Staff - Orban trained BRAC quality control supervisors on feed formulation using Excel spread sheets. They were also trained to examine grains as well as other feed ingredients by visual exam and sense of smell to enhance feed quality control.

• Grain and Feed Quality - Orban made assessment of grain quality, storage system and facility, handling of finished products and made recommendations for improvement as well as made recommendations for bio-security of feed mill and poultry operations. He evaluated raw materials and finished products and developed a procedure for grading the quality of raw materials and finished products.

• Feed Formulation for Egg and Meat Production - Orban reviewed BRAC's feed formulas and also developed over 20 alternate feed formulas for their various classes of poultry including broilers (chickens raised for meat production), layers (chickens raised for egg production) and breeders (chickens raised as parent stock to produce new generations of chickens).

• Visit to BRAC Feed Analysis and Diagnostic Laboratory - Orban visited the BRAC Feed Analysis Laboratory with Bangladesh Winrock staffers Barua and Badal Golder, and BRAC Staff. He inspected the facility and made recommendations for improvement. He advised BRAC to invest in newer technology for feed analysis to be competitive globally and also explore some of the newer technology equipment for feed analysis that can analyze individual whole grain and mixed feed in a short period of time.

At the end of field work, Orban conducted a workshop for BRAC staff covering overview of basic nutrition, feed formulation, grain and feed quality, observations and recommendations on best practices and bio-security to BRAC and practical approaches to reducing heat stress in poultry production.

Prior to returning to the United States, Orban made visits to some of the Bangladesh historic sites including the Bangladesh National House of Assembly Building at Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, the Zia Uddan, and the National War Monument at Savar, a large landmark to remember the three million people who lost their lives in the fight for independence in Bangladesh.

Winrock is a nonprofit organization that works with people in the United States and around the world to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment. This project was conducted through the Winrock International Farmer-to-Farmer Program which matches innovative approaches in agriculture, natural resources management, clean energy and leadership development with unique needs of its partners.

Winrock sends more than 350 Americans oversees yearly to assist farmers, agribusiness, and local nonprofit organizations. Skilled U.S. volunteers provide practical training and assistance to increase food production, business management, protect natural resources, and reduce poverty and malnutrition. The planning, travel arrangements, and scheduling for this project were handled through IAC.