AFSI Newsletter - April 2021
Cooperation Agreement Between the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture 
On March 10, 2021, the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute (AFSI) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) signed a technical cooperation agreement, recognizing their shared commitment to improving understanding of agricultural technologies, responsible use, and capacity building in order to promote sustainable development and enhance the well-being of rural populations in the Americas. The two organizations aim to foster good agricultural practices, responsible use of biotechnology, knowledge management, and capacity building, as well as facilitate the exchange of scientifically validated information on agriculture. The AFSI team is excited to work with IICA on knowledge management processes, joint training and communication activities in IICA Member States, and studies in areas of common interest in the coming years.
New and Updated Resources from the South Asia Biosafety Program

Managed by AFSI and supported by a grant from the United States Agency for International Development, the South Asia Biosafety Program (SABP) has been operating in Bangladesh since 2005 to strengthen institutional governance of biotechnology, including through development of regulatory documents, manuals, and assessment guidelines. SABP is also involved in capacity development of the research community to ensure proper implementation of biosafety regulatory processes.
Frequently Asked Questions: Genetically Engineered Plants and Biosafety
SABP launched the Biosafety Resource Book Series last year as part of its capacity development interventions, with the aim of informing researchers about the prevailing regulatory administrative system of Bangladesh. Published on March 30, 2021, Frequently Asked Questions: Genetically Engineered Plants and Biosafety is the second installment in the series and is designed to address some of the questions the general public may have about the safety of GE Plants using easy and understandable language.
Biosafety Regulation and Processes in Bangladesh: A Guide for Researchers in Agricultural Biotechnology
The first book in the series, published last year, provides an overview of the biosafety regulations in Bangladesh. Different issues that need to be considered at the beginning of an agricultural biotechnology project are outlined, along with the different steps in an application to conduct laboratory work on GE crops and the application process for the cultivation of GE crops in both confined field trials and field cultivation.
Bangladesh Biosafety Portal
Launched in 2017, the Bangladesh Biosafety Portal serves as the only consolidated repository of documents that inform biosafety regulation in Bangladesh, providing information and links to useful national and international technical resources. Thanks to a recent update, new and returning visitors now have the ability to search, sort, and filter resources, as well as access a number of additional documents in both English and Bangla.