An Inception Workshop on BDFarmMate-AI, an AI-driven decision
support system designed to assist paddy-based stakeholders in decision-making
from crop planting to product marketing, was held on May 20, 2026, at the Conference
Room of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh
Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh.
The
project is funded by the Research and Development Grant (RDG) under the
Improving Computer & Software Engineering Tertiary Education Project
(ICSETEP), UGC Bangladesh, and it commenced on 20 January 2026 and will
continue until 31 December 2027.
BDFarmMate-AI aims to address major challenges faced by paddy
growers and related stakeholders,
including limited access to personalized advisory services, weak market
linkages, lack of reliable input and service information, fragmented
stakeholder communication, and the absence of integrated AI-assisted tools for
crop management and market linkage. While existing agricultural apps provide
partial solutions, BDFarmMate-AI is expected to offer a more comprehensive and
intelligent platform to overcome these limitations.
The project is led by Prof. Dr. Md. Rakib Hassan, Department
of CSM, BAU, as the Principal Investigator (PI), along with three Co-Principal
Investigators (Co-PIs): Dr. Machbah Uddin, Associate Professor, Department of
CSM, BAU; Prof. Dr. Md. Rostom Ali, Department of FPM, BAU; and Prof. Dr. Hak
Jin Kim, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Seoul National University (SNU),
Korea. The project aims to develop a fully functional Android and web-based AI
platform for the paddy growers and related actors.
At
the workshop, Prof. Dr. G.M. Mujibar Rahman, Honorable Vice-Chancellor
(In-charge), BAU, attended as the Chief Guest. Prof. Dr. Md. Abdul Mojid, Dean,
Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, BAU, was present as the
Special Guest, while Mr. Md. Sayeed Iftekhar Yousuf, Head of the Department of
CSM, chaired the event.
