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Unit 23 Lesson 3
The challenge ahead - I
Objectives: By the end of the lesson you will have
• talked about some problems facing Bangladesh
• read a passage about a particular challenge facing Bangladesh
• written an argument
A Think for a while and note down 3 major problems facing Bangladesh. Then discuss how the country might address these problems.
B Read the following passage about one of Bangladesh's major problems.
Feeding the ever growing population is a big challenge for Bangladesh in the coining decades. The major challenge for the country is to sustain the current level of agricultural production. The task is daunting, especially when the country loses about 80 thousand hectares of cultivable land annually due to excessive pressure on land for human settlement as well as the building of infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Moreover, river erosion and other non-agricultural uses contribute to the diminishing of agricultural land. Although the total number of farm holdings have increased by 18.percent, the cultivated area has declined with the average farm size decreasing from 2.26 acres in 1983-84 to 1.69 acres in 1996. Given that about 80% of the farms are small and highly fragmented, more imaginative and effective organisations of production are needed to sustain agricultural productivity and create more employment and income for the farming community. The newly emerging 'contract farming' taken up by a number of private agri-business firms is one approach for promoting food production, especially fruit and vegetables. One possibility to compensate for the loss of land is to go for land reclamation in the Bay of Bengal for which of course the country needs massive external assistance.
It is essential to improve agricultural production in general and food production in particular. For this, support from the public sector is necessary to generate and promote technologies, and hence to strengthen production. Bio-technology research and development of hybrid crops and animal species need to be given priority which will probably involve partnerships with multinational private sector firms and institutions.
1 Which particular problem does this text deal with?
2 Write a title for this text.
3 What factors have led to the problem?
4 What measures are suggested here to deal with the problem?
5 Of the various measures suggested here, which do you consider the most feasible? Why? Which do you think is the most difficult? Why?
C It is often argued that Bengali people should try to change their food habits. Do you agree? Discuss this in groups. Then write a paragraph either supporting or refuting this view (100 words).
Focus:
Skills.
Speaking, intensive reading, writing. Functions.
Making suggestions, arguing.
Grammar/Structure.
Past simple, present perfect tense.
Vocabulary.
deteriorating, booming, strengthen, sustainability, multinational.
This text will be replaced
Unit 23 Lesson 3
The challenge ahead - I
Objectives: By the end of the lesson you will have
• talked about some problems facing Bangladesh
• read a passage about a particular challenge facing Bangladesh
• written an argument
A Think for a while and note down 3 major problems facing Bangladesh. Then discuss how the country might address these problems.
B Read the following passage about one of Bangladesh's major problems.
Feeding the ever growing population is a big challenge for Bangladesh in the coining decades. The major challenge for the country is to sustain the current level of agricultural production. The task is daunting, especially when the country loses about 80 thousand hectares of cultivable land annually due to excessive pressure on land for human settlement as well as the building of infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Moreover, river erosion and other non-agricultural uses contribute to the diminishing of agricultural land. Although the total number of farm holdings have increased by 18.percent, the cultivated area has declined with the average farm size decreasing from 2.26 acres in 1983-84 to 1.69 acres in 1996. Given that about 80% of the farms are small and highly fragmented, more imaginative and effective organisations of production are needed to sustain agricultural productivity and create more employment and income for the farming community. The newly emerging 'contract farming' taken up by a number of private agri-business firms is one approach for promoting food production, especially fruit and vegetables. One possibility to compensate for the loss of land is to go for land reclamation in the Bay of Bengal for which of course the country needs massive external assistance.
It is essential to improve agricultural production in general and food production in particular. For this, support from the public sector is necessary to generate and promote technologies, and hence to strengthen production. Bio-technology research and development of hybrid crops and animal species need to be given priority which will probably involve partnerships with multinational private sector firms and institutions.
1 Which particular problem does this text deal with?
2 Write a title for this text.
3 What factors have led to the problem?
4 What measures are suggested here to deal with the problem?
5 Of the various measures suggested here, which do you consider the most feasible? Why? Which do you think is the most difficult? Why?
C It is often argued that Bengali people should try to change their food habits. Do you agree? Discuss this in groups. Then write a paragraph either supporting or refuting this view (100 words).
Focus:
Skills.
Speaking, intensive reading, writing. Functions.
Making suggestions, arguing.
Grammar/Structure.
Past simple, present perfect tense.
Vocabulary.
deteriorating, booming, strengthen, sustainability, multinational.