Agriculture all over the world is now at the juncture of transformation, and facing challenges to cope with global trade liberalization, demand for diversified and safe food, environmental stress and adjustments with inevitable climate change. In order to face those challenges national agricultural research system need to be reformed focusing on development of a pluralistic system accompanying with sustainable funding mechanism, improving efficiency and accountability, and strengthening linkages with clients, end users and farming communities. Furthermore, high agricultural productivity is an important component of the rural development strategy for raising farm income, reducing poverty and making agriculture more competitive in the global market. Generation, refinement, validation testing and transfer of appropriate production and post-harvest technologies to farmers are crucial for raising agricultural productivity. It is essential to create a competitive environment in the agriculture sector by integrating the role of public and private sector institutions.
In Bangladesh, over the years, conducting agricultural research has been the responsibility of the public sector National Agricultural Research System (NARS) institutes led by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC). But NARS, because of its inherent limitations, could partially be able to utilize the research capacities that exist with the different Agricultural Research Institutes (ARIs), universities, private sectors and NGOs. Moreover, lack of an adequate and sustainable funding mechanism, prevalence of a non-competitive environment, exodus of scientists, declining quality of research outputs, etc. contributed to a situation of paradigm shift necessary for integrating research efforts of all potential partners under public, private and NGO sectors.
keeping in view of the facts described above, and based on experiences gained and limitation of project based activities faced during the last few decades of agricultural research & development in Bangladesh, the Government established KGF in 2007 under joint sponsorship of World Bank. The purpose of establishment of KGF was to promote partnerships and collaborations among the NARS institutes, technology dissemination departments (DAE, DLS & DoF), farmer's organizations, private sector entities, and the international research centers/universities dealing with the activities related to agricultural research, development and extension.
To ensure sustainable sources of funding for KGF and endowment trust fund amounting to taka 350 crore (US $ 50 million) was created in the year 2008 with the help from GoB/IDA. For management of the endowment fund BKGET was formed headed by the Secretary, MoA. However, initially until the income from the endowment/BKGET fund reached to a state sufficient for conducting KGF activities, the foundation received fund from the National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP-1) for implementation of research projects under Competitive Grants Program (CGP).
KGF has the overall objective to facilitate and contribute towards integration of a pluralistic agricultural research system by involving public sector (NARS institutes, universities, other government and autonomous organizations and institutes), private sector and non-government organizations in agricultural research and development.

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