DR ATAHARUL CHOWHURY

BSc, MS, MSc, PhD

LECTURER

BIO:

I am a social scientist with expertise and background that intersect at agricultural science, communication studies & international development. As an intrinsic and passionate leader I have worked in innovative, challenging, but rewarding career platforms. I was offered opportunities to utilize my capabilities of teaching, research, management of project, facilitation of multi-stakeholder platforms, and supporting problem-solving processes for inclusive agri-food systems, environmental and rural development change.

I find inspiration from following signature themes: Relator, Confidence, Belief, Integrity, Discipline, Hope and Achiever

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Lecturer, Agricultural Extension & Communication

External Position: Adjunct Professor, SEDRD, University of Guelph, Ontario

QUALIFICATIONS:

SSHRC Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Guelph, Ontario
Ph.D., University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna
MSc., Management of Agro-ecological Knowledge and Social Change, Wageningen UR, The Netherlands,
MS, Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University
BSc. Ag. Bangladesh Agricultural University

TEACHING

Undergraduate Courses

AGEX 3004: Communication for Professionals (UWI)

AGEX 2001: Operation and Management of Extension Program (UWI)

POLS 3320: Politics of Foreign Aid and Development (University of Guelph)

EDRD 3160: International Communication (University of Guelph)

EDRD 2020: Interpersonal Communication (University of Guelph)

CMST 2DD3: Media & Organization (McMaster University)

IDS 3303: Management Information Systems (Humber College)

Post-graduate Courses

AGEX 6002: Trends & Emerging Issues in Agricultural Extension (UWI)

POLS 6750: Development in Practice (University of Guelph)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ACTIVITIES:

Dr. Chowdhury participated in number of professional organizations and networks

Member, Environmental Studies Association of Canada
Member, Canadian Communication Association
Member, International Association for Media and Communication Research
Member, Association of International Agriculture Extension Educators
The Coordinator (2008-09) and Assistant Coordinator (2009-10), of the North South Dialogue- Council of Scholars, a platform of the scholars of the North South Dialogue scholarship programme (now known as APPEAR) managed by the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research, Vienna.
Member, The Royal Netherlands Society for Agricultural Sciences, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Member, Wageningen University and Research Centre Alumni Network
Member of the executive committee (2004-2006), Bangladesh Agricultural Extension Society, Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Life member, Bangladesh Agricultural Extension Society, Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
Member, Krishibid Institution (A professional society of the agriculturists trained in Bangladesh), Farmgate, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dr. Chowdhury contributed to number of scholarly activities such as, review of following professional, academic, research and scholarly work

Ph.D. Examination (external), Pune University, India
MSc Project Supervision, Wageningen UR, The Netherlands
The National Priorities Research Program, Qatar National Research Fund, Qatar Research Foundation
American Behavioural Scientist
Annals of Agricultural Science
Environment, Development & Sustainability
Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics & Sub-tropics
Tropical Agriculture
World Development
Gender in Technology and Development
Participatory Communication Research, International Association for Media and Communication Research
Scholarly Activities, Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education
Agricultural Systems
Development in Practice
Forest Trees and Livelihoods
The Journal of Agricultural Education & Extension
Society & Natural Resources
Technology and Emerging Media Track, Canadian Communication Association.

RESEARCH INTERESTS AND EXPERTISE:

Over the years, Dr. Chowdhury facilitated and coordinated number of research & development projects, curriculum development events, workshops, presentations and teaching materials development while based in Bangladesh, The Netherlands, Austria, Canada & Trinidad & Tobago. In his doctoral studies, he investigated innovative video-enabled learning approaches for the capacity development of small holders in Bangladesh. His doctoral work set an important departure point for research on video for development at the Centre for Development Research, BOKU, Vienna. Subsequently, several projects augmented this theme of research, for instance, two development projects in Bangladesh aimed at enabling collaborations among stakeholders of agricultural & rural development sectors and improving livelihoods of about 600 women farmers. The SSHRC post-doctoral work at the University of Guelph investigated use of social media in multi-stakeholder learning and collaboration in the agri-food and rural development sectors in Ontario. The SSHRC project attracted few other research projects in his home department at the University of Guelph. Recently, he contributed in developing a common framework for capacity building of an Agricultural Innovation System for tropical regions. The framework is being tested in eight countries in Africa (Angola, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia), Asia (Bangladesh, Laos) and Central America (Guatemala, Honduras) as part of the EU funded initiative called Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems. For more information on this framework please refer to http://www.fao.org/in-action/tropical-agriculture-platform/commonframework/en/

Dr. Chowdhury’s works draw on the following thematic areas. In the Caribbean and beyond, he is interested to explore topics related to these areas.

Advisory and outreach services, communication for environmental & social change, ICT and new media, pedagogical application of ICT, participatory action research, video for development, online data mining, social network analysis, qualitative & quantitative data analysis, inclusive innovation & agri-food system, climate change & complex adaptive management, livelihoods & governance, capacity development for women and youth, evaluation & impact assessment, facilitation of multi-stakeholder platform, seed system development, integrated pest management, food security

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Journal Articles

Chowdhury, A.H., Helen Hambly, O., Thompson, S., Hauser, M. (2015). Enhancing Farmers' Capacity of botanical pesticide innovation through video-mediated learning in Bangladesh. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, online first, DOI: 10.1080/14735903.2014.997461.

Chowdhury, A. H., Hambly Odame, H., & Leeuwis, C. (2014). Transforming the Roles of a Public Extension Agency to Strengthen Innovation: Lessons from the National Agricultural Extension Project in Bangladesh. The journal of agricultural education and extension, 20(1), pp. 7-25.

Chowdhury, A. and Helen Hambly, O. (2013). Social media for enhancing innovation in agrifood and rural development: Current Dynamics in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Rural and Community Development, Vol 8(2): 97-113.

Chowdhury, A. H., Van Mele, P. and Hauser, M. (2011). Contribution of farmer-to-farmer video to capital assets building: Evidence from Bangladesh. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, Vol 35 (4):408–435.

Chowdhury, A.H., Odame Hambly, H and Hauser, M (2010). With or without a script? Comparing two styles of participatory video on enhancing local seed innovation system in Bangladesh. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, Vol 16 (4): 355-371

Hauser, M., Chowdhury, A. H., Peloschek, F. A., & Singh, S. J. (2010). Farmer participatory research: an approach to fostering community-led innovation in smallholder agriculture. Austrian Journal of Development Studies (Journal Für Entwicklungspolitik), Vol 26(4 ): 101-118.

Peer-Reviewed Book/Book Chapters/Global Notes

Tropical Agriculture Platform. (2015). Capacity for Change: A Framework for Capacity Development of Agricultural Innovation System (CD for AIS). Food And Agriculture Organization, Rome. (A global capacity development framework developed for Tropical Agriculture Platform)

Tropical Agriculture Platform. (2015). Capacity for Change: Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation System. A Guidance Note on Operationalizing the TAP Common Framework on CD for AIS. Food And Agriculture Organization, Rome. (A global capacity development framework developed for Tropical Agriculture Platform)

Saravanan, R., Suchiradipta, B., Chowdhury, A., Hall, K., & Hambly Odame, H. (2015). Social Media for Rural Advisory Services. Note 15. GFRAS Good Practice Notes for Extension and Advisory Services. Lindau, Switzerland: GFRAS.

Bentley, J., Chowdhury, A., & David, S. (2015). Videos for Agricultural Extension. Note 6. GFRAS Good Practice Notes for Extension and Advisory Services. Lindau, Switzerland: GFRAS.

Sarker, M. A., Chowdhury, A. H., Miah, M. A. M., & Peloschek, F. A. (2014). Participatory Videos: A New Media for Promoting Organic Farming in Northern Bangladesh. In G. Rahman & U. Aksoy (Eds.), Building Organic Bridges (pp. 53-56). Istanbul: ISOFAR.

Chowdhury A.H. (2010). Having a System Does not Make a Home of It… A Case Study on the Institutions Building Process of an Agricultural Development Project in Bangladesh. Saarbrücken, Germany, Verlag Dr. Müller, pp. 168, (ISBN, 978-3-639-27648-0).

Chowdhury A.H. and Hauser, M. (2010). The potentials of moving pictures. Does participatory video enhance learning for local innovation? In. E. Coudel, H. Devautour, Soulard, C and B. Hubert (Eds.). Innovation and Sustainable Development in Agriculture and Food, Symposium Proceedings, CIRAD, INRA and Montpellier SupAgro, (ISBN 978-2-7380-1284-5).

Aktar, R., Chowdhury, A., Zakaria, A. K. M., & Vogl, C. R. (2010). Seed information and communication networks of male and female farmers: A micro level study in Bangladesh. In: I. Darnhofer & M. Grötzer (eds.), Building sustainable rural futures. The added value of systems approaches in times of change and uncertainty. Vienna, Universität für Bodenkultur, pp. 760-769 (ISBN 978-3-200-01908-9).

Kummer, S., Aigelsperger, L., Milestead, R., Chowdhury, A. H., & Vogl, C. R. (2010). Knowledge systems, innovations and social learning in organic farming- An overview. In: I. Darnhofer & M. Grötzer (eds.), Building sustainable rural futures. The added value of systems approaches in times of change and uncertainty. Vienna, Universität für Bodenkultur, pp. 664-669 (ISBN 978-3-200-01908-9).

Huque, M.M. and Chowdhury, A.H. (2006). Role of Women as Clients and Change Agents in Selected Areas of Development: Reflection from Empirical Evidence. In: Ullah M.M. and A. Islam (eds.). Gender and Human Resources for Health in South Asia: Challenges and Constraints. University Grants Commission (UGC), Dhaka and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canada. Pp. 131-150 (ISBN 984-809-023-1).

Conference/Posters/Invited Sessions

Session Chair, Socio-technical networks and communities, Annual Meeting of Canadian Communication Association, 28-30 May, 2014, Brock University.
Member, Pre-conference, Communication for Sustainable Rural Development and Social Change, International Association for Media and Communication Research, 4 July, 2014.
Member, Organizing Committee, The Glocal Classroom for Sharing the ComDev Experience, University of Guelph, 21-22 May, 2014.
Chowdhury AH., and Helen Hambly, O. (2013). Do social media support social change: Insights from the communication for social change perspectives. Paper presented in the annual conference of the Canadian Communication Association, Victoria, BC, 6 June, 2013.
Chowdhury AH, and Helen Hambly, O. (2013). From output-based to process-based monitoring of agricultural extension project: Lessons from Bangladesh. Paper presented in the annual conference of Association of International Agricultural and Extension Education, Texas, 19-23 May, 2013.
Chowdhury AH, Sarapura, S. Hambly Odame, H. (2012). Video-mediated communication for environmental and social change process: Present and future scenarios across Asia, Latin America, and Canada. Paper presented in the ESAC annual conference during Congress 2012 of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Waterloo, 30 May- June 1, 2012.
Chowdhury AH & Hambly Odame, H. (2012). Social media in enhancing innovation in the Canadian agri-food and rural sector. Paper presented in the Rural Research Workshop organized by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation, Ottawa, 24-25 May, 2012.
Chowdhury A H & Hambly Odame, H. (2012). Enhancing women farmers' capacity of local botanical pesticide innovation through video-mediated learning in Bangladesh. Paper presented in the Global Development Symposium, University of Guelph, Ontario, 6-9 May, 2012.

Invited to worked in a team to report conference, ‘World food system- A contribution from Europe’, Tropentag 2010, organized by the North-South Centre of the ETH Zurich during 14-16 September, 2010, Zurich through web 2.0 platform (http://blog.tropentag.de)
Worked as a Member of the scientific and organizing committee of the 9^th European International Farming System Association symposium ‘Building sustainable rural future: The added value of systems approaches in times of change and uncertainty’ organized by the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, during 4-7 July, 2010, Vienna.

Video & Training Materials

Chowdhury, A.H. (2014). Radio+....How Radio Makes a Difference, Guest lecture by Prof Helen Hambly Odame (Video Prepared for EDRD 3160, International Communication, Univeristy of Guelph).
Chowdhury A. H. (2010). Say ‘NO’ to chemicals, ‘USE’ botanicals. Video developed on farmers’ participatory research about a local botanical pesticide in Bangladesh, and presented in the symposium Innovation and Sustainable Development in Agriculture and Food held during, 28 June to 1 July, 2010, Montpellier, CIRDA, INRA & Montpellier SupAgro.
Chowdhury, A. H. (2010). ‘Enabling Rural Innovation: Development at the science-practice interface’. Video developed on the opinion (of the director of the Centre for Development Research, Vienna) about the impact of enabling rural innovation approach on rural poverty in Africa, and presented during annual general meeting of the Horizon 3000, in July, 2010, Kampala, Uganda.
Chowdhury, A H. (2009). ‘Simple care and low cost practices, Bring both golden seeds and produces’. Video on local seed innovations of eggplant seed production and processing in Bangladesh presented in the Innovation Asia Pacific Symposium, 4-7, May, Kathmandu, International Centre for Tropical Agriculture & International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
Chowdhury, A. H. (2009). 'Overcoming crises-a kaleidoscope of opinions from around the world’. Video presented at the Inaugural workshop of the Centre for Development Research, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, on 14 October, 2009, Vienna. Available at http://www.boku.ac.at/15463.html.
Chowdhury et al (2009). ‘Practical manual of agricultural extension education’. Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. Author/Co-author of the following chapters