How the society began
The initiative to form the Weed Science Society of Bangladesh was taken by Prof. Dr. S. M. Rezaul Karim of the Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, on 22 February 2008, at a meeting of the Bangladesh Agronomy Society held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council in Dhaka. He focused on the importance of such a society at both national and international levels.
Prof. Rezaul Karim had been attending the Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society (APWSS) conferences as Country Representative since 1997, where it became clear that without a national weed science society approved by the APWSS, the country representative could not hold voting power in APWSS elections. With the assistance and cooperation of others, he arranged the first meeting of ten distinguished agronomists at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, on 9 August 2008. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Md. Hazrat Ali, Professor of Agronomy at SAU. After a long discussion on the importance and possibility of the society, an ad-hoc committee of ten members was formed, with Prof. Hazrat Ali as Convener and Prof. Rezaul Karim as Member-Secretary.
Goals and objectives
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Provide a forum for weed scientists to exchange ideas with their fellow scientists.
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Recommend policies to the government regarding the consequences and impact of noxious weeds on agriculture.
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Maintain liaison with international societies related to weed science.
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Publishing a weed science journal, monographs, books, bulletins and fact sheets.
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Identify outstanding workers in the area of weed science and recognise their service by presenting awards and conferring honours.
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Recommend a uniform curriculum on weed science to the University Grants Commission and the textbook board, and suggest amendments to course curricula.
The society today
The society draws its members from the agricultural universities, the national research institutes — BARI, BRRI, BSRI, BWMRI and BJRI — and from the private sector. It has organised nine conventions, symposia, workshops and international conferences, and publishes the Bangladesh Journal of Weed Science twice a year.
Related societies and journals
- Agronomy Society of Bangladesh The national society for agronomy
- Weed and Herbicide Research, BAU Weed and herbicide research at Bangladesh Agricultural University
- Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society The regional body, and its journal
- International Weed Science Society The world body for weed science
- Indian Society of Agronomy Sister society in India
- Indian Journal of Weed Science Published by the Indian Society of Weed Science