Deputy Director, IFDC Asia
“I have always had a desire and a passion in me to do something that would create change in the lives of farmers. I want to go about in rural communities and disseminate valuable agricultural and environmental best management practices and technologies to improve the crop productivity and income of poor farmers.”
Ishrat Jahan, Deputy Director, IFDC Asia, has more than 30 years of experience in agricultural development. During her 24-year career with IFDC, she has successfully designed and implemented interventions that sustainably improve crop yields at the smallholder farmer level. She has also been instrumental in introducing fertilizer deep placement (FDP) throughout Bangladesh.
Prior to joining IFDC, Jahan held various research positions at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), the Government of Bangladesh Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Ministry of Agriculture. She also served as Assistant Chief to the Ministry of Agriculture for the Government of Bangladesh from 1989 to 1992.
As IFDC Asia’s Deputy Director, Jahan is responsible for conducting economic and policy assessments of the fertilizer sector and preparing project proposals for IFDC on fertilizer trade, policies, agribusiness, environment and technology dissemination. She plays a dual role as chief of party for IFDC’s Accelerating Agriculture Productivity Improvement (AAPI) project and is responsible for program coordination, management and performance.
In 2010, Jahan received the IFDC Chairman’s Outstanding Professional Award in recognition of her excellence and commitment to IFDC’s mission.
Jahan has published numerous papers, reports and articles. She holds a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of the Philippines and a master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Dhaka.
