Project Name: Promoting Sustainable Agricultural Technologies for Climatic vulnerable Char-dwellers (PSAT- Phase-II)

Donor: Christian aid

Duration: 1^st May 2018 to 31 March 2020

Project Summary: The vision of success is that targeted landless and smallholding households in char area of Bangladesh have increased incomes and more sustainable livelihoods through incorporation into a strengthened safe vegetable value chain approach.  The project’s complementary interventions at different stages of the safe vegetable value chain will group and strengthen landless and smallholding producers and connect them with the market; facilitate the development of quality commercial agriicultural service providers and improve access to their services; reduce spoilage by introducing a location-appropriate, innovative and efficient collection, storing,   and transportation system; create employment and increase incomes for the char dwellers, particularly women, at various points along the chain; and remove bottlenecks in the chain.  By the end of the two years project, 1200 smallholding and landless safe vegetable producers will increase their income. The project will also create employment opportunities for extremely poor households through employment in collection systems and post harvest management especially processing.  The project design is based on investment from the private sector and development of profit-driven infrastructure, making it sustainable.  It can potentially be scaled up to benefit an estimated 50000 farmers across Bangladesh.

This increase in vegetable and sector productivity will translate into increased income for farmers, resulting in an increase in household expenditure on food and non food items such as education, health, and sanitation; from past experience, the non-food household budget will increase around 40-45 per cent. SDS will track household expenditure changes in a selection of households and measure changes in relevant indicators such as food intake patterns of women and children.  Increased income in both of the vegetable sector will contribute to the overall growth of the agriculture sector as well as the national economy.

Goal: Developed a sustainable approach to poverty eradication, by enhancing the existing livelihoods for the people living in the backward char areas.

Objectives: The proposed project plans to achieve its vision by linking producers with service providers, traders collection point.; transporting the processed vegetable to formal sector like super shops and/or informal sector local market and documenting and disseminating efficient techniques and best practices. Achieving the expected impact will involve improving producer practices to attain efficient, quality production, and improving market linkages, prices, and incentives to stimulate increased production.

Head line wise objectives:

Objective 1: Safe vegetable production increased by reducing chemical fertilizer and pesticide in farmer level of char area

Objective 2: Improve access to inputs, markets, and services by mobilizing groups of poor farmers, producers, and char dwellers

Objective 3: Improve the vegetable transport network

Human Resource: Directly four persons are involved of this project and indirectly another 24 persons are involved. Among this 01 person Project Coordinator, 02 persons Field Facilitator, 01 person accountant and 24 persons lead farmer (Volunteer services).

Working Area: Three Unions ( Kanchikata, Charbhaga, Uttartarabunia) of Bhedargonj Upazila under Shariatpur district.

Fig: Project area map (Red mark portion)

Project Activities:

• Potential lead farmers identification
• Provide TOT to the potential farmers on farming skills facilitation (2 days)
• Beneficiary (Farmer) selection and group formation
• Distribute Tabs or Android phone among the lead farmers for use of Fertilizer recommendation and other agricultural informatio:
• Workshop with Vegetable market actors (Arotdar/ traders/ Wholesaler) on Safe vegetable market extension
• Tripartite MOU signing among Urban super-shop, Safe vegetable suppliers and SDS for wider market development
• Awareness meeting with AEO, Agricultural goods suppliers and marketing officials about bad impact of excessive use of pesticide and chemical fertilizer
• Training on Vermin compost as an Innovative Income Generative Activities
• Producer develop on vermin compost production
• Support/Develop Micro enterprise for vermin compost
• Safe vegetable production plot demonstration
• Training on soil test kits handling
• Mobile apps registration and training
• Develop video documentary for safe vegetable market extension
• Improve the safe vegetable collection point/ Sales center
• Introduce Vegetables and fruits toxicity test kits and devices in collection point
• Newsletter publication on safe vegetable
• Poster/ leaflet printing and publication on safe vegetable
• Maintain the vegetable farmers Income-expenditure record book
• Linkage development with urban super-shop
• Training on post harvest management systems (processing, , marketing and storage) of the vegetable
• Farmers meeting by potential/lead farmer on future action on field crops ( 3 meeting in different 3 cropping seasons
• Support for modify the small and portable irrigation pumps with solar pannel
• Monthly meeting and refreshers for potential farmer including volunteer allowances
• Support for established low cost natural mini cold storage
• Linkage development workshop with Farmers and MFI to ensure seasonal loan
• Disaster preparedness meeting with Upazila and Union DMC

Conduct exiting PVCA review meeting with DMC member (Upazila, Union and Ward)

Case Study Of Farmer Rahim

Farmer Mst. Rahima is the inhabitant of Kachikata union under Bhedorgonj Upazila of Shariatpur district. Before her marriage she has completed SSC.  After her marriage, she cultivated her husband’s land .Because her husband is working in abroad. She cultivated potato, chili, sweet gourd, bottle gourd, ash gourd, red amaranth and Indian spinach. Yield of her land is more than others. So farmers came to her land to see the cultivation procedure and yield. She describes her production technique to the interested farmers. This year PSAT (Promoting Sustainable Agricultural Technology for Climatic Vulnerable Char-Dwellers) Project personnel went to her village for identification of Lead farmer. Most of the farmers of that village said she is the most qualified person as a lead farmer. After joining as a lead farmer of PSAT project, she has got more climates adaptive modern agriculture related ICT based training. Now she is trained lead farmer. She is arranged and facilitated season based court yard session of that village. Also she is gone to farmer’s field and try to solve their problem by the help of agril website supported Android mobile phone. In future her aim, she will be adapted new technology and serve in the farmer.    Farmers are pleased of her. We seem that it is the successful strategy of Farmers Rahima. If it is ongoing, the agriculture of this area will be increased. So it is the helpful for remove the hunger and poverty in this area. And its effects will be shown nationally

Case study of Farmer Md. Amjad Hossain

Farmer Md. Amjad Hossainr is the inhabitant of Kachikata Char area  under Bhedorgonj Upazila of Shariatpur District. He is a group member of PSAT project of SDS. He has been cultivating his land (lease) during less than 8 years. Every year his solanecy  and  gourd family crops production damaged 1/4^th due to twig borer and  fruit fly insect (Local name mainda poka) infestation. He didn’t know how to control it biologically low cost system. Every year he would be used huge amount of insecticide for twig borer and  fruit fly insect infestation control. But they didn’t control it effectively. And also they had expensed lot of money. After joining PSAT project , he has received more training and court yard session like as advance cropping technique, Organic fertilizer production, Sex pheromone trap use, Video session of Sex pheromone trap use ,Hand pollination system. This year we have supported sex pheromone trap, seed and small scale  organic fertilizer production plant to him. He has used sex pheromone trap of his solanecy crop and  bitter gourd crop field fortwig borer and  fruit fly insect control. After few days he invited us to see his sex pheromone trap use plot and he said that it is very helpful. And also he said  that there is no insect infested fruit in his plot. Again he said that  this year he didn’t use insecticide for insect control. As a result his production cost was decreased and yield was increased. Coming season he will be used organic fertilizer and sex pheromone trap of his sweet gourd crop for safe vegetable production.

Case Study Of Farmer Asma

Farmer Mst. Asma is the inhabitant of Kachikata union under Bhedorgonj Upazila of Shariatpur district. Before her marriage she has completed class eight. Her age is 25 years. After her marriage, she helps her husband’s for cultivation .Now she is a member of PSAT project. After joining PSAT project she attend more court yard session and got a vermin compost production training and logistic support. She cultivated chili, sweet gourd, bottle gourd, ash gourd, red amaranth. Yield of her land is more than others due to use of cow dung and recommended dose of fertilizer. Already she started vermin compost production and few days ago she has harvested vermin compost. Coming season she will be used vermin compost of her own field. And if her compost production is increasing day by day , she will be sold her compost to the another farmer . Beside this her excess vermin will be supplied another farmer. As a result vermin compost production will be increased in this area. So farmers will be used available form of organic manure of their cultivable land. Ultimately farmers production cost will be reduced and soil will be protected from harmful effect of excess use of chemical fertilizer .We seem that it is the successful strategy of Farmers Asma. If it is ongoing, the agriculture of this area will be increased. So it is the helpful for remove the hunger and poverty in this area. And its effects will be shown nationally.

Total Beneficiaries

 Project staff will be formed group by the help of lead farmer. In each group 25 members are involved. Our total direct beneficiaries are 1200. They will be formed 48 groups. Total beneficiaries of the project are 8400 including replicators.

 Beneficiaries Crite

Criteria of direct beneficiaries’ selection:

1. Landless, day laborers and marginal farmer owning less than 50 decimal land.
2. Highly vulnerable for natural disaster and climate change
3. Women headed households
4. Interested to involve Natural Disaster and Climate Change Resilient alternative livelihood option
5. Permanently live in the village of deep
6. Nominal and no access to basic services

Project staff will visit UP to discuss about the project. After clearing them about project activities and strategies consent and support of UP will be requested. UP will provide primary information and directives for identification of direct beneficiaries of above categories except NGOs, CBOs, Media and government officials. SDS team and project staff will visit each village to identify direct beneficiaries including community people. They will prepare a preliminary list of direct beneficiaries in the beginning month of the project start

 Project Picture Gallery: