an ENDEAVOR to make FOOD secured Foreword

This publication has been initiated to present and share the exciting experience of “Making Agriculture and Market Systems Work for Landless, Marginal and Smallholder Farmers in ” project addressing soaring price of food, agricultural inputs and food security concerns. This report will allow the readers to have a vivid overview of the initiatives, activities and impact that the project has had on the beneficiaries all the way through pictures and brief narratives.

Our sincere thanks to our supporters, partners, public and private sector institutions, departments, well wishers and the team of this project for their endless supports and contribution towards this project.

Veena Khaleque Country Director Practical Action Bangladesh This twenty two month project “Making These farmers almost always have to sell their Agriculture and Market Systems Work for produce as soon as it is harvested because they Landless, Marginal and Smallholder Farmers in have little or no other income coming in. Some Bangladesh” is funded by the European Union will even sell their produced in advance so Project Overview and Practical Action, aims to improve the food desperate are they to earn enough money to security and livelihoods of 15,000 vulnerable, support their families, although they know that marginal farming households (approximately they will only get half of the value of the market 75,000 people) and 300 rural private agricultural price. service provides of Faridpur and Sirajganj region of Bangladesh. The project aims to achieve the The factors that mainly preventing these farmers following results: being able to earn a decent income are – they have little or no access to good quality seeds, • 15000 VMFHs are aware of and proficient in fertilizers, fodders and technologies that would using improved technologies, inputs and help them to improve their current productivity, services thereby creating increased demand for reduce loss due to poor processing and storage. locally delivered inputs and services. Besides many farmers lack the skills, services and capital to diversify their livelihoods, making • VMFHs and service providers are able to them vulnerable to fluctuations in market restore agricultural production, increase demand and prices increases, as well as to the productivity and reduce transaction costs diseases on their crops, fish, livestock’s; they following the increased supply of productive also lack professional organization and therefore assets, inputs and services. do not have strong voice to influence markets, establish relationships and networks with • VMFHs and service providers are able to government and private suppliers of services and negotiate and improve efficiency and reduce inputs which could enable them to negotiate transaction costs through engagement in better prices, or to access training, services and profitable value chains. information needed for production and marketing. In this project Practical Action and its two local partners (BASA, VPKA) specially focuses on The project began in January 2010 and will landless, marginal, smallholder farmers and rural continue until the end of October 2011. The service providers who lack knowledge of the project is being implemented in , markets in which they operate – the challenges Baliakandi and Rajbari Sadar of Rajbari and opportunities, and ways in which they can district in Faridpur region and Tarash, Ullapara work together to reduce the costs while at the and Raigonj Upazila of Sirajganj district in same time, increase profitability for farmers, Sirajganj region. The total budget to implement service providers and traders. this project is Euro 28, 05,280. Capacity Building providers. explore and aforum toshare commonproblems, negotiating for improved inputs, reduce costs groups sothatthey canhave stronger voice in the project supportedthecommunitytoform respective field.Using participatoryprocess, sessions etc. toenhancetheirknowledge on xouevst,v visits, exposure providers skillsdevelopment training, arranged involved infisheriesbusiness) and300service involved inlivestock rearing, 4000 VMFHs crop andvegetable production, 5000VMFHs households-VMFHs (6000VMFHsinvolved in provided 15,000vulnerable, marginal farming improving skillsandknowledge theproject potential for diversifying livelihoods and and marketing. Understanding thereal quality inputs, negotiation skillsfor production farmers lackupdatedproduction technologies, Landless, marginal andeven smallholder solutions andidentifysolution alue chaintour learning , in group meeting. Group members updating record book Group meeting. More than 60% farmers improved their production resulting in monthly household income increasing by 50 to 60%. Practical session of skill development training for agro-machinery service providers.

Service providers visit at least once in a month in each producer group and conduct learning sessions on issues like cattle disease, cow shed management, fodder preparation, pond management, recommended doses of fertilizer, pesticide, method of cultivation, irrigation, post production management etc.

A service provider facilitating learning session at field visit for producer group members. Before starting the season the selected producers were given skill development training on issues like quality seeds, seed bed preparation techniques, line sowing, application and dosage of pesticide, fertilizer, and the right time for harvesting, processing and grading the product, disease control mechanisms for cattle, feed preparation, de-worming and timely vaccination; better pond management, cage culture and fish feed preparation, disease control etc.; service providers received training on seed production and preservation, organic fertilizer preservation, farm machinery repair and maintenance, fisheries, animal health services, artificial insemination, fodder cultivation etc. As the project working area is flood prone and remains water logged, there is a scarcity of green grass for cattle. In order to solve this problem and improve the productive and reproductive health of cattle the preparation and feeding of Urea Molasses Straw (UMS) has also been initiated under this project.

Improved practice of cattle rearing and management increased milk production and improved the livelihood of the producers. Service Market Development higher incomes demand for theirservicesandenjoy service providers willexperience anincreased develop theirown livelihoods andincomes, associations. As farmers adoptnew ideasand events for demandgeneration etc. through their product fair, awareness raising andcultural campaign for vitamin,de-worming, agricultural services atcompetitive price, organizing learning sessioninproducer groups, providing b service providers for theirown interest and and getproducts atcompetitive price. Now the that they canbeupdatedwithnew knowledge etc. assessment, exposure visits, value chaintour hence organized activitylik market andthedemandfor theirservicesand that they have adequateunderstanding of their needed by theserviceproviders. Project ensures departments for furtherassistanceasandwhen respective fieldsandestablishlinkage withline to increase theirknowledge andskillontheir insemination andfodder cultivation issues fisheries, animalhealthservices, artificial farm machineryrepair andmaintenance, preservation, organic fertilizerpreservation, de farmers, serviceproviders were given skill timely qualityinputsandservicesfor thepoor pr to ensure there are trained local service have accesstothequality inputs. Withanaim Most of thepoorfarmers livinginvillagedono companies are accessible up todistrictlevel. Agricultural inputservicesof large private usiness expansion conductingr oviders, providing accessible, affordable and velopment training onseedproduction and and linked themwithinputsupplier . e service mark egularly so s et cattle owner aboutthe doses of medicine. Livestock Service Provider providing advice tothe Service providers conducting learning sessions in producers groups. Livestock service provider providing de-worming tablet to the cattle. Livestock service provider briefing the group members on importance and need of de-worming. Service providers with the support of the project organized folk drama on livestock services under awareness raising and demand generation activities. Scientist of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) giving brief on gene bank of rice to the participants of exposure visit.

Visitors are observing agriculture technologies and products in agricultural product fair. Agricultural technologies are changing very quickly and poor farmers cannot cope with that. As a result they cannot achieve desired production. The promotion of agrarian services, increased production and productivity, guaranteed food security, increased income and competitiveness of farmers; In order to increase agricultural productivity there is a need to increase access to improved agricultural technologies along with irrigation and water conservation technologies. Taking this into consideration the project has motivated practice of few technologies for D emonstration of seed storage technique in the example in case of field crop – Alternative producer group meeting. Wetting and Drying method of irrigation, line sowing, seed bed preparation, quality seed identification, application of right quantity of fertilizer, pesticide and management organic and vermi compost production, green manure cultivation; for livestock Napier grass cultivation, Urea Molasses Straw feed preparation, balanced cattle feed, green grass cultivation, 4 month cycle of beef fattening, cow shed and disease management; for fisheries cage fish culture in Sirajganj, open pond fish cultivation and management, fingerling management etc. Now more than 70% of our targeted beneficiaries are Promotion of Technology practicing and applying these technologies in Beneficiaries using Silo drums for storing food grains. their respective sub sector. Moisture meter - group members learning use of moisture meter to measure moisture content of seeds. Cage fish culture in open water bodies: a new hope for fish culture for resource poor landless farmers. Pond management - a fish farmer liming to increase Feeding Practice - use of feeding tray to feed fish the natural productivity of the ponds and having a just after the stocking. favorable effect on the health of the fry. Urea Molasses Straw (UMS) to increase Earthen cannel management to reduce irrigation productivity and reproductive health of cattle. water loss.

Practicing Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) Practice of growing summer/ winter vegetables technology to reduce irrigation cost up to 30%. in homestead land. Productive Asset Transfer f vegetables andfertilizers like TSP, MOP, zinc project distributed seedsof fieldcrops and agriculture leadingtohigherproduction. The enable farmers somesurplustoinvest more in country. Theproject undertookassettransfer to production inthecommunityand technologies. Theseresulted inaverage lower this by investing lessininputsand in production. Inmostcasesthey compromise food andhaslittlemoney leftfor investment on average spendinglotsof money for buying Most of thefarmer families having5members boost uptheirproduction andincome. than 80%beneficiariestillnow reinvested to improvement of theirhousehold assets. More beneficiaries for reinvestment andgradual feed, cage, fishnetetcandencouraged fattening anddairy, brood fish,fingerlingsfish or cultivation, bull andfodder for beef among the livestock producer group members. Concentrated ready cattlefeeddistribution As part of the project support, open pond fish farmers received fish fry and balanced fish feed; cage fish farmers received cages, Tilapia fish fry and balanced fish feed; open water fisherman received casts net and bar net. In addition, to promote the hatchery and ensure uninterrupted supply of fingerlings the project supported 54 households with brood fish and balanced feed. District Fisheries Officer (DFO) distributing fingerlings among Fisheries producers group members.

Cattle distribution among landless households. Fertilizer distribution among agriculture Plastic drum distribution to households producer group members. for seed preservation.

Artificial Insemination (AI) kits distribution among Tool box distribution among agro machinery Livestock service providers after AI training. service providers after the training. Access to market hassle of markets andmarketing. and retailers, reducing costof marketing and intermediaries increasing margin of producers confidence, eliminationof someof the outputs andservicesincreasing trustand and contract amongbuyer andsellers of inputs, centre provides benefitssuchasdirect contact and transect theirgoodsandservices. This buyers andsellers of goodsandservicesmeet working asaone-stopservice pointwhere both established inRajbariandSirajganj district 50 SalesandServiceCentre (SSC)were Collective selling of products bythe producers. Fish producer selling produced fish through SSC. Group milk marketing by the dairy producers. Producers of agricultural product bringing in their produced to SSC for sale.

Beneficiaries getting advice from service Renting spray machine for pest control from SSC. providers through SSC. Agro-processing and Enterprise Development chanachur gm) polypropylene for picklepreparation, meta bi-sulphate, vinegar, glasscontainer(400 pan, plasticbowls, sodiumbenzoit,potassium solar dryer (15’x6’)for fishdrying,frying and 35Kgrespectively), Korean supertripol, container (50kg); food grade drums(120Kg mats, airtightplasticdrum(50kg), steel drying andstorage of seedandfood grains, technologies andsupportedwithimproved demonstration onpostharvest agro-processing facilities, 1340VMFHswere given training and With emphasisonimproved dryingandstorage machine for chanachur making. household level. Potato storage techniqueat Demonstration of potato storage technique at household level. Demonstration of seed storage technique in producer groups.

Checking water percentage of seed after drying. Preparing chanachur maintaining hygiene.

Packaging the produced chanachur. Knowledge Product Development

The project has also produced some knowledge materials in association with concerned line departments for the beneficiaries like Vaccination Calendar, Breeding Calendar, Booklet on Cow Rearing, Leaflet on Napier Grass Cultivation AWD, Vermi Compost, Organic Fertilizer , Seed Preservation Technique, Artificial Insemination, Cage Fish Culture, Monosex Tilapia Cultivation, Carp Fish Cultivation , Potato Storage Technique, awareness raising dram a, b as el in e an d fo ll ow u p ca se s tories, training manuals of working sub sectors etc.

Collaboration with Public and Private Institutions beneficiaries. and linkages benefitingtheproject departments ensuringsupport,collaboration beneficiaries andtheseinstitutions suppliers, MFIsbridgesthegapbetween companies, seedsuppliers, feedandfodder Generals of DAE, DLO, DoF, medicine workshops, consultationmeetingwithDirector National andlocallevel project inception National level sharing and project inception workshop. inception project and sharing level National epartmentD ofFisheries (DoF.) National FishWeek 2011award from Design: Nipun/Drik Photo: Qamruzzaman/Drik Zul Mukhida, Practical Action Team Production: Drik, Bangladesh ([email protected]) Publication: Making Agriculture and Market Systems Work for Landless Marginal and Smallholder Farmers in Bangladesh project. Practical Action, Bangladesh House 12/B Road 4 Dhanmondi -1205 Bangladesh Tel : +880 2 8650493 9675896 9675843 www.practicalaction.org

This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Practical Action, Bangladesh and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.