USAID AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SUPPORT ACTIVITY
ANNUAL REPORT November 2015 USAID AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SUPPORT ACTIVITY
Annual Report 2015 01 October 2014 - 30 September 2015
Submitted to United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Dhaka, Bangladesh
Submitted by Dhaka Ahsania Mission CARE-Bangladesh & mPower
November 2015 USAID AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SUPPORT ACTIVITY
Annual Report 2015 01 October 2014 - 30 September 2015
Prepared by Ag Extension Project Team
Published by Ag Extension Project Management Dhaka, Bangladesh
Prepared in November 2015
Design and Printed by Real Printing, Dhaka, Bangladesh
USAID Disclaimer: This report is made possible through support provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The content and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the US Agency for International Development or the United States Government. Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1. INTRODUCTION 3 1.1. Background 3 1.2. Project Goal, Objectives and Approach 3 1.3. Project Area 4 1.4. Project M&E System 5 2. SUMMARY OF FtF INDICATOR REPORT 7 3. RESULTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS 10 3.1. Agricultural Extension Service Provision Enhanced (IR 1) 10 3.1.1. Capacity of Agricultural Extension Agents Enhanced 10 3.1.1.1. Capacity development of public extension agents 10 3.1.1.2. Capacity development of private extension agents 12 3.1.2. Increased Outreach to Farmers by Agriculture Extension Agents 13 3.1.2.1. Establishment of agricultural extension service centers 13 3.1.2.2. Support to the extension agents for improved services 14 3.2. Smallholder Farmers in Agriculture Empowered (IR 2) 15 3.2.1. Community Mobilized and Farmer Producer Groups Formed 15 3.2.2. Enhanced Farmers' Knowledge and Capacity in Agriculture 17 3.2.2.1. Needs assessment and producer group action plans 17 3.2.2.2. Capacity building for farmer leaders 18 3.2.2.3. Capacity building of farmer producer groups 19 3.2.2.4. Learning through demonstration plots and ponds 20 3.2.2.5. Access to formal financial services 21 3.2.2.6. Farmers' awareness creation on health and nutrition 22 3.2.3. Producer (Farmer) Groups Strengthened 22 3.2.3.1. Link producer groups to extension agents 22
AESA Annual Report Year 3 iii 3.2.3.2. Access to inputs and output markets 24 3.3. Strengthened Application of ICT in Agriculture (IR 3) 26 3.3.1. Improved National Agriculture Information System 26 3.3.1.1. Collaboration with AIS 26 3.3.1.2. Development of agriculture knowledge portal 28 3.3.1.3. Development of ICT applications 29 3.3.1.4. Development of Audio Visual products 31 3.3.2. Increased Use of ICT by Agricultural Extension Agents 31 3.3.2.1. Training on use of ICT applications 31 3.3.3. Increased Use of ICT by Farmers 31 3.3.3.1. ToT of ICT champions on the use of basic ICT tools 31 3.4. Cross-cutting Issues 33 3.4.1. Gender Awareness 33 3.4.2. Environmental Compliance 34 4. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 36 4.1. Administration and Coordination 36 4.1.1. Project Management Meeting 36 4.1.2. Management and Coordination in regions and districts 36 4.1.3. Project Staffing 37 4.2. Partnerships and Coordination 39 4.3. Visits 40 4.4. Monitoring and Evaluation 40 4.5. Communications 43 5. LESSONS LEARNED 45 ANNEXES 46 Annex 1: Case Studies 46 Annex 2: Training and Capacity Building 56 iv AESA Annual Report Year 3 List of Tables and Figures
List of Tables
Table 1.1: Project working are with supported beneficiaries 5 Table 2.1: Area (ha) under improved technology or management practices 7 Table 2.2: USG supported farmers applying new technologies or managementpractices 8 Table 2.3: Beneficiaries who received USG supported short-term training 8 Table 3.1: Training provided to the government extension agents 11 Table 3.2: Training to government extension agents in four demo upazilas 12 Table 3.3: Retailers and service providers identified within AESA project area 12 Table 3.4: Distribution of FPGs by districts and value chains 17 Table 3.5: ToT course for farmer leaders 19 Table 3.6: Summary of courtyard sessions on improved practices for FPGs 19 Table 3.7: Distribution of demonstration plots and ponds in project area 20 Table 4.1: Summary breakdown of the project staff 37 Table 4.2: Summary of MoU and agreements signed with other organizations 39
List of Figures
Figure 1.1: Map showing project work area 4 Figure 1.2: Project results framework 6 Figure 3.1: Launching of AESC at Chowgachha upazila, Jessore 13 Figure 3.2: DAE Additional Director's visit at Chowgachha, Jessore 14 Figure 3.3: DAE extension agents receive motorcycle from the project 14 Figure 3.4: Beneficiary farmer distribution by landholding size 15
AESA Annual Report Year 3 v Figure 3.5: Distribution of group members by selected value chains 16 Figure 3.6: Farmer groups' participatory need assessment in Terokhada 17 Figure 3.7: Farmer leaders' ToT on fish culture in Pirojpur 18 Figure 3.8: Farmer groups' learning session on mung bean cultivation 19 Figure 3.9: Demonstration plot of jute in Magura sadar upazila 20 Figure 3.10: Farmers' field day on Jute cultivation in Magura 21 Figure 3.11: Project staff trained on access to loan 22 Figure 3.12: SAAO conducting a learning session for farmer 23 Figure 3.13: Match making workshop in Amtali, Barguna 24 Figure 3.14: Vaccination camp in Rupsha Upazila, Khulna 26 Figure 3.15: MoU signing ceremony with AIS, MoA 27 Figure 3.16: e-Ag conference in December 2014 28 Figure 3.17: SAAO training on use of ICT applications 31 Figure 3.18 : ICT champion training in Keshabpur, Jessore 32 Figure 3.19: Project staff conducting gender training on daily time use 33 Figure 3.20: Farmers' cross visit on fodder cultivation plot in Magura 34 Figure 4.1: Staff are in group work for AIP workshop 38 Figure 4.2: USAID visitor with the Baniali dairy producer group at Jessore 40 Figure 4.3: DQA team checking documentation process at Jessore office 42 Figure 4.4: A TANGO consultant conducting FGD with SAAOs 42 Figure 4.5: Project brochure 43 Figure 4.6: Beef fattening flip chart 44 Figure 4.7: One pager project brief (Bangla & English) 44
vi AESA Annual Report Year 3 Acronyms
Ag Extension Project USAID Agriculture Extension Support Activity AESC Agricultural Extension Service Center AICC Agricultural Information and Communication Center AIP Annual Implementation Plan AIRN Agriculture Inputs Retailers Network AIS Agriculture Information Service AVC USAID Agricultural Value Chains project CBO Community-Based Organization DAE Department of Agriculture Extension DoF Department of Fisheries DLS Department of Livestock Services DAM Dhaka Ahsania Mission DAM Department of Ag Marketing DoF Department of Fisheries DLS Department of Livestock FA Fisheries Assistant FF Field Facilitator FPG Farmer Producer Group FtF Feed the Future ICT Information Communication Technology IVR Interactive Voice Response IEE Initial Environmental Examination LOP Life of Project M&E Monitoring and Evaluation
AESA Annual Report Year 3 vii MFI Microfinance Institution MoA Ministry of Agriculture NGOAB NGO Affairs Bureau PNGOS Partner NGOs PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal PNA Participatory Needs Assessment PMEP Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan PAC Project Advisory Committee PCO Project Central Office PIRS Performance Indicator Reference Sheet PSC Project Steering Committee PSMT Project Senior Management Team SAC Special Award Conditions SAAO Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer SRDI Soil Resources Development Institute TNA Training Needs Assessment UACC Upazila Agricultural Extension Coordination Committee VFA Veterinary Field Assistant WBA Well-being analysis
viii AESA Annual Report Year 3 Acknowledgements
This report is prepared to describe briefly the major achievements and key activities of the USAID Agricultural Extension Support Activity. The period of reporting is from October 2014 to September 2015.
The Chief of Party would like to acknowledge the work done by the project staff through a year period and the excellent contribution they have made to the preparation of this report. I hope that the Annual Report 2015 will enable the reader to have an overview of the project, its achievements and the challenges ahead.
I take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the Dhaka Ahsania Mission, CARE- Bangladesh and mPower for their continuing support in implementing the project activities for the betterment of the smallholder farming families in the central and southwest areas of Bangladesh.
Bidyuth K. Mahalder Chief of Party
Dhaka 30 November 2015
AESA Annual Report Year 3 ix
Executive Summary
The USAID Agricultural Extension Support Activity (AESA) is a five years US$ 19 million project funded by USAID under Cooperative Agreement No. AID-388-A-13-00001 between USAID and Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM). The project is being implemented by Dhaka Ahsania Mission through partnerships with CARE-Bangladesh and mPower from October 2012 to October 2017. The Project works in the central and southwest areas of Bangladesh (Barisal, Dhaka, and Khulna divisions) to implement capacity building and support creation of a farmer demand-driven agricultural extension system, synergized by use of information and communication technology (ICT). The goal of the project is to strengthen the existing agricultural extension system in 12 districts within USAID's Feed the Future zone in Bangladesh in order to sustainably improve food security and nutrition for 110,000 smallholder farmers. The present progress report describes in greater detail the various intervention strategies and activities implemented during Year 3 (from 01 October 2014 to 30 September 2015), as well as the major results achieved during this period.The project has expanded its activities with a focus on intensively increasing the quality of support to beneficiaries (farmers and extension agents) in the reporting period. This was done in several ways: working in fewer districts than planned initially, improving the quality of support to the beneficiaries and establishing model extension centers in four selected upazilas. The project has developed a database of 687 government extension agents from three government departments namely the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Department of Fisheries (DoF) and Department of Livestock Services (DLS) in order to establish a linkage with the project deployed field staff working in the same areas. As a result, these government extension workers, through joint efforts with project staff, are providing better extension services to the project beneficiaries for adopting modern agricultural technologies and improved crop management practices for increased household income. During the reporting period, the project supported 108,223 beneficiaries, of whom 48% are women, which are organized into 3,854 Farmer Producer Groups (FPGs) insix selected value chains (jute, mung bean, aquaculture, chili, dairy and beef fattening). The FPGs have been supported to take advantage of the benefits of group membership and collective action. The project staff, together with the government extension agents during the project's third year provided training to 71,536 farmers (representing 2,557 FPGs) on improved technologies and management practices related to the six value chains. The project also provided Training of Trainer (ToT) courses to the 6,989 FPG farmer leaders on improved production technologies, with the intent that they would disseminate the skills and knowledge that they acquired to farmers in their own communities through informal courtyard sessions. A total of 435 government extension agents were trained on improved value chain production technologies; and 231 of them received training on basic leadership skills and gender sensitivity.
AESA Annual Report Year 3 1 Demonstration plots continued to play an important role as an extension tool to disseminate knowledge on five key crop management practices among a wider number of farmers through 151 Farmers' Field Daysheld throughout the project area. In the reporting period, the project oriented 275 farmer leaders on use of ICT for better extension service delivery. Of these, 227 (dubbed "ICT Champions") were given smartphones and received training on project developed ICT applications (apps). Training on basic use tools and apps was provided to 185 government extension agents. ICT applications developed by the project include a reporting schedule for Sub Assistant Agriculture officers (SAAO), crop problem diagnosis, Farmer Query System and livestock disease diagnosis and solutions. The aim of these ICT apps and approaches is to enrich the national agricultural information system and demonstrate new and more efficient ways to share agricultural information. A total of 285 national and international ICT professionals, development practitioners, academicians and government officials working in the field of e-Agriculture participated in the project organized 'e-Ag Conference 2014' held December 3 and 4, 2014 in Dhaka. The conference served to create a forum to help facilitate partnerships among participating organizations and provided participants the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences on use of good ICT practices in the agriculture sector. In Year 3, the project signed an MoU with the department of Agricultural Information Services (AIS) under the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) aimed at developing the capacity of AIS to support project farmers, government and private extension agents in disseminating agricultural production knowledge and technologies. The project also signed an MoU with the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) on March 8,2015. The objectives of the MoU are to strengthen the existing capacities of DAE to deliver effective extension services to all farmers, including smallholder farmers - both men and women. Under the MoU, 97 block level Agricultural Extension Service Centers (AESCs) were established in four selected upazilas to provide farmers a one stop source of information and advice related to their field crops and horticulture production, as well as their livestock, poultry and aquaculture activities.The project provided training to the respective SAAOs in the four demo upazilas. As a means of increasing the mobility and outreach of government extension agents, the project procured and distributed motorcycles and smartphones among the SAAOs working with the project established AESCs. A mid-term review was conducted in September 2015 by an international consulting firm to assess the validity of the development hypothesis and the performance of the project to meet objectives and achieve the results as targeted. The mid-term evaluation tasks was also included in identifying emerging opportunities for enhancing the impact of the project's interventions aimed at strengthening extension service provision in Bangladesh. The project also conducted an annual outcome survey using a third party national survey firm. At the conclusion of Year 3, the selected firm had begun preliminary survey activities. The survey reports will be available for further review and feedback by mid-December 2015.
2 AESA Annual Report Year 3 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background During the past few decades, modern agricultural technologies based on high-yielding seeds, improved fertilizer and water management and improved pest and disease control measures helped to increase crop production an average of two to three times. But central and southwest Bangladesh has not enjoyed the same increased productivity mostly due to increasing soil and water salinity, increased flooding, poor agricultural practices and limited access to equitable market systems for smallholder farmers and inadequate agriculture extension services to effectively reach these farmers with the up-to-date information and services required. Therefore, in order to improve food security and increase household incomes for farmers, especially women, in the central and southwest regions of Bangladesh an effective and wide-reaching extension service can play a central role. To address these challenges a multi-year Agricultural Extension Support Activity (AESA), herein after referred to as the 'Ag Extension Project', is being implemented under USAID Bangladesh's Development Objective 2 (DO2): Food Security Improved. The Feed the Future (FTF) initiative in in Bangladesh falls under the Do2. Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) is implementing AESA under Cooperative Agreement No. AID-388-A- 13-00001 in partnership with CARE Bangladesh and mPower and is guided by the USAID Forward reform agenda. The project timeframe is October 2012 to October 2017. The original total project value was USD 23,415,619. This was revised downward to USD 19,102,418 in May 2015 during a process of strategic realignment of project strategy and targets, in consultation with the Mission. AESA works in 12 districts in the central and southwest areas of Bangladeshin three divisions: Dhaka, Khulna and Barisal. The project's aim is to strengthen the existing agriculture extension system in southwest and central Bangladesh to sustainably improve food security and nutrition for smallholder farmers. The present progress report describes the intervention strategies and activities planned for the third year, October 2014 through September 2015, as well as the main results achieved during this period. 1.2 Project Goal, Objectives and Approach The project's goal is to "strengthen the existing agriculture extension system in southwest and central Bangladesh to sustainably improve food security and nutrition for smallholder farmers with an emphasis on women". The major objective of the project is to enhance access to and utilization of agricultural extension services by smallholder farmers - both men and women. It is working for building capacities and creating support to a farmer demand-driven agricultural extension system, synergized by the use of information communication technology (ICT). The project goal and objectives are to be realized through the implementation of activities organized under the following three project components: I. Enhance access to and utilization of agricultural extension services by smallholder farmers; II. Expand and strengthen Information and Communication Technology (ICT) mechanisms to increase access to agricultural market information, knowledge and technologies;
AESA Annual Report Year 3 3 III. Strengthen capacity of agricultural extension service agents (public and private) to proactively respond to the needs of small holder farmers (including women farmers). Project implementation approaches have been incorporated into the overall project implementation strategy that include: