Bangladesh Dewanganj
$40,891 needed of $80,000
Implementing Organization
World Renew
Program Summary
This nutrition-focused food security program is designed to build the capacity of farmers and their families under the leadership of a People’s Institution named “Rangdhanu Society”. This People’s Institution was formed a few years ago under the Integrated Community Development Program that was funded by World Renew and implemented by local partner PARI.
This program helps participants to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges and prepares them to practice sustainable agriculture methods to ensure food security throughout the year. The program is forming Agriculture Forums under the leadership of the People’s Institution, and building their capacities to network with the agriculture and livestock offices of the local government. This allows the Agriculture Forums to have access to available resources such as training and technical support and to build a functional relationship with the local government.
Through training and workshops, the program is equiping the Agriculture Forums with agriculture techniques such as pile composting, worm composting, and the preparation of herbal pesticides to minimize the use of chemical substances, leading to increases in production and income.
This program also prioritizes the inclusion of vulnerable groups through the People’s Institutions and Agriculture Forums, including women, single mothers and people with disabilities, so that they can also have access to the agricultural activities promoted by the program, including production, marketing and decision making at family and community level. It is changing their roles from being dependent to becoming active participants in ensuring food security.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, local inhabitants are still facing challenges in maintaining a healthy life style, due to the shortage of nutritious foods and the lack of job opportunities. This program is working to build the resilience of the target communities by changing the existing social system and transforming their lives. The program aims to equip communities to regain their strength and ability to cope with crisis by reducing the gaps created by COVID-19.
The program is being implemented in three unions; Chukaibari, Chinaduli and Dewanganj under Dewanganj Upazila in Jamalpur District of Bangladesh.
Success Stories
They Can, and They Do
Both men’s and women’s farmer groups are learning new agricultural skills from local partner Participatory Action for Rural Innovation. “PARI” is not only an abbreviation of the partner’s name but a Bengali word meaning “We can,” and is a good stand-in for how participants feel about what they’re accomplishing.
Before Shefali joined a women’s group, she’d never been offered an opportunity to participate in any kind of agricultural training. She was motivated by the hope of improving adverse conditions in her village like poverty and people going without food during devastating droughts or periods of flooding. After learning the basics of sustainable practices, other group members selected her to receive training in off-season vegetable gardening, including which vegetables to grow in which season. She was inspired to start a kitchen garden at home, and has shared her knowledge with her group.
Says Shefali, “I will continue to encourage other farmers to use their labor properly to meet their family’s nutritional needs. I am hoping that the training I got from the program will play a vital role in spreading awareness among the farmers in my village.”
In another village, Monohar talks about his initial reluctance to join a men’s farmer group. “Most of the 120 families here depend on agriculture. We produce crops in the traditional way. We are not familiar with the modern new technologies in agriculture.”
Even after he listened to PARI staff talk about the program, Monohar refused to join. It was only after he saw some of the results of the other farmers that he opted in. “I used to use excessive amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the hope of getting increased harvests. My production costs were high, my yields poor, and I was struggling to support my family.”
Still, he didn’t have much faith in the idea of organic fertilizer, and thought it was a lot of trouble to make and to apply to his soil. Now that he’s seen how effective it is in improving soil fertility and producing greater yields, he’s sold on organic. “I think many farmers will benefit from these initiatives,” he says.
Bangladesh Dewanganj Program
Led by World Renew and Local Partner Participatory Action for Rural Innovation (PARI)