Transforming lands, transforming lives: An innovation for landless affected by river erosion. Could be a role model for similar parts of the world to address food insecurity issue.

1. Right to Food
Supporting Communities Affected by River
Erosion in North-west Bangladesh
South-Asia Right to Food Conference June 1, 2015
Hope for million living on the edge of mighty rivers in Bangladesh.
Nazmul Chowdhury, Practical Action Bangladesh 2005.

2. Transforming lands, Transforming lives
“I have no doubt that it is possible to give
a new direction to technological
development, a direction that shall lead it
back to the real needs of man”
E.F. Schumacher

3. NATURAL CONTEXT
FloodRiver Erosion

4. Changing climate
GLOBAL WARMING and MELTING GLACIERS

5. Seasonal vulnerability

6. Limited
access
to prod.
resource
Food
insecurit
y Hunger
& Monga
Displace
ment &
migration
Social/G
inequity
&
Marginali
sation
Limited
Voice
and
Choice
Natural
Disasters
RE/Flood/
Cold
Community
Context
Vulnerability reduction
strategies
Hunger
and Employment
Social Inclusion
&
Empowerment
Income
Generation & Two
Step Graduation

7. The ultimate bigger challenges
Raising poverty & fear of hunger
1.4 billion people are at risk of hunger

8. Intervention Areas
Disricts-5
Upazila- 16
Unions-70
Village-200
Over 50,000 Extreme Poor
households reached since
2004

9. Graduation Model Proposed By Practical Action
Stage
Graduation Stage II
Sustainability &
Growth
Increase Income
Market facilitation
Asset Generation
Community led service
Off Farm
Farm
Capacity Building,
Access to Resources
Y1 Y2
Time
Diversification of Job
Permanent Skill-
Self employment
Graduation Stage I
Production
Food Security
Value Appreciation
& Asset Protection
Institutional
support
Social
Protection
Physical
Protection
Y3
Graduation Approach

10. Technology options & livelihood packages
Agriculture
Fisheries
Livestock
Small Ent.
Dev.
Light-
Engineering
Food
processing
social &
Disability
Promotion of Community Based Extension System
For
Long-term Sustainability

11. Sandbar Cropping

12. Hope for millions living on the edge of mighty
rivers in Bangladesh

13. Resource and opportunity

14. Technology Transfer

15. Production and Harvest

16. Harvest and Storage

17. Local level Marketing

18. Nation wide Market linkage

19. Total production in 6 years (2009-2015) = 54094 MT by 12857 BHHs
Total sell recorded = 43,275 MT (80%) worth Tk. 34,62,01,600 (£
3m) based on local sell price Average 8 Tk/kg.
Total Product value (Cons.+ Distr.+ Sell) = 43,27,52,000 ( £ 3.8 m )
Product value based on urban market @ 16 Tk/kg =
86,55,04000 Tk = £ 7.5 m
Pumpkin marketing:
Supported by 164 middleman/Market actors.

20. Immediate Impacts
Md. Abdur Rahim
Harvested 2450 pumpkins from 600 pits in year-1
Used the return for food, clothing, treatment and asset
generation and housing

21. 0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35% 32%
25%
20%
6%
5% 4%
2%
6%
Total population 4812
Investment of profit

22. Squash
Lettuce (green)
Lettuce (red)
Straw berry
Red beat
Broccoli
WHAT NEXT ?

23. Crop diversification trial in collaboration with Agricultural Universities
in Bangladesh and Rheine Waal University, Germany

24. Media Coverage
Local, National and Global
ATN PUMPKIN
TV- UK
Devex
Do Good. Do It Well
Mati O Manush
Global Ideas
BTV World

25. Publications
Over 200 news/web articles have published in the national and local
newspapers

26. International Recognition
Cannes Corporate Media & TV
Awards 2011 DW-TV

27. What’s the
Future potential?

28. 41,000 HHs living on
embankment in NW
An appropriate POLICY
can make
a big DIFFERENCE
180,000 ha of
sandbar fallen during
dry season
MILLIONS COULD BE BENEFITTED
THROUGH POLICY SUPPORT

29. Food
Security
HH Income
& Employment
Family
Nutrition
Reduce burden of
safety net
Lean season
management
Asset
generation
How only pumpkin can
contribute?

30. Recent thought
Commercial Integration
Commercial
integration &
scale
Economic
opportunity
Transitional
Land

31. 1.Operational access to barren lands/sandbar
for the resource poor displaced communities
living on flood protection embankments.
2.Financial and technical support mechanism to
run the activity
3.Dissemination at national and international
level to benefit wider communities.

32. Promise to keep, Dreams to fulfill,
still we have long way to go
“To talk about the future is only useful if it leads
to action now.”
E.F. Schumacher, Author of “Small is Beautiful”

33. For something exceptional
It is not how much we do,
but how much love we put in the
doing.
It is not how much we give,
but how much love we put in the
giving.
~ Mother Teresa

34. Acknowledgement:
We are greatly thankful to the donors of Practical Action
Bangladesh

35. Thank you
Let’s give them a smile!
Nazmul Chowdhury
nazmul@practicalaction.org.bd

36. Sandbar cropping Harvesting in all 37 spots:
In PY-3, a total of 1500 beneficiaries implemented sandbar cropping at 37
sandbar spot at 5 PNGOs working area. Final harvesting of pumpkin has been
completed in this month at all spots.

37. -
DISSEMINATION BY OTHER UDPS LALMONIRHAT

38. Ocean of Pumpkin, Ocean of hope 2013-2014
season