Pumpkin Plus Agro Innovation Limited is presenting on their innovative climate smart agribusiness system for transitional lands in Bangladesh. The system aims to provide economic opportunities and improve food security for millions living in vulnerable areas. It works through a community-led model of land and water management, commercial integration, and capacity building to help communities become self-reliant. Initial results show the model has improved incomes, food production, and livelihoods for over 24,000 households to date. There is potential to significantly scale up the approach across Bangladesh and beyond to benefit many more vulnerable groups.

1. African Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO)
Virtual Training on
Green Innovation in Agriculture & Rural Development
Nazmul Chowdhury
Innovator and Founder Director
Pumpkin Plus Agro Innovation Limited
nichowdhury1966@gmail.com
www.pumpkinplud.com
Hosted BY
Rural Development Academy
Bogura, Bangladesh
September 23, 2021 3.00 PM
Connecting The World and Bridging The
Gaps
African-Asian AGRICULTURE

2. Dealing with the Delta
An Innovative Climate Smart Agribusiness System Through Transitional Lands
Management for Millions in Bangladesh
An Innovation for Social Empowerment through Self-resilience with a vision
“How to help them, help themselves” E.F. Schumacher,1966

3. Natural Shocks and Hazards
“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

4. Consequences
Limited
access to
NRM
Food
Insecurity
Hunger
Rural
Urban
Migration
Social
Isolation &
Gender
Inequality
Limited
Voice &
Choice
Natural
Disasters
&
Shocks
Communities
Risks

5. Why is this?
GLOBAL WARMING
and
MELTING GLACIERS
Bangladesh is the biggest Delta in the world, is located under the foothills of the mighty Himalayas and the
floodplains of the 3 mighty rivers the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. These rivers drain a total catchment area of
1.72 million Sq. km of which only 7% lies within the country. It erodes 1% arable lands and deposits silts around 3.8
trillion tones/year

6. The Biggest Challenges
Raising Poverty & Fear of Hunger
Over 20m extreme poor in Bangladesh & 800m in the world are at
Risk of Hunger. FAO,2019.
Recent COVOD19 put another scenario
200m Children will die due to famine. WFP, 2020

7. The Story of Change:
Started with the Objectives Something is better than Nothing
Pumpkin Plus has born in 2017 with another new vision to transform traditional Agriculture to an
Agribusiness System led by the Women and Youths as a future generation leaders
Testing as DRR Model
with over 15000
Extreme Poor
Innovation &
farming pilots
Scale and exports
2004-2008 2009-2016 2014-2017 2017- On ward
Testing business model
With a Vision
To transform theories and Philosophy of E.F. Schumacher, “Small is Beautiful” into Actions
Since December 24, 2004
Idea generation…..Incubation…… Testing Innovation and Move4Millions and Way forward for BIG!!!

8. How we work- The Community Led Business Model:
Transitional
Lands and
Water
Commercial
integration
& Scale
Economic
opportunity
for bigger
change

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
The proven approaches

10. 20m of extreme poor in Bangladesh, who have no resource, among them over
10m HHs are living in fragile environment and on flood protection embankment.
1
We have 2709 Sq.Km transitional land in the river system in NW Bangladesh
and similar in the other river system & coastal islands
2
The innovation has the Power to deal with multiple global causes and for millions of
beneficiaries at home and abroad. Right now it is addressing 10/17 SDG Goals, by solving
communities needs by the way of food production, processing and marketing.
3
Value Propositions

11. What We Do?
To achieve Broader changes in four major dimensions i.e. Land & Water,
Food & Nutrition, CC Adaptation and Economic Growth & Graduation

12. Resource & opportunity

13. Methods of Transferring Technologies:

14. 0- day
150 day
The Production Cycle: October- April

15. Bank for the Poor :

16. How do we add values: Village Based Market System:

17. A total Number of Households Trained = 24000 to date
Total production (since 2005-2021) = 217,000 MT
Worth $26 million (based on Farm Gate Sell @ 10 Tk/kg)
Urban Market Value = $52 m (2005-2021)
The Gains

18. Potentials for Scale in Bangladesh
In the GMB River System
A total of 2709 Sq. Km (0.27m Hectares)
transitional lands and Charland
Additionally, 1m ha of Saline affected
lands in South coastlines, + riverine and
Coastal Islands

19. Impacts To date……

20. Views from the space

21. $ Cost benefit status: 2005-2018
0
100000000
200000000
300000000
400000000
500000000
600000000
700000000
800000000
Total investment
(Tk.)
Total gross
income (Tk.)
Cost benefit No of Beneficiaries 22131
No of Spot 474
Total Area in ha. 3004.2
Total Production (MT) 92000.176
Total investment (Tk.) 153716999
Total gross income (Tk.) 717507204
Cost benefit ratio 1 : 4.67

22. Food Security
Family Nutrition
Reduce burden of
safety net
Lean season
management
Asset generation
How only PUMPKIN is contributing to the Causes?
HH Income and
Employment
And
Combating Food insecurity, Hunger, CC shocks and
Socio-economic depressions and Covid19 Shocks

23. How Does it FIT for
SDG Goals

24. R & D for crop diversification

25. Contd…….R&D

26. R
&
D

27. R&D Contd…..

28. Flower production VS future Policy implication

29. Fodder for livestock to protect from force sell

30. Our Run for 2021 with a
target of 25,000 MT by 150
Days in March
R&D Contd…….

31. Farm2Kitchen
Online Supply Chain

32. From Successful Trail to Commercial Integration: We test, incorporate and expand

33. Promoting WATER, ENERGY for FOOD: Issues for future
Portable Solar Energy assisted by the BADC, Ministry of Agriculture

34. “Asia-pacific gold
award 2017"
Cannes Media
Award 2011
DW Global Ideas 3000 1st FAO WSD-2018 1st UNIDO Agribusiness-2019 Award on Ag. Innovation Award-19
St. Andrews Prize-2013
Global Recognitions
1st FAO – Switzerland Collaboration

35. 2021
Pumpkin Plus Agro Innovation Limited
Most Innovative Start-Up of the Year-2021

36. Exploring Opportunity for Regional Networking
SAARC Delegations’ from 8 countries in 2018

37. Dream for the next
Replication in the Regions to benefit million

38. Regional Connectivity for Knowledge Sharing:
Symposium on Organic Agriculture & Youth Entrepreneurship Development in Himalaya Hindukush Regions.
December 18-23, 2019
Honorable Minister of Agriculture & Forest with Secretary of Agriculture and
Director General of ICIMOD with international delegation from 13 countries
Honorable Secretary of
Agriculture of Nepal

39. A Regional and Global Policy with a
Collective Vision
to
Move4Millions to Rescue them
from Extreme Poverty, Hunger, Malnourishment and
Social Injustices and Inequalities by Securing
Good Governance and Rights
What is urgent NOW?
Which in tern can secure Better Well-being, improved
Social Security and Dignity
as a Human Being
BY
Enduring respect for Human Dignity and the Defense of
Human Rights for
PEACE
Dream to Green South-Asia
and AFRICA

40. Role of Producers in Combating Covid19
A total of 142,660 Families were under Food Relief Operations by the Govt. Admin and
Bangladesh Army In NW -Bangladesh

41. Covid19 Lifeline of Hungry People in urban streets 2020-2021

42. Lifeline 2021
How Can We Connect the Dots

43. Multi-stakeholders’ Engagement and Improved Connectivity

44. The National Agriculture Policy-2018 and Delta Plan 2100 has been incorporated The Innovation
as new Agriculture technology for Riverbed Farming System and Charland Development
Her Choice:
H.E. Honorable PM’s Vision for Bangladesh

45. Scaling up through Farmers 2 Farmers
1
Scale up through NGOs and Commercial Finance Institutions
2
Scale up through Government institutions i.e. Ag. Extension
3
The Pressing ISSUES for Now?
Scale up through Multi-stakeholders’ Partnership
4
Scale up through Donors Programs in CC affected zones
5
Scale up through Dev. Forums for Cross-boundary Replications
6

46. An appropriate Regional POLICY can make
A big DIFFERENCE
of the fate of Millions in Asia

48. LOVE only can find Paths for PEACE

49. Small Is Beautiful: E.F. Schumacher
Acknowledgement for past supportsinitial contribution over the periods since 2004
till 2016

50. Website Links for further details:
Dealing with the Delta: A life changing innovation for millions in Bangladesh (August 15, 2021)
https://youtu.be/7ZN92tAmdFg
Big Ideas: “How to grow food in land people think is useless”, With Nazmul Islam Chowdhury.
https://medium.com/authority-magazine/big-ideas-how-to-grow-food-in-land-people-think-is-useless-with-nazmul-islam-chowdhury-ce7340a7c396
WE4F Innovators Links- https://we4f.org/innovators/pumpkin-plus
A Grand Challenge of USAID led Consoortium (Sida, NL,GIZ and EU)- www.WE4F.org
BTV Broadcast in March 2021
https://www.facebook.com/nazmul.chowdhury.509/videos/4283219961689433
Transforming Lands, transforming lives: Hope for millions… Nazmul Chowdhury
https://peoplefoodandnature.org/blog/transforming-lands-transforming-lives-hope-for-millions-living-on-the-edge-of-mighty-rivers-in-bangladesh/
Living with disasters, coping with technologies An Innovation for millions through transforming Agriculture to an Agribusiness System for Food Security and
Nutrition for Poor in Bangladesh. Journal of Food Processing & Technology. September 23, 2020
https://www.longdom.org/abstract/living-with-disasters-coping-with-technologiesrnan-innovation-for-millions-through-transforming-agriculture-to-an-rnagri-
57768.html
Bumper pumpkin output helps char people tackling coronavirus situation. March 12, 2021
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2021/04/12/bumper-pumpkin-output-helps-char-people-tackling-coronavirus-situation