Bangladesh

Good practices in Food and Livelihood (FLS) Project

The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on ADB's part as to sovereignty or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.

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Background: Food and Livelihood (FLS) Project is designed for ultra-poor women and marginal & share cropper farmer to reduce their food insecurity and to improve livelihood. It has been realized from earlier successful EU-funded food security projects that ultra-poor female headed households and marginal farmers and share-cropping households are the most challenged and vulnerable people in regards to improving their food security status. These people depend on their daily income, thus face difficulty in complying with development or microcredit project requirements mainly because they are not able to afford time to attend project activities refraining from daily work for earning; and are assumed to have no financial or asset base to refund loan. The marginal farmers and share-cropping farmers alongside their own cultivation activities involve themselves in selling labor for earning. On the other hand, the ethnic minority people suffer from social exclusion and gradual depletion of their assets. FLS has targeted these people with an intention to provide necessary skills and enhance their skills and support develop asset base that could alleviate them from poverty in a sustainable manner. Project Objectives and Expected Results: Overall Objective Improved food security of rural ultra-poor households in the north-western districts of Bangladesh Project Purpose Fifty thousand ultra-poor female headed households and thirty thousand ultra-poor marginal farmers and share-cropper households in the south-western part of Rajshahi Division have improved food security and livelihoods and are mainstreamed in the overall development process. Expected Results Increased production and consumption of nutritious food. Improve household income and livelihood from non-agriculture activities. Improved revenues and productivity for marginal farmers and share-croppers. Increased social inclusion and community coherence. Project Description: The project will equip ultra-poor people with tools and means for improved household food security, and promote initiatives that shall mainstream target group in overall development process. Landless women headed households will be encouraged to uptake technology and activities that will help them increase income from non-agriculture activities. However, the marginal farmers and share-croppers shall be introduced to improved agriculture and postharvest activities. Entire target people will be provided subsistence allowance throughout the project period. This cash support will help them meet daily needs as they will be able to spend time in project activities. Target Beneficiaries :
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The project target groups are: Number of Women-headed ultra-poor households: 50000 Number of Ultra-poor marginal farmers and share-cropping households: 30000 Total Number of Target Beneficiaries: 80000
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Project Location, Duration and cost : The FLS project area includes all 22 Upazilas of Naogaon, Chapai Nawabganj and Natore districts. These are among the ten district of Bangladesh with highest incidence rate of poverty and food insecurity. These districts are located in the drought zone in the Barind Tract. The area is slightly elevated with aquifers relatively deeper, generally above the flood plain with exception in few parts of Chapai Nawabganj having some chars prone to flood and river erosion. The approved project duration is from: 01January 2012 to 30June 2014 with a cost of BDT223 crore 18 lakh of which 216 crore is funded by the European Union. Project Activities: Project activities include: skills development, capacity building, social awareness building and health awareness raising initiatives. The project activities will be executed in groups comprised of 25 to 30 beneficiary women and men. The beneficiaries will be given cash for subsistence allowance, inputs and productive asset. IGA and Skills development activities will be based on needs of beneficiary. Cash will be given to each member for three purposes: (a) subsistence, (b) inputs, and (c) productive assets. FLS Support Women Headed Household BDT 400 per month BDT 1,000 BDT 14,500 Marginal Farmers and Share-croppers BDT 400 per month BDT 4,100 BDT 6,500

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Subsistence allowance (20 months) Cash for Inputs (once) Cash for Productive Assets (once)

Good Practices: FLS project intends that the poor people attain major positive impact on gender equality, economic emancipation; specifically on the people suffering from discrimination and social exclusion particularly the ethnic minority groups. It is expected that access to khas land, water and sanitation facilities, and the human rights situation of the target people will be improved and strengthened as a result of other relevant activities using a rights-based approach in project activities implementation. Awareness-raising sessions are conducted in the group meetings to increase the awareness of beneficiaries on social development issues such as group development and strengthening, community cohesion and solidarity, human rights, social problems such as child trafficking, early marriage, dowry payment, family law, linkage building, primary health care, disaster preparedness and management. Knowledge of these issues will enable the beneficiaries to raise their voices in facing discrimination, persistent gender inequalities and exclusion. These will also help them to maintain hygienic practices, improved cooking practices, intake more nutritional food with low costs and also develop coherence among group and society. Simultaneously womens economic participation through IGA initiatives will give them empowerment to strengthen womens right and enabling women to have control over their lives and exert influence in society.
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