SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
THROUGH DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL
WOMEN FARMERS
A case of Integrated Horticulture & Nutrition Development Project
Basic Information:
1. Funding Agency
:
GOB
UNDP
2. Executing Agency
:
Department of Agriculture
Extension (DAE),
Ministry of Agriculture
3. UN Implementing Agency :
FAO (technical assistance)
4. Starting date
:
01.10. 2000
5. Ending date
:
31.12.02 (first phase)
31.02.05
6. Project Area
:
Bandarban, Barisal, Chapai
Nawabganj, Feni, Jamalpur,
Kishoreganj, Khagrachari,
Khulna, Meherpur, Mymensingh,
Natore, Pabna, Rajbari,
Rangamati, Rangpur,
7. Target
:
Poor and marginal farmers, with particular
emphasis of women headed farm households
31,400 of whom 23,400 will be women (2002)
56,000 of whom 43,000 will be women (2005)
8. Project type
:
Behaviour Change Programme through
technology transfer and building awareness
on good nutrition
Objectives:
 To bring a sustainable improvement in the level of food security and nutrition of the target
population by improving the efficiency of horticultural production system and associated
support services.
1
 To increase nutrition awareness and improve the nutrition status of the target population,
particularly women and children through creating an environment in which households have
sufficient access to fruits and vegetables
 To develop human resources in the field of horticulture including agro-processing through
knowledge and skill-based training
 To promote income generating activities especially for poor and disadvantaged women.
The technology transferred through the project activity is expected to bring about a lasting change
in the lives of the rural/suburban farm families and set an example for their neighbours.
Context:
 GOB considers poverty alleviation as its paramount objective in all major policy
directives (p11)
 Food Security and nutritional problems are key issues facing the country today
(p3)
 Food Security is affected due to low income and poor purchasing power lowincome group
 MN is a serious health, social and economic and development concern in
Bangladesh, with women and children the worst victims (p10)
 Women are the less privileged class of society in rural Bangladesh although they
are responsible for the nutrition of the family. Therefore it is natural that women
should be the focus for nutrition intervention
 Most practical and sustainable option to alleviate MN is food-based nutrition
approach (p9)
 Most important horticultural production unit in Bangladesh is the homestead
 Women’s involvement is comparatively more in horticultural activities in the
country
 Production of horticultural crops are more profitable in terms of land and
investment.
 Shift crop diversification effort to horticultural crops
 Ignorance of the value of health-giving foods that can provide the basic nutrition
needs is common to all income groups (p9).
 There is a need to conduct a campaign to educate the masses in the use of
horticultural foods.
 Fruits, vegetables and spices have a major role to play in the fortification of the
national diet (12)
 Severe MN and consequences on the health of the nation has prompted the
policy planners to direct attention to the production of horticultural crops –the
cheapest option to alleviate nutritional disorders. (p14)
2
The nutrition component has developed training programmes and food demonstrations
which are directed towards improving the effectiveness and reducing the time and energy
and cost of women’s household activities, notably in areas of food preparation, infant and
young child feeding and nutrition linked horticulture programmes.
Participatory and community managed approaches are being introduced into all project
activities. Such strategies and their effect will be measured from outputs in the project
such as:
 Enhanced incomes, savings and betterment of the economic status of women.
 A rapid elimination of poverty.
 Women taking more responsibility as custodians of community food security
programmes
 A more respectable and elevation of women's status in rural society.
 A clear improvement and development of women human resources.
 Become active partners in conserving the natural resource base and preserve a
hygienically healthy environment.
In order to mainstream women into the forefront of project activities, their role and
participation in most project activities are being assured. It is well documented that the
dis-empowerment of women in the socio-cultural environment is usually caused by a lack
of opportunity to participate in community affairs, low level of literacy and lack of
opportunity to improve in socio-cultural skills, their poor access to means of production
including technology, managerial skills, training, credit, processing and markets.
Women also have little opportunity in active participation in local politics and decision
making process.
The following options must therefore, be considered towards the emancipation of poor
women in Bangladesh:






Government and donor policies should be directed towards affording women the
opportunity in participating in decision making on development issues.
As an empowerment and capacity building measure, training and education programs
should be emphasized to improve their socio-political skills and community affairs.
Improve their skills in all spheres of agriculture such as production, storage,
processing and food preparation. They have to participate both as equals with men in
food production as well as among themselves to ascertain their strengths, weaknesses
and possible threats and opportunities such as income generating ventures and
possible savings programs.
Access to means of production must be improved. Gender equity must eventually
prevail for all women to utilize resources to improve their economic status.
Create an awareness among women on nutrition education, specifically in the use of
horticultural crops to provide a balanced diet to growing children, mothers and the
elderly.
Provide women the facilities for production of diversified foods, including crops and
livestock, particularly in the management of the home garden.
3

Help remove gender bias in unfair and unfavorable consumption patterns at home and
wrong health practices through promoting better understanding between men and
women.
Collaboration:
GOB other ministries and departments working on Nutrition
eg BNNC, NNP, NGOs working on Nutrition, WCW (at UPZ level also),
process is going on to work out a collaborative activity with WFP.
Actually prosperity or development cannot be achieved through compartmental activites,
it needs an integrated concerted effort by all concerned. As individuals we cannot live a
productive life if all our body organs are not functioning properly and synchronoulsy.It is
the same when we talk of development of a nation:
4
Major Activities Planned (2002)
The concept of kitchen gardening to transform homestead into “nutrition” gardens
growing plots of fruits and vegetables is the major thrust of the project
Improvement in:
 Fruit production
 Spice production
 Mushroom production and marketing
 Processing and preservation of the produce
 Marketing of the excess produce
 Micro-grant to the poor farmers to start small scale entrepreneurship
 Nutrition awareness (including food handling, preparation and processing)
These will be achieved through
a.
1.
Human Resources Development
31400 farmers (23900 women farmers), 1270 DAE staffs (SMS, SMOS, HDTC
officers, BS) and 100 NGO staffs will be trained on different aspects of
horticulture.
2.
26 officials and 30 farmers will visit neighbouring countries to have idea on
horticulture development.
b.
1.
2.
c.
Demonstration
60 fruit demonstration village around 15 HDTCs.
2500 on farm demonstrations on fruit planting system.
3.
3500 demonstrations on modern technologies (hormone in pineapple,
improved irrigation and fertilizer in citrus and banana).
4.
2000 Kitchen garden demonstrations.
5.
80 demonstrations on straw mushroom.
6.
1500 demonstrations on pre-harvest practices in fruits.
7.
200 demonstrations on vegetable processing.
8.
1500 demonstrations on food preparation.
9.
Create 150 community level food storage facilities.
Farmers Group Formation
Landless, marginal, small farmers and specifically disadvantaged and
impoverished women groups will be formed. Social mobilization & micro-credit
disbursement will be carried out where applicable.
5
e.
NGO Support
Link up with NGO’s for horticultural promotion.
f.
Multiplication of planting material
Multiply high quality varieties of fruits and initiate a system of quality control.
g.
Development of Facilities at the HDTC
Establishment of tissue culture laboratory, Post harvest and mushroom units at
each of the 15 HDTC’s. (mushroom spawn, Tissue culture for turmeric, ginger,
garlic, chillies)
Major activities completed:
Actual implementation of the project started from January 2001.
Training & Demonstrations:
Provided training to the SMS (Horticulture), HDTC officer, UAO and other extension
staffs in order to create a critical mass of trainers.
9 TOT /in-service courses conducted for 660 participants
3 (three) different workshops were also organized on project sensitization
Simultaneously farmers training were also organized at the HDTC level to transfer
technology.
Table 1: Workshops and Seminars
Sl.
3.1
3.2
3.3
Name of the workshops
Category
participants
of No.
of
participa
nts
Project sensitization workshop
DG, Director, HDTC 50
officer, SMS
National workshop on Horticulture DD, Addl Dir., SMS, 60
Production, Trade and Export
HDTC Officers
Training cum project implementation HDTC Officers, SMS 30
workshop
 techniques for demonstrations like fruit planting system, fruit village, kitchen garden,
pre-harvest techniques of fruit, mushroom culture, food processing etc.
 310 kitchen garden demonstrations with different vegetables were also established in
all the 15 project sites.
 Rejuvenation of old mango plants at the selected HDTC’s were also undertaken.
6
 6 (six) demonstrations on mushroom production were conducted.
 5 (five) Field days were also organized as a part of technology transfer activity of the
project.
Table 2: Farmers groups formed
Sl.
Type of group
No. of groups
No. of farmers
1
Landless women
275
3,064
2
Marginal
264
3,149
3
Small
152
1,713
Total
691
7,926
Constraints:
1.
Conservative areas difficult to get the women involved or form groups.
eg. Kishoreganj.
2.
Availability of
3.
.................
4.
......................
Table 3: Farmers group activities
Sl.
no
1.
2.
3.
Type of group activities
No. of group meetings conducted during OctDecember 2001
No. of group s where management committee
has been formed
No. of groups prepared production plan and
initiated activities
Number
634
371
177
The leaders of the farmer groups are being trained on different aspects of improving
horticultural produce and increasing their consumption effectively. The group leaders
will in turn train-up the rest of the group members (( in each group). Each group member
will then train at least three women from her won community.
For each group leader trained will result in
1*9*27 =
7