A group of men standing in a river catching fish with a large net.
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Authors
Mehrab ul Goni
Issue Date
30/01/2015
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Food , Agriculture
Alternative Title
Food and Nutritional Security for the Resource Poor Farmers in Jamalpur and Faridpur Districts (FoSHoL) IA12100304BAN
Abstract
Food Security for Sustainable Household Livelihoods (FoSHoL) The project's aim is to increase the food and nutritional security of resources for small and marginal farmers with poor resources in Jamalpur and Greater Faridpur districts of Bangladesh, through diversifying farming systems and livelihood opportunities. The key activities of the project are: - to increase food production, - processing and marketing, - strengthening the capacity of PNGOs, and - respond to poor farmers' needs regarding training, planning and management, for the long term sustainability of the efforts to ensure food and nutritional security. Productivity increases are achieved through promoting both rice and non-rice based farming systems and other on- and off-farm activities such as agro-processing and small enterprise development and understanding of the market. In this the project promotes and builds on the learning and approaches of the PETRRA programme. It is a complex project, in reality combining about 40 small projects addressing the different needs of poor farmers. The primary target groups are resource-poor farmers owning between 0.2 to 1 ha of cultivable land, with priority being given to particularly vulnerable groups such as women-headed households. Secondary beneficiaries are local NGO, government bodies and private sector actors. The project is working in 16 Upazilas in greater Faridpur and Jamalpur districts covering around 7,500 households. Project activities - 400 rural technology extensionists trained to offer help with farming problems, marketing and animal health issues and to spread information on improved farming and food processing techniques - as a result the production of rice, vegetables, apiculture, poultry, goats, milk, beef, and fish has increased - Plant nurseries established for good quality seedlings and saplings - Farmers seed banks initiated to make available quality seeds to the targeted communities - Marketing entrepreneurs help to ensure a good price is paid to producers - Demonstrations of promising technologies such as goat rearing, poultry rearing, pigeon rearing, rice-fish, ducks with fish, pickle and chutney making, community based fisheries, olive and tomato preservation - Livestock disease management vaccination campaigns organised in Jamalpur and Faridpur - Rural Technology Centres established at Madaripur and Jamalpur - Bio-village set up in Faridpur Case study Bangladesh agriculture is dominated by rice production. It is estimated that nearly 20% of irrigated rice fields are also suitable for seasonal fish culture. Even a modest adoption of integrated rice-fish culture could dramatically increase food, income and nutrition supply for small and marginal households. When a rice field floods there is no way to release water from the field and it turns into a pond during the rainy season. This provides the opportunity to produce both rice and fish from the same area of land. Hurmuz Ali from Jamalpur Sadar upazila has a family of seven - his parents, wife and three children - whom he supports from a very small plot of land. He participated in Practical Action’s training on the pond-based rice fish culture system. During the rainy season fish swim through the whole field and the rice plot is an excellent breeding ground for naturally occurring species of fish, where spawn survival rates are high. However during the dry season there is insufficient water to maintain the supply of fish. So providing a water filled ditch where fish can take shelter in the dry season enables them to return to the rice field during the rainy season to breed. For Hurmuz Ali both fish and rice production increased through the use of this system and his family now have enough to eat and his children are going to school. More than 50 others have established similar rice and fish plots.
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