International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) have started distributing homestead vegetable gardening (HVG) inputs and processing equipment among 50 thousand smallholder farmers from seven coastal districts.
The initiative was taken as part of IFAD’s continuous effort to combat the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of smallholder farmers, said a press release.
IFAD has provided grant funding of Tk17 crore in two phases from its Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF) to complement the government’s efforts to prevent food crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Farmers from Pirojpur, Jhalokathi, Barguna, Patuakhali and Bhola are receiving not only agricultural input support, but also training on sustainable agronomic practices to produce nutritious crops on the small homestead plots.
Additional farmers from twelve upazilas in Chattogram and four upazilas in Khulna will receive harvesting clippers and plastic crates to ease harvesting, storing and transporting of produce.
Particular emphasis has been placed on empowering women, with female farmers receiving appliances necessary for processing and packaging various spices and the requisite training on hygienic processing.
While inaugurating the distribution, Agriculture Ministry’s Senior Secretary Md Mesbahul Islam said, “We have become more or less self-sufficient in food grain production, now the government is emphasizing on the production of nutritious food, vegetables and fruits.”
IFAD’s in-charge in Bangladesh Sherina Tabassum said, “IFAD is happy to be a part of the economic recovery measures that has been taken by the government in supporting the smallholder farmers living in remote coastal areas.”
The RPSF grants are distributed to the smallholder farmers through the IFAD and government financed Smallholder Agricultural Competitiveness Project (SACP) that is implemented by the MoA.
With a total financing of $111.81 million, SACP is being implemented in 30 upazilas of 11 coastal districts in Bangladesh.
The project aims to increase the incomes and food and nutrition security of 250,000 smallholder and marginal farmers by helping them be more responsive and competitive in producing diverse, high-value crops and marketing fresh and processed agricultural products.
