Midterm Report: Boosting Sustainable Farming in Bangladesh
We are proud to present the midterm report summary for the 5-year Smart Farming, Healthy Food project in Bangladesh. More than 80% of participating farmers were found to have increased their knowledge and capacity on climate-smart agriculture (CSA), using techniques and technologies such as stress-tolerant seeds, short-duration varieties, raised bed preparation, and bio-fertilizer.
Farmers’ knowledge and practices also changed significantly in the areas of land and water use planning, crop management, and pest management. In all, 13,848 hectares of land are now under CSA practices.
The Smart Farming, Healthy Food project is developing sustainable and climate-resilient smallholder vegetable production and supply systems in the Barisal and Chittagong divisions of Bangladesh. Supported by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and implemented through a partnership between Solidaridad, East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer, and the Bangladesh Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the project has developed proof points for climate-smart vegetable cropping systems and is contributing to increased food production in a sustainable manner through the efficient use of land and water resources.
To achieve higher levels of farm efficiency and profitability, the project is training farmers and local agricultural entrepreneurs on selection of crop varieties and quality seeds, climate-smart cultivation techniques, judicious use of pesticides and antimicrobials, and avoiding excess fertilization. These approaches lead to the production of safe, high-quality food and help to reverse biodiversity loss. The project has facilitated the creation of business services for farmers in terms of access to quality seeds, inputs, and financing and has created stronger linkages between farmers and markets to minimize financial risks.
By the time the project ends in mid-2025, more than 25,000 smallholders will be optimizing climate-smart vegetable production to meet the increasing demand for healthy and safe food products in nearby urban markets. The climate-smart vegetable cropping business model developed by Smart Farming, Healthy Food has the potential to scale to thousands of farmers in the coastal communities of Bangladesh.
