It is a sunday, the first day of the working week in this mostly Muslim county. The LoCAL assessment team just arrived in Bangladesh for 10 days to visit various project sites of LoCAL to document and prepare for the country’s second phase of LoCAL. Julian Abrahms and Cedric Jancloes listen as Z. M. Sajjadul Islam, UNCDF national consultant kindly debriefs the team to the issues faced in the country: “The number one problem in Bangladesh is the size of the population - It can be a dividend for the economy but it is also what makes our country one of the most vulnerable in the world.” After two hours drive out of Dhaka, Sajjadul interrupts the silence: “Good, now the roads are going to get better - we reached the outskirts of the city”
Indeed, Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with over 160 million people. The land is flat and nearly at sea-level. Just the previous week, a typhoon ransacked the coastal areas, leaving over 30 people dead. Sajjadul explains the damages were limited and that the strength of the typhoon winds was ‘only’ 90 km/hour! His attitude indicates the frequency of these extreme climate events. He like other compatriots are have to face these problems regularly. We will not see these damages during this mission, as we are travelling West to the Indian border Division of Rajshahi.
Bangladesh is organised in 4553 Union Parishads spread in 490 Upazillas. The country is then split in 64 Districts and 8 Divisions. In Rajshahi, the team will visit two Upazilas: Mohonpur and Godagari. In all 15 projects were run by LoCAL UNCDF in these two local governments.
In both Upazilas the team visits, the main climate issue is the increasing droughts. This new phenomena comes at a high cost because agriculture is the main industry in this area. The country’s rain-fed agriculture depends on seasonal rainfalls however, many parts of the country such as Rajshahi are already suffering from repeated and unexpected droughts and further rising temperatures are expected. Water management is therefore of the utmost priority for the local governments here.
Mr Mohammad Amimul Ehshan -Senior Upazila (Sub-district) Fisheries Officer in Mohonpur explains that in the past, there were many open water areas, providing both water and fish for the people. But with longer droughts, most of the 4000 ponds in Mohonpur are at risk of drying up. Also, with an increasing population size, many of the open water reservoirs are now land-locked. This creates a double problem: the native fish population are being reduced and fishermen are losing their traditional trade. One of the priorities of the Upazila fisheries Department is to conserve and replenish natural fish stocks. With LoCAL, a pond was turned into a fish sanctuary and it was populated with 28 of Bangladesh’s endangered fish species. By showcasing better fishing practices and by valuing local species, Mr Mohammad. Amimul Ehshan hopes that fishermen can adopt new behaviours and maintain the natural fish stocks while developing income generating fish farming activities.
With LoCAL, the Fisheries office of the Upazila of Mohonpur also went to the ‘last mile’ to help a number of Internally displaced climate communities to better rehabilitate to their new living conditions, with the re-excavation of large ponds that can be used to fish farm and generate income. The ponds also raise hopes of the villagers because thanks to the improved water retention in the surrounding land plots, they can grow vegetables to generate further income.
Due to the high population density, there are strong pressures on land for agriculture. For the communities around the pond, every piece of land is being used to grow vegetables. The quality of the soil itself has become harder to manage due to extensive farming and other climate events.
Mr Mohammad Khayer Uddin Mollah, Mohonpur Upazila Agriculture Officer underlines that in the past, the land itself was made fertile by silt coming from the Ganges and other major rivers that flooded the land regularly each year. There were less people and only one crop was produced each year. But now, he explains that due to rising population numbers, the pressure on agricultural land is very strong: farmers produce up to 3 crops per year. The land is never put to rest. As a result of this intensive farming and the now prolonged droughts, the soil is losing in quality. ‘’A normal lands needs 5% organic matter but here in Bangladesh it is only 1%.’ … and …’if you want to improve soil with organic fertiliser, you need to produce it!’. He goes on to explain about the vermi-composting project delivered by LoCAL. ‘Farmers need to change their behaviour’ and they are changing after seeing the results of the project:
Mrs Parvin started a fermi-composting activity in a shed funded by the project. Soon her neighbours started to take interest and launched their own fermi-composting at home. The LoCAL project is now thinking to expand the pilot project with a large shed that could be shared by the various women in the community. Not only the scheme helps them to make a small business by selling high quality organise fertiliser but at the same time, the activity has helped to clean up the place: not a single cow-dung is wasted.
The women also use recycled bamboo that is used in Bethel Leaf farms. There is a very large supply and they can put the old bamboo to good use. But the key ingredient is cow-dung. When there is no more cow-dung to be found, they buy it from other farmers, at the cost of 100 dhaka for 20 kilos. The return on investment is very high. After 2 or 3 months, they will see their fermi-compost at the rate of 100 dhaka per kilo. Mrs Parvin is very proud of her achievement but she also can not stop to express her happiness: in the past, my husband was the income earner and I had no pocket money. Now I generate my own income and I can spend some of it on things I want to buy for the family.
The success of Mrs Parvin was not lost on the other women - some have already adopted the technology and others are asking for support from the project, asking for example to build sheds that can be shared among themselves.
Mrs Sano Hara (left) started already on her own and Mrs Monjou Arabibi (right) is keen to start ©LoCAL-UNCDF Photo C Jancloes 2016
Mrs Parvin lifts the top layer of soil to reveal the worms at work ©LoCAL-UNCDF, Photo: C.Jancloes 2016
Bethel Leaf farms are very common in this area - bamboo poles can be recycled ©LoCAL-UNCDF, Photo: C.Jancloes 2016
The meeting with Mrs Parvin brings up many interesting insights about local lifestyles the way people normally manage their energy resources. Traditionally, cow dung has not been wasted - it is dried on sticks or on walls and used as cooking fuel.
The alternatives piloted by the LoCAL facility include biodigesters, fermi-composting are helping people to better manage waste. Sajjdul explains that one of the key advantages over the traditional way of burning cow-dung is the lack of nasty fumes that can have an impact on the health of the people in the house. The small schemes piloted with LoCAL helped the communities to test innovative approaches to improving the management of their soil while making better use of organic waste, such as with the vermicomposting activity.
Cow-dung dried on walls and used as cooking fuel ©LoCAL-UNCDF, Photo: C.Jancloes 2016
Cow-dung dried on sticks and used as cooking fuel ©LoCAL-UNCDF, Photo: C.Jancloes 2016
A traditional cook-stove in Godagari, Mohonpur ©LoCAL-UNCDF Photo: C.Jancloes 2016
Dr. Fazlul Haque, Mohonpur Upazila livestock officer adds that this alternative is part of an ecosystem of good practices. For him, everything is connected: the Napier grass cultivation plot that he has started as part of the LoCAL project provides farmers with grass saplings - the grass is used to feed the cows and buffaloes. The cow dung produced by the cows is then used for vermicomposting. This produces high quality organic fertiliser that helps to bring nutrients to the soil. This ensures that, the cows have something to eat.
His testimony reveals another story: in this process, the various sectors of local governments put their combined skillets to tackle climate change. The Upazila has a new understanding about climate change. The local actors have been exposed to a large range of climate related actions and each of these actions gives them a sense of ownership in the larger picture. They are ready to move into the second phase of LoCAL in Bangladesh.
Jesmul Hassan, Programme Analyst for the LoCAL UNCDF in Bangladesh has seen a lot of developments with the loCAL project. He explains that the facility has grown rapidly in Bangladesh, starting as a pilot experience, it is now receiving support from other development partners. The LoCAL facility has completed its first phase in Bangladesh and is now gearing up to tackle a scaling up that will enhance the reach and impact of LoCAL in the country.
