BDC Inception Report PDF

CPWF BDC Inception Report
Basin: Ganges
Basin Leader: Dr. Nowsher Ali Sarder
Date: 31 October 2011
Contents
Guidance .....................................................................................................................................3 1.1 Achievements ................................................................................................................3 1.2 Bottlenecks ....................................................................................................................4 1.3 Insights and learning ......................................................................................................5 1.4 Partnerships...................................................................................................................5 1.5 Needs from the CPWF ...................................................................................................6 1.6 Other feedback ..............................................................................................................6 2. Evaluation of BDC technical projects .................................................................................7 3. High points ...............................................................................................................................9 3.1 Project 1..........................................................................................................................9 3.2 Project 2..........................................................................................................................9 3.3 Project 3..........................................................................................................................9 3.4 Project 4........................................................................................................................10 3.5 Project 5........................................................................................................................10 4. Issues and remedies ..............................................................................................................11 4.1 Project 1 ......................................................................................................................11 4.2 Project 2 ......................................................................................................................11 4.3 Project 3 ......................................................................................................................12 4.4 Project 4 ......................................................................................................................13 4.5 Project 5 ......................................................................................................................14 5. Overall project performance ...................................................................................................16 6. Annexes ..............................................................................................................................18 Annex 1: Project 1 Inception Report ...........................................................................................19 Annex 2: Project 2 Inception Report ...........................................................................................25 Annex 3: Project 3 Inception Report ...........................................................................................35 Annex 4: Project 4 Inception Report ...........................................................................................44 Annex 5: Project 5 Inception Report ...........................................................................................60
Guidance
Throughout this template there are links to relevant sections in the on-line CPWF M&E Guide, CPWF Handbook and CPWF Standard Clauses and Procedures that provide guidance, templates and examples. Submit the report to your Basin Leader (or MT lead in the case of the coordination project) by e-mail.
1.
1.1
Progress made during BDC inception:

Achievements
Please describe your major research and process achievements and how they contribute to the BDC The GBDC has almost completed staff recruitment with few exceptions, and subsequent hiring of consultants will proceed as per need of each project. Formal agreements with most of the partners have been completed. All BDC projects have started activities in the field in collaboration with their partners. The G1 project produced preliminary land cover maps of boro, aus and aman1 seasons in October 2011. All test sites geo-referenced and characterized and started to exchange data with Institute of Water Management (IWM) and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). The G2 project established research trials in July, 2011, in three polders with high (polder 3), medium (polder 30) and low (polder 43/2F) salinity. The trials target a) appropriate variety selection of aman rice considering water depth and production of rabi crops, b) aman- rabi cropping systems, and c) aman-boro cropping systems. Due to heavy rains and high water depth, the anticipated numbers of plantings could not be made at polder 30, of the 3 planned; only one was implemented. In polder 3 (high salinity), a good harvest of aman rice is expected and to be followed by shrimp culture. In polder 30 and 43/2F, aman rice is successfully established which will be followed by rabi crops or boro rice as per design of the trials. The aman rice crop is currently in the field and in good condition. The G3 project has begun monitoring water governance and management in 5 polders of BWDB (polder 43/2F, 30, 31, 24G, 3) and 4 polders of LGED (Jain kati, Latabunia, Bagerchara) .The LGED polders were added to the original set of research polders in order to extend the research to include not only farmers initiatives in fostering community management, but also how organizational structure and attitudes of implementing agencies enable or constrain communities from fostering these structures. Till inception workshop few focus group discussions have been conducted with the existing water user groups in polder 30 to understand present water management systems being followed in the folders including the opportunities and limitations of community management organizations in thee locality. Using secondary data and primary information being generated by regular monitoring of salinity, water level, water flow etc. and working with some FGDs and a preliminary survey, project G4 has successfully identified a number of external drivers that influence decision-making in water resource management and governance in
1
Boro is a rice season extends from mid Nov to mid march when dry-seasoned irrigated rice (high yield potentials) is grown. Aus is another rice season extends from mid March to mid July when pre-monsoon rice (moderate yield potentials) crop is grown. Aman is traditional rice season extends from mid July to mid Nov when monsoon rice (moderate yield potentials) is grown.
the Ganges basin. Of the external drivers, population growth has been identified as primary. Sea level rise due to climate change, change in water management practices, water sharing practices between riparian countries, and water infrastructure development have been identified as other key drivers. G4 will conduct indepth investigation to assess the effects of these drivers on water resource and management issues in the coastal Ganges basin for sustainable increases in productivity of crops and improvement of livelihoods of the coastal people. 1.2 Bottlenecks
Please describe any process and research bottlenecks (and how they were / are being addressed) Both Project G1 and Project G2 identified the delay in availability of funds provided from CPWF, that has delayed their activities and milestones and request a 6 months no cost extension of the project. Lack of funds has impeded IRRI NARES partners to implement planned activities for the aman 2011 crop. Hiring a PDF to be based in Dhaka was initially difficult; however a suitable candidate has now been selected. Delay in finalizing LoA between IRRI and WorldFish Center has slowed process of recruitment of WorldFish staff and activities of BFRI and CIBA to some extent. Heavy rains and flooding this year, 2011, resulted in delays in transplanting of some trials by G2. One out of three target transplanting dates on polder 30 was only possible due to deep flooding. Since the village roads and embankments are still wet and muddy, the Project G3 team finds the selected polders and sub-project areas are still inaccessible and indicate that the conditions may delay fieldwork for a short while. Socio-consult Ltd., a partner of G3, finds it difficult to receive funding from IWMI Colombo, because of introducing value added tax (VAT) on remittance by bank at very high rate. IWMI is requested to explore how to overcome this situation through its Finance Department. The available of water resources data, land use and demographic information from the Indian part of the Ganges basin and knowledge of their future water resources plan have been identified as the key challenge by Project G4. IWMI, a partner of G4, is expected to provide available data on water flow, rainfall, water-use, land-use, population, water plans and policies in the upstream region of the Ganges basin and its future perspectives.
1.3
Insights and learning
Please share your main insights and lessons learned during the inception period The inception period may be treated as a 6-month pre-project stage, which would then be followed by a three-year project period. The Ganges basin is a complex environment as the research team needs to work in low, medium and high saline water and soils. Besides salinity, flooding conditions within polders and across the polders varies, and variable scenarios between seasons and years, besides the difference in topography. There are complex social and economic circumstances of households and between genders that pose a significant challenge in developing simple solutions to cropping system/production technologies rather there is a need for a flexible approach. For successful community management of coastal polders, it is necessary to bring about organizational changes in implementing agencies as recognized by Project G3. The external drivers as preliminarily identified by Project G4 include increased population, water pollution, inadequate planning and management of trans-boundary waters; climate change and inefficient water management projects-all these may cause reduced availability of usable freshwater. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the availability and productivity of water for agriculture and aquaculture purposes in Bangladesh. It is learned that only one crop i.e. transplanted aman was grown in the pre-polder conditions and in the postpolder conditions rabi crops like vegetable, oilseeds and boro (limited area) are grown along with aman crops. However, there is a general trend of reducing the usable area inside the polders due to subsidence, silted up rivers & canals, inefficient and inadequate water management. 1.4 Partnerships
Please describe partnerships entered into and their relevance to BDC goals Project G1 has signed agreements with LGED and IWM, which will give access to expertise and spatial information required for the objectives of G1. SRDI has agreed on terms and will sign the agreement soon. Each of these partners has expertise in key thematic areas for the G1 project to deliver important spatial information to the project and feedback on the extrapolation domains and landuse maps that G1 will produce. Project G2 has signed agreements (LOA) with BRRI, BRAC, WFC and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research - Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (ICAR-CSSRI). As a partner of Project G2, BRRI will be responsible for carrying out all the rice varietal evaluation work in Bangladesh. This is essential for the identification of improved varieties for different water conditions across the coastal zone, including varieties with short duration which allow cropping system intensification. BRRI is expected to play a critical partnership role in the design and evaluation of intensive triple rice and rice-rice-rabi cropping systems on-farm and on-station (BRRI experimental stations). WFC will provide expertise and be actively involved in aquaculture and homestead production system activities. WFC have technologies for brackish and fresh water systems aquaculture, including rice + aquaculture, rice in rotation with brackish water aquaculture, year- round brackish water aquaculture, and homestead ponds. CSSRI will be responsible for all similar rice varietal evaluation and cropping system work in West Bengal, India. BRAC will bring experience and expertise to Project G2 on the subjects of production of high value rabi crops and cropping system intensification (triple rice, rice-rice-rabi) in Barisal, where they are based locally and therefore able to play an important role in the on-farm work in
polder 43/2/F. BFRI & CIBA will provide research outputs under a subcontract with WFC. BFRI will be actively involved in aquaculture research in consultation with WFC, starting in the winter season 2011/2012. CIBA will lead the aquaculture research in the brackish water part of the Ganges delta in India. It is expected that CIBA will also play a role in outreach to policy makers and development actors within India to facilitate uptake of research and achievement of BDC goals. Socio-consult Ltd. is the main partner in Project G3 and is scheduled to undertake most of the fieldwork under the close supervision of an IWMI scientist. They have experience working in BWDB polders and also implemented the IPSWAM project. IWM will provide GIS maps and help with participatory mapping exercises. Project G3 is expected to sign an agreement with the Bangladesh Agricultural University regarding the role of students and will finalize an MOU by December 2011. Project G4 is led by the Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) in partnership with IWMI, IWFM-BUET and BWDB. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a major player in water management research in the Indus-Ganges Basin, with the goal of contributing to the vision of A Food Secure World for All. The Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM) of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) is a premier institute for the advancement of knowledge and development of human resources in water and flood management. Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), a government institution under the Ministry of Water Resources, is a major stakeholder for water management and governance in Bangladesh. BWDB will offer knowledge on agriculture, water governance, water and crop management, policies and strategies under the MoU (already signed) with IWM. Project G5 has signed an agreement with BRAC the largest NGO of the country to scale out of research products and to advocacy in policy change of the Government. The World Fish Center, the implementing agency of G5 has strong collaboration with many major partners involved in agriculture and aquaculture in Bangladesh, including DoF, DAE, BWDB, BARC, BARC, BARI, LGED, SRDI etc. WorldFish has close relations with the BFRI, which is the leading national research institution on fisheries development. It has been doing research on brackish water aquaculture for the last 20 years. The institute has developed improved culture technologies of shrimp, bi-culture of shrimp and fish, fish culture in the coastal seasonal ponds. Under CPWF 10 project, the institute developed rice cum shrimp/ fish culture technique and rice in rotation with shrimp/ fish culture in the farmers field. 1.5 Needs from the CPWF Is there anything that the CPWF can help you with in terms of support to the BDC Program-of-Work? Please specify where you think the help should come (e.g., from CPMT, CPWF KM team, CPWF Research team, TWGs, elsewhere) KM: TWGs, particularly the Resilience group, to include/ invite Ganges team members to participate in the TWG activities and meetings. The aquaculture group of G2 is keen to join the Resilience TWG. 1.6 Other feedback
Please give any other feedback you would like to share, positive or otherwise
The excitement of the farmers at research site on polder 3 (land was used only for shrimp culture due to low rain & salinity,) was noticeable, when they saw an excellent growth of rice seedlings in nursery in 2 ghers as demonstrated by Project G2. The delay in the formation of the GBDC Advisory Committee has been a concern, as expressed by Project G3. Project G5 has now initiated formation of a common advisory committee for all CGIAR projects in the country with provision of sub-committees as appropriate for each project. The ToR of the committee has been drafted and being shared among project leaders of Ganges BDC. The members of earlier CSISA committee are to be included in addition of members from water sector and policy planning. The formation process is expected to be completed by December 2011. A consultative group/advisory committee that meets twice a year to interact, exchange and share experience/ knowledge generated may be helpful. During inception workshop all concerned supported regular bi-monthly skype/online meeting in which all PLs (based in or outside Bangladesh) share experience, discuss and provide guidelines / inputs. GBDC research is an outcome based program and its success requires proper integration among all projects from Projects G1 to G5 as well as proper up-scaling strategies.
2. Evaluation of BDC technical projects

Please evaluate the BDC technical reports on the basis of the evaluation questions given below. Carry out a self-evaluation for your own coordination and change project. Cut and paste in the following symbols to register your level of agreement to the statements in the table below. Refer to Section 2 of the respective projects Inception Report while doing so.
= exceeds expectations
= meets expectations = barely satisfactory good enough not to hold up next tranche payment but there are issues that need
dealing with by time of next progress report
= unsatisfactory -- serious issues exist that require discussion with MT before release of next tranche
payment 2.1 Compliance with contracting requirements
Checklist of whether projects have provided the documents required by the CPWF to finalize contracting a. The project has made intelligent and appropriate changes to its project proposal reflecting what it has learned during the inception phase in negotiations with partners and elsewhere b. The projects outcome logic model is plausible, realistic, understandable and consistent with the P1 MT P2 MT P3 MT P4 MT P5 MT
project proposal c. The project has developed a milestone plan in which it has identified 8 to 12 acceptable milestones for delivery in the next year d. The project has provided baseline plan, outcome targets and identified measurable outcome indicators for two to four of its main outcome pathways e. The project has updated its Gantt Chart to reflect changes to its project proposal and the Gantt chart is consistent with the milestone plan f. The changes (if any) that the project has made to its budget are acceptable to project partners g. The project has provided the signed MOUs necessary for the project to deliver on its work plan h. The project has provided a 3 party intellectual asset audit
rd
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
3. High points
This is your opportunity to highlight anything particularly worthwhile, noteworthy or significant that a project has done. It is space to explain how projects may have exceeded expectations.
3.1
Project 1
High points, significant achievements, expectations exceeded BL: Project G1 has formulated agreements with important partners that will bring expertise to key thematic areas and deliver important spatial information and feedback on the extrapolation domains and land use maps that it will produce. MT: G1 is well designed and clear. Despite having little time on the project the PL has been able to attend key meetings and provide the required leadership. Long may it continue!
3.2
Project 2
High points, significant achievements, expectations exceeded Project G2 has established strong partnerships to deliver its research products. Variety testing and evaluation are well underway. Farmers are excited over the prospects of using new varieties in an area where only shrimp has been produced in recent years due to low rainfall and subsequent increased salinity. Important insights and lessons have been learned regarding the complexity of the environment in the research area. MT : G2 to be complimented on their fast start despite funding issues and for organizing field trips and inviting others along. G2 provide a positive demand pull on the GBDC as a whole and have been very supportive to G5 in particular and the BL in particular.
3.3
Project 3
High points, significant achievements, expectations exceeded BL: Project G3 has been able to extend its research from studying farmers initiatives in fostering community management to include how organizational structures and attitudes of implementing agencies enable or constrain communities from fostering community-based organizations. This provides an opportunity to learn what research initiatives work best and to evaluate research inputs. The opportunity to participate with all the Ganges projects in joint fieldwork has been a very positive aspect of the program. MT: G3 appears to be settling down to do some quality research. The challenge for the project will be to move beyond research into ensuring the use of the insight it will generate and the policies it will recommend or support.
We welcome the change in research direction in response to learning and reflection from a field trip in May. Key will be to continue to negotiate changes and the understanding of what G3 is doing with the other Gs, especially G5.
3.4
Project 4
High points, significant achievements, expectations exceeded BL: Strong partnerships have already been established by Project G4. The drivers that affect water resources in the study area have been identified and substantial work has been carried out to date. Research has provided opportunity to increase knowledge about the research area and the cropping systems there. This project is providing ample opportunities to interact with other experts at home and abroad and to share knowledge, experience and technologies. The bi-monthly meeting is also appreciated as an effective tool. MT: G4 has some profound insights into polder management issues - of great relevance to water governance and farm system improvement. If G1, G2 and G3 don't know about some of these issues, they should hear about them. G4 has made very good progress.
3.5
Project 5
High points, significant achievements, expectations exceeded. This is a self-evaluation to help the MT-lead Project G5 is building robust partnerships that include initiatives for capacity building. Knowledge and progress sharing meetings have been instituted to enhance communication among the Ganges projects and serve as a forum for feedback. This will enable sharing of cross-cutting information and timely adaptation. Initiation of new channels of communication for the G projects that included a wiki site, and use of the e-letter of CPWF will enable the rapid sharing of relevant information and strengthen ties among the Ganges projects. Streamlining can be achieved through the establishment of a single advisory committee that replaces individual advisory committees for various related projects. MT: We echo the self-assessment above. The bi-monthly meetings are welcome initiative. The advisory committee issue needs to be resolved to the satisfaction of G2. Not sure whether Gs are asking for individual advisory committees so much as for one of the appropriate size and scale to be interested in what the GBDC is doing.
4. Issues and remedies

Provide details of issues flagged in the table above and describe any other known issues.
4.1
Project 1
Please explain the issues that need dealing and suggest solutions BL: Project G1 needs to come in immediate agreement with SRDI to facilitate detailed field survey to produce essential salinity mapping. PL of G1 is to release fund against SRDI by Jan 2012 so that SRDI can complete the soil survey for salinity mapping by April 2012. MT: G1 is suggesting incorporating a 6-month inception period in the project schedule, meaning the project will officially start its activities after 6 months. Due to the delayed release of funds, G1 was unable to implement some of its deliverables for the first six months.
Action Points No. 1 Action Point Respond to BLs point above Assigned person Project leader Deadline Completed soil survey by April 2012 February After Feb before next report
2 2
MT to consider request for 6-month extension Submit a revised milestone plan and Gantt chart assuming that a 6-month no-cost extension is granted Prepare financial report and invoice for the 2nd payment Submit other documents that were not included in the inception report: CVs of other team members, signed LOA Submit third-party IP audit
MT Project Leader
IRRI Finance
ASAP
Project Leader
By next report
Project Leader
By next report
4.2
Project 2
Please explain the issues that need dealing and suggest solutions BL: Cropping systems research need collaboration with BARI (Bangladesh Agricultural Research
Institute). BRRI (Bangladesh Rice Research Institute) is partner of G2 but BARI is not. So G2 could establish collaboration with local BARI station (Benerpota, Satkhira) by Feb 2012 through MoU, workshop, knowledge sharing etc. BARI can supply seeds of the latest suitable varieties of pulse, oilseeds, maize etc. to be planted after wet-seasoned rice in Polder 30 and 43/2F. Seed production program can be supported by BARI and BRRI MT: Role of BSMRAU not clear from the report
Action Points No. 1 Action Point Respond to BLs request to establish collaboration with BARI Clarify role of BSMRAU Update project workbook (contact sheet) to include some project team members Prepare financial report and invoice for the 2nd payment Submit other documents that were not included in the inception report: CVs of other team members, signed LOA Submit third-party IP audit Assigned person Project Leader Deadline By Feb 2012
2 3
Project Leader Project Leader
By next report By next report
IRRI Finance
ASAP
Project Leader
By next report
Project Leader
By next report
4.3
Project 3
Please explain the issues that need dealing and suggest solutions BL: Project G3 has too many partners; an appropriate mechanism for dealings with them should be explored by G3. The field data collection (FGD and KII) on water governance and management is to be expedited. Selection of research partner is to be completed by Jan 2012. FGD and KII report is to be produced by partner by Feb 2012. MT: One of the options to explore to reduce the transaction cost of transferring funds to a Bangladeshi institution is to make either WFC or IRRI as G3 partner and ask them to administer funds or serve as conduit of funds (if this is legally accepted within the CG system). Compare first the overhead cost
versus the VAT on overseas remittance.
Action Points No. 1 2 3 Action Point Respond to BL points above Respond to MT suggestion above Update project workbook: OTIP is incomplete; Camelia is not in the time allocation, therefore its not clear in the budget summary where her budget would come from Submit other documents that were not included in the inception report: CVs of other team members, signed LOA, 3rd Party IP audit Assigned person Project Leader Project Leader Project Leader Deadline By next report By next report By next report
Project Leader
By next report
4.4
Project 4
Please explain the issues that need dealing and suggest solutions BL: Long term water flow data in upper Ganges basin (Indian part) is needed for modeling of water resources in the Ganges basin. IMWI is to take action to collect long term water flow data preferably from research stations, and other development organizations by May 2012 if not possible from Government sources. MT: Regarding the OLM, suggest the farmers or the respondents in the focus group discussions and consultations should also be included as actors. Focus group discussion is a two-way learning process we get information from them, and they learn from our analysis of their responses. The change is they will become more aware of the effects of external drivers to their sources of livelihoods.
Action Points No. 1 2 Action Point Respond to BL points above Respond to MT suggestion above Assigned person Project Leader Project Leader Deadline By next report By next report
Update project workbook: write the status of progress in the milestone plan Prepare financial report and invoice for the 2nd payment if not done so already Submit other documents that were not included in the inception report: CVs of other team members, signed LOA, 3rd Party IP audit Tighten up the OTIP Plan with implementation in mind
Project Leader
By next report
IWM Finance
ASAP
Project Leader
By next report
Project Leader
By next report
4.5
Project 5
Please explain the issues that need dealing and suggest solutions. This is a self-evaluation to help the MT-lead BL: The projects (G1-G5) calendar/Gantt chart has been extended in majority cases for three months considering the delayed start of the projects and as per output of inception workshop. Accordingly the milestone plan has been updated and CPWF is requested to please consider the extension and approve it as well by Dec 2011. Furthermore, the Inception workshop participants have requested that a six month nocost extension to the Ganges program be considered by CPWF management. Ganges project 5 therefore requests that CPWF management consider their request, and circulate the extension by Mar 2012. MT: G5 is about coordination and enabling change which is a different sort of project requiring different skill sets its staff than the normal CG project. This has been well understood. Nevertheless appointing the right people for the jobs has proved difficult and has delayed G5 growing into the leadership role required of it. Sorting this out must be the main priority for next reporting period. Should share the TOR of the other consultants with other teams so that theres a common understanding on what we are asking them to do for us. This is also to ensure that the Indian part of the BDC is not compromised.
Action Points No. 1 2 Action Point Resolve any outstanding personnel issues in G5 Find a way of meeting PLs request to be included in regular planning meetings Assigned person WorldFish mmgt Basin Leader Deadline By next report By January
Resolve issue over GBDC Advisory Committee to G2s satisfaction Approve change to milestone plan Approve a cross-the-board six-month no-cost extension for GBDC Respond to MT suggestion above Update project workbook: write the status of progress in the milestone plan Submit other documents that were not included in the inception report: CVs of other team members, signed LOA; 3rd Party IP audit Tighten up the OTIP Plan with implementation in mind
Basin Leader
By February
4 5
MT MT
ASAP March 2012
6 7
Project Leader Project Leader
By next report By next report
Project Leader
By next report
M&E officer
By next report
5. Overall project performance

Based on Sections 2, 3 and 4 please make give each project an overall rating. Cut and paste in the following symbols to register your level of agreement to the statement in the table below. In the P5 space, do a self-evaluation.
= exceeds expectations
= meets expectations = barely satisfactory good enough not to hold up next tranche payment but there are issues that need
dealing with by time of next progress report
= unsatisfactory -- serious issues exist that require discussion with CPMT before release of next tranche
payment
P1 The project is making good progress and performing well P2 P3 P4 P5
Final remarks can be an explanation of an overall rating or anything else Overall, the Ganges program has moved forward significantly in the Inception Period, with good progress in most projects, despite the lack of formal agreements and funds in some cases. The different project teams are also generally working effectively, and increasingly as a good team within an integrated Ganges program. Project G2 set all designed experiments in the field without receiving funds from CPWF. Project G3 completed the agreement with partners except with BAU although only one FGD has been conducted out of a targeted 70. Project G4 completed the agreement with relevant partners, has conducted FGDs and consultations to identify the drivers. T
Date: October 25, 2011
Basin leader: Dr. Nowsher Ali Sarder
Date: December 15, 2011
MT lead: Dr. Boru Douthwaite
6.
Annexes
Annex 1: Project 1 Inception Report
CPWF Project Inception Report

Project Title: Resource profiles, extrapolation domains, and land-use patterns
Project Number: G1
Project Leader: Andy Nelson

For submission to the
1.
1.1
Progress made during project inception

Achievements
- Agreements signed with two national partners, third agreement pending. - Preliminary land-cover maps of Bangladesh developed for the 2010-11 boro, aus, and aman seasons. - Test sites geo-referenced and characterized.
1.2
Bottlenecks
- No funds were provided from CPWF during this period, which has delayed all activities and milestones under objectives 1 and 2 by 6 months. - Difficulty in hiring a PDF to be based in Dhaka. After receiving 40 applications and two rounds of review, we have finally identified a suitable candidate and are about to make an offer. - We have not been able to agree on terms with BWDB. We will discuss this with IWM, since they have a long-standing collaboration with BWDB, and investigate options for contracting to BWDB through IWM.
1.3
- Lack of funding has stymied progress to date. - I would suggest that future projects treat the inception period as a 6-month preproject stage, which would then be followed by a three-year project when work can be expected to take place. - This inception meeting will be the third related to this project and yet little has been achieved to date to merit three international meetings, which seems like an unnecessarily high transaction cost.
1.4
Partnerships
- We have signed agreements with LGED and IWM, which will give us access to expertise and spatial information required for the objectives of G1. SRDI has agreed on terms and we will sign the agreement with them in the coming days. Each of these partners has expertise in key thematic areas for the G1 project and they will also deliver important spatial information to the project and feedback on the extrapolation domains and land-use maps that G1 will produce.
1.5
Other feedback
- The delay in funding, approximately 6 months, necessitates a no-cost extension of the project to allow us to complete delayed activities. The lack of funds has meant that almost no progress has been made on the first two objectives that were due to be reported on. - I would like to request a no-cost extension of 6 months to accommodate this delay and to adjust the milestones accordingly, in line with expected delays in the other G projects.
2.
Compliance with contracting requirements

Where to find Updated and / or
Documents required to finalize contracting requirements
and for next tranche payment

1. Updated proposal reflecting changes negotiated with partners during the inception period (if any) and cover note explaining what has changed 2. Updated Project Workbook reflecting changes negotiated during the inception period:
it Annex 1 to this report
annexed? No change, not annexed
Annex 2 to this report Annex 2 to this report Annex 2 to this report Annex 2 to this report
Updated
Completed contact sheet
Contact details for LGED updated No change No change, but includes a request to move all milestones back 6 months to accommodate the delay in funding. No change No change, but see above for milestone plan delay No change.
Updated outcome logic model Milestone plan developed for the duration of the project with particular emphasis on the next year)
Baseline plan, outcome targets and outcome indicators for projects main two outcomes Updated Gantt Chart
Annex 2 to this report Annex 2 to this report Annex 2 to this report
Updated budget worksheets (CPWF will not increase your budget; all changes beyond moving 5k must explained and justified as comments in the respective budget worksheets and in the financial report below) 3. Signed MOUs corresponding to your proposal 4. Third-Party Intellectual asset audit
Annex 3 to this report Annex 4 to this report
LoAs with LGED and IWM attached Not attached, thirdparty IP has not yet been determined.
3.
Needs from the CPWF
Quicker release of funds in the future. This delay is the major reason for the lack of activity to date.
4.
4.1
Financial management
Summary financial report
Time2 2011 2011 2012 2012 2013 2013 Completion Report and Final Audit for project closure
Inception Report
Progress Report
1 Annual Report
2 Annual Report US$
Progress Report
(thousands of $US) Value of tranche payment received this report period Value of tranche payments received to date Value of expenditures for report period Accumulative value of expenditures to date Balance held against cumulative tranche payments Value of committed funds
US$
US$
US$
US$
Progress Report US$
US$
4 5
(7)
I certify that the summary financial report is correct Chief financial officer: Date:
Adjust the dates to fit with our contract period
4.2 Project leaders commentary on the summary financial report Please explain any significant commitments currently being held
Commitment is held against payment to which partners or providers? Amount USD Expected date of expenditure
No funds received. Nothing to report.
If you are over-spent / under-spent please explain why or any aspect of the financial progress of your project that has or will affect progress:
If you had moved budgets across line items please explain why:
Any other comments about financial aspects of your project, and any advice you would like to receive:
5. Annexes
Send annexes as separate attachments to the main report
Annex 1: Updated Project Proposal not updated, not attached Annex 2: Updated Workbook and Worksheets attached G1_AnnexA_Project_Workbook_DRPC2010-128_1011 Annex 3: MOUs signed with project partners attached Signed LOA with IWM and LGED Annex 4: Third-Party Intellectual Audit not attached, third-party IP has not yet been determined

Project Title: Productive, profitable, and resilient agriculture and aquaculture systems
Project Number: G2
Project Leader: Liz Humphreys

1.
1.1

Achievements
Please describe your major research and process achievements (and how they contribute to the project and BDC)
Letters of Agreement (LoAs) IRRI Signed with * Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) * Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (ICAR-CSSRI) * BRAC Finalized with World Fish Centre (WFC) (will be signed shortly) WFC Finalized with the two partners (signature pending completion of IRRI-WorldFish LOA) * Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) * Central Institute for Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) Staff recruitment * Change in leadership: E. Humphreys as PL effective 3 August 2011 * Dr. T.P. Tuong as consultant (contract in preparation) * Dr. Manoranjan Mondal commenced with IRRI (Bangladesh) on 10 October 2011 * Yet to recruit one NRS for IRRI Bangladesh * Yet to recruit two consultants for WFC Bangladesh (pending finalization of contract with IRRI) Work planning * Focus polders selected in freshwater region in Barisal Division (43/2/F), medium-salinity region in Khulna Division (30), high-salinity region in Khulna Division (3). * May 2011: 8-day field trip organized and conducted to focus polders to observe situation on the ground, hold discussions with stakeholders (including farmers, NGOs, CSISA hub teams, local BWDB, BRRI, BFRI, and BRAC officers, DAE, Water Management Groups/Associations), and select sites for on-farm and on-station cropping system and crop/aquaculture system activities. In addition to G2 members (from IRRI, BRRI, BRAC, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman Agricultural University), there were participants from G1 (IRRI), G3 (IWMI, Socioconsult), and G4 (IWM, polder 3 only). * Detailed work plans prepared for the evaluation of rice varieties, cropping systems/water management options, crop/aquaculture systems, and aquaculture systems. * Sampling strategy and tools developed for detailed assessment of all three polders, to be implemented during fourth quarter of 2011. * Several trips made to research and demonstration sites on all three polders to finalize site selection, implement activities, and monitor progress. * On-farm rice variety evaluation trials implemented at one location on each of the three study polders: Polder 3 (rice variety evaluation; rice-aquaculture system) Ten varieties were tested in the 2011 aman season under enhanced leaching (to lower soil salinity for rice) and farmers traditional gher drainage practices. There were two seeding dates (15 and 30 July) in the farmers gher practice, with target transplanting dates of 5-15 and 20-30 August, respectively. There was one seeding date (15 July) under enhanced leaching practice with target transplanting date of 5-15 August. After rice, the farmers will grow saline-water shrimp, and the G2 aquaculture team will introduce improved management, including polyculture Polder 30 (rice variety evaluation; rice-rice-rice and rice-rice-rabi systems) Eleven varieties were tested in the 2011 aman season. The initial plan was three sowing/transplanting dates, but only one sowing (1 July)/transplanting (25 July) was achieved due to unusually high rainfall and deep flooding of 2540 cm (more than seedling height). Transplanting was delayed slightly from the target date of 21 July because of deep water after rain. One site was also established for an aman-rabi cropping system trial (with BRRI dhan54). The main objective of this trial is to demonstrate the benefits of early drainage, which will enable early establishment of the rabi crop. Our hypothesis is that early establishment of the rabi crop will improve rabi crop production because it will mature earlier and escape damaging rains in May-June. The second objective is to evaluate/demonstrate improved management options for the common rabi crops on this polder (predominantly sesame, some mungbean), including line sowing and mulching. One site was also established with BRRI dhan49 for an aman-boro demonstration of the fact (an output of PN10) that boro rice can be planted in December (while water in the rivers is still fresh, and reducing the need for stored fresh water within the polder to finish the crop off) and the risk of soil salinization increases later in the season once the rivers become saline. Polder 43/2/5 (rice variety evaluation; rice-rice-rice and rice-rice-rabi systems) Eleven varieties were tested using three sowing dates (24 June, 15 July, and 6 August) (target transplanting dates of 15 July, 6 August, 27 August; actual transplanting 15 July, 23 August, and 9 September). Here also, transplanting was delayed due to deep flooding caused by heavy rainfall, especially the second transplanting when seedling age was 39 days. The main reason was flooding due to heavy rainfall. The seedlings sown on 15 July were completely submerged but recovered after flood recession; hence, transplanting was delayed from 6 to 23 August. We also had to delay the seedbed for the third date and to reschedule sowing seeds for the third seeding date from 6 to 16 August.
As on polder 30, sites for aman-rabi and aman-boro cropping systems were successfully established according to plan. For aman-rabi, two varieties (BRRI dhan33 and BRRI dhan53) of similar growth duration were used and the sowing and transplanting dates were 6 and 29 August, respectively. For aman-boro, the variety was BRRI dhan54 and the sowing and transplanting dates were 25 July and 18 August, respectively. * On-farm sites established for T. aman-rabi trials (drainage management rabi species rabi crop management) on polders 43/2/F and 30. * On-farm sites established for T. aman-boro demonstrations (time of boro plantingto demonstrate the possibility of early boro establishment to reduce the need for stored fresh water to finish the crop) on polders 43/2/F and 30. * On-farm site established for rice/aquaculture systems in polder 3.
1.2
Bottlenecks
Please describe any process and research bottlenecks (and how they were / are being addressed)
* Lack of funds from CPWF to date has impeded the ability of IRRI NARES partners to fully implement planned activities for the 2011 aman crop. * Delay in finalizing LoA between IRRI and WorldFish has slowed process of recruitment of WFC staff and activities of BFRI and CIBA to some extent. * Heavy rain and a lot of flooding in the delta this year resulted in delays in transplanting of some trials (i.e., transplanting using older seedlings than the target age, 21 days, and we were able to implement only one of the three target transplanting dates on polder 30 because of the deep flooding.
1.3
Please share your main insights and lessons learned during the inception period
The complexity of the environments we are working in. Rather than simple low, medium, and high salinity environments, we are dealing with salinity and flooding conditions within polders that vary considerably across the polders, and between seasons and years. These are greatly affected by varying topography. On top of varied and sometimes complex social and economic circumstances of households, the environment clearly represents a significant challenge to the development of cropping system recommendations, and requires more dynamic and flexible solutions. Huge amounts of flooding during the rainy season in 2011 on the polders due to 1. Lack of management (poor management) of sluices and flushing gatesletting water in when there was already too much water there, not taking advantage of opportunities to drain excess water. 2. Lack of infrastructure separating low and high lands. 3. Damaged or missing infrastructure (embankments, sluice gates).
1.4
Partnerships
Please describe partnerships entered into and their relevance to project and BDC goals
WFC Providing expertise and being actively involved in aquaculture and homestead production system activities; they are essential to the development and evaluation of improved aquaculture management for brackish-water and freshwater systems, including rice + aquaculture, rice in rotation with brackish-water aquaculture, brackish-water aquaculture throughout the year, and homestead ponds. WFC is in charge of the administration/progress monitoring of all aquatic and homestead production system activities. BRRI Responsible for carrying out all the rice varietal evaluation work in Bangladesh; essential for the identification of improved varieties for the different water conditions across the coastal zone, including varieties with short duration that will allow cropping system intensification. Critical partner in the design and evaluation of intensive triple-rice and rice-rice-rabi cropping systems on-farm and onstation (BRRI experimental stations). BRAC Experience and expertise in the production of high-value rabi crops, and in cropping system intensification (triple rice, rice-rice-rabi) in Barisal, and staff are locally based and able to play an important role in the on-farm work on polder 43/2/F (which is somewhat remote from the BRRI experimental station). CSSRI Responsible for all the rice varietal evaluation and cropping systems work in West Bengal. BFRI Under subcontract with WFC, will be actively involved in aquaculture research activities, starting in the winter season 2011-12. CIBA Under subcontract with WFC, will lead the aquaculture research in the brackish-water part of the Ganges delta in India. It is expected that CIBA will also play a role in outreach to policymakers and development actors within India to facilitate uptake of research, and achievement of BDC goals within India.
1.5
Other feedback
* The willingness and ability of BRRI and BRAC to forge ahead with substantial parts of the 2011 aman activities despite a lack of CPWF funding to date, by borrowing from other resources. * The excitement of the farmers at our site on polder 3 (land has been used only for shrimp culture in recent years because of low rain and thus salinity) when they saw the excellent growth of the plants in the seedling nursery for the rice variety evaluation trials for planting in two ghers (one with farmer drainage management and one with improved drainage management).
* G2 has put considerable time and energy into trying to help the basin leader as he is on a very steep learning curve and there doesnt seem to be anyone else at WFC able to provide the needed input. * The lack of progress in forming a GBDC Advisory Committee is disappointing and a concernit should have been formed a couple of months ago with input from all the Gs; we should have been having our first meeting with them immediately after the Inception Workshop, to familiarize them with our thoughts and plans, to get their feedback and suggestions and relevant updates, and to try to start developing a good relationship and ownership.
2.

Where to find it Updated and / or annexed?
Documents required to finalize contracting requirements and for next tranche payment
Annex 1 to this report
No change, attached Updated and attached Updated Updated Updated Updated Updated No changes
Annex 2 to this report Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto

Updated outcome logic model Milestone plan developed for the duration of the project with particular emphasis on the next year) Baseline plan, outcome targets and outcome indicators for projects main two outcomes Updated Gantt Chart Updated budget worksheets (CPWF will not increase your budget; all changes beyond moving 5k must explained and justified as comments in the respective budget worksheets and in the financial report below) 3. Signed MOUs corresponding to your proposal 4. Third-Party Intellectual asset audit
All attached Attached
3.
Needs from the CPWF
Is there anything that the CPWF can help you with at this point in the project? Please specify where you think the help should come (e.g., from Basin Leader, Coordination Project, CPWF KM team, CPWF Research team, TWGs) The aquaculture team would appreciate a closer interaction with the TWG on resilience. Our research and analysis of farming systems require more thought around resilience, and some dialogue with the TWG on resilience might be helpful to develop practical indicators we could use.
The project has underspent against the budget because: -Official project start was unrealistic (1 Apr 2011) but it needed to be dated as such then, because of the CPWF timeline; it took time to develop LoAs and recruit staff -The project did not receive funds from CPWF during this period, and thus could not transfer funds to partners -Inability to implement everything planned for the first 6 months for the above stated reasons
5. Annexes
Annex 1: Updated Project Proposal Annex 2: Updated Workbook and Worksheets Annex 3: MOUs signed with project partners Annex 4: Third Party Intellectual Audit

Project Title: Water governance and community-based management
Project Number: G3
Project Leader: Dr. Aditi Mukherji, IWMI, New Delhi

Date: 11/15/2011
Guidance
Throughout this template, there are links to relevant sections in the on-line CPWF M&E Guide, CPWF Handbook and CPWF Standard Clauses and Procedures that provide guidance, templates and examples. Submit the report to your Basin Leader (or MT lead in the case of the coordination project) by e-mail. In addition to this report, your project must send (i) a six-monthly statement of project receipts and expenditures and (ii) an invoice for the payment of the next tranche directly to the CPWF Secretariat (m.abeyesekere@cgiar.org). See Standard Clause 8.06 for more information.
1.
1.1

Achievements
Please describe your major research and process achievements (and how they contribute to the project and BDC)
The G3 team undertook a joint fieldwork with other Gs from May 23rd to May 31st 2011. Based on this exploratory fieldwork in 6 BWDB polders and 5 LGED sub-projects, G3 decided to broaden the scope of their study by including LGED sub-polders. This also meant that we will now compare organizational approaches that BWDB and LGED takes towards community participation and what one can learn from the other. This is a slight departure from our original research plan which was to study farmers initiatives in fostering community management. We will now extend our research portfolio to also understand how organizational structures and attitudes of implementing agencies enable or constrain communities from fostering community based organizations. For this purpose, we will now do our fieldwork in 5 BWDB polders and 4 LGED sub-projects. In terms of research, the following progress has been made so far: 1. Selection of BWDB and LGED sub-projects for fieldwork 2. Initial field visits in May-June 2011 and then again in July-August for understanding issues prior to formulation of questionnaires and focus group discussions. 3. Checklists and open ended questionnaires have been developed for interviewing community members, WMA/WMCA members and LCS members. 4. These checklists have been pre-tested in Polder 20 and in Bagachra Badurgacha sub-project in October 2011. Fieldwork will commence in November 2011. 5. We have received base maps of BWDB polders from IWM and the first step will be participatory mapping exercise. We expect the 1st Phase of exploratory fieldwork will be finished by March 2012. In terms of processes, the following progress has been made so far: 1. Signing of MOU with Socioconsult Ltd. and with IWM 2. Ongoing discussions with BWDB, LGED and BAU for signing of MOU and delineation of tasks and responsibilities. 3. IWMI has hired a consultant (Ms. Camelia Dewan) who will be based at World Fish Centre and work closely with our partners. She will lead qualitative aspects of our work. 4. IWMI is also in the process of hiring another consultant who is trained in econometrics and will lead the quantitative aspects of our work.
1.2
Bottlenecks
- Selected polders and sub-projects are not fully accessible yet; village roads and embankments are still wet and muddy due to rain this week. So this may delay fieldwork somewhat. - Socio-consult is finding it difficult to receive funding from IWMI Colombo because of introduction value added tax (VAT) on remittance by bank at very high rate; this was not foreseen when the budget was prepared. Deduction of VAT could be avoided if the payment could be made from local bank account. IWMI needs to explore this option with its own Finance Department. - Since IWMI does not have an office in Bangladesh, hiring appropriate staff has been difficult. We have now hired one consultant and will hire another in a months time. These two consultants will undertake research and provide day to day support to our partners. The PL, who is based in New Delhi will undertake periodic (6 monthly) visit to Bangladesh and provide overall intellectual leadership to the project.
1.3
For successful community management of coastal polders in Bangladesh, it is not enough to organize and train communities, but it is also necessary to bring about an organizational change in implementing agencies themselves.
1.4
Partnerships
- Socio-consult Ltd. They are our main partners and will undertake most of the fieldwork under close supervision of IWMI scientist. They have experience of working in BWDB polders and implemented IPSWAM project. -IWM will provide us with GIS maps and help us with participatory mapping exercises. - We are currently discussing with Bangladesh Agricultural University regarding role of students and will finalize a MOU with them by October 2011. This will provide the capacity building component.
1.5
Other feedback
- A very positive aspect of the project was the joint fieldwork by all Gs in May-June 2011. - A consultative group that meets twice a year to take stock of progress will be helpful. - There should be a monthly online meeting where all PLs (especially those based outside Bangladesh) can take stock and discuss issues. The present model of monthly meetings does not keep PL based outside the country in loop.
2.
Please fill out the checklist below and append the Annexes indicated to the report. Please refer to Standard Clauses and Procedures 3.02 and 3.03 for further information
Where to find it
Updated and / or annexed? Yes
Annex 2 to this report Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Yes Yes No changes No changes No changes Yes

Updated outcome logic model Milestone plan developed for the duration of the project with particular emphasis on the next year) Baseline plan, outcome targets and outcome indicators for projects main two outcomes Updated Gantt Chart Updated budget worksheets (CPWF will not increase your budget; all changes beyond moving 5k must explained and justified as comments in the respective budget worksheets and in the financial report below) 3. Signed MOUs corresponding to your proposal 4. Third Party Intellectual asset audit
Yes Not relevant at this point
3.
Needs from the CPWF
Is there anything that the CPWF can help you with at this point in the project? Please specify where you think the help should come (e.g., from Basin Leader, Coordination Project, CPWF KM team, CPWF Research team, TWGs) - From Basin leader/Coordination Project: Make sure that PLs who are based outside Bangladesh are able to participate in monthly meetings.
4.
Please note that the summary report below requires sign off by the Lead Institutions chief financial officer. Financial reporting requirements are described in detail in Standard Clause 8.06. This summary report is required in addition to a six-monthly statement of project receipts and expenditures (see Guidance note above). 4.1 Summary financial report
Please fill in the table below to report on project cash flow to date
Inception Report
Progress Report
1 Annual Report
2 Annual Report US$
Progress Report
US$
US$
US$
US$
Progress Report US$
US$
52
4 5
52
(52)
15
Please note that IWMI has agreed to pre-finance the 1st disbursement of USD 238,839 Instructions to fill the table by row:
1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
Insert the value of funds CPWF provided against your charge code/ project code during the period of your report. Insert the value of funds received to date by summing all amounts in line 1. Insert the value of all funds that have been transferred out of your charge code/project code during the report period. Your financial management system, or accountant, should be able to provide you with this figure. (See separate note on commitments) Insert the value of funds spent to date by adding this reporting period to the previous accumulative total. Insert the value of unspent funds that you are holding in your charge code/project code Of the balance you are holding in your charge code/project code, state what how much has been committed and provide an explanation below. This is also important, because we may hold back funds from your next tranche payment if it looks as though you are holding substantial unallocated funds.
See attached report for details on commitments
The project has under spent so far, but that is because fieldwork is yet to commence and once that happens in November 2011, project spending will pick up. In addition, the project is hiring a number of consultants who will work on specific topics and contribute to the project deliverables. We have also advertised for a post doc position who will spend 50% time on this project. Advertisement is already out and we hope to get good candidates and complete the hiring process by January 2012. In addition, once our MOUs are signed with 3 remaining partners, we will make advance payment to them. It is hoped that we will be able to spend 75% of our first years budget by December 2011, while the rest will be carried over to the next year.
No
Not at this point.
5. Annexes
Annex 1: Updated Project Proposal plus a cover note Annex 2: Updated Workbook and Worksheets Annex 3: MOUs signed with project partners Annex 4: Third Party Intellectual Audit
Annex 5: Full financial report (in excel)

Project Title: Assessment of the impact of anticipated external drivers of change on water resources of the coastal zone
Project Number: G4
Project Leader: Zahir-ul Haque Khan

Date: 11, 03, 2011
1.
1.1

Achievements
G4 has considerable achievements in the inception phase of the project: (1) MoU with the Partners: IWM has signed contracts with the partner institutions: IWMI, IWFM-BUET and BWDB. Professionals of the partner institutions are actively involved in project activities such as methodology development, field visits, data collection, preparation of reports and participation in workshops. (2) Selection of the Study Area: G4 has selected the study area which includes the coastal zone of Ganges delta in Bangladesh for analysis of flooding, storm surge and salinity. The detailed analysis on salinity, water availability, storage capacity of drainage khals in the polders, storm surge and drainage congestion will be carried out for specific polders (No. 3, 30 & 43/2F). The study area is shown in Figure 1.
30 3
43/2F
Figure 1: Study area map of G4 (The selected polders are shown in yellow) (3) Identification of External Drivers: In light of past projects and researches and through discussions and interactions with the partners a questionnaire for identification of the external drivers has been prepared. The questionnaire has been circulated among experts, stakeholders and peers. The preliminary results of the questionnaire survey show that population growth is the major external driver that affects water resources in the region. Climate change induced sea level rise, change in water management practices, water sharing practices between riparian countries and water
infrastructure development have been identified as other key drivers. Identification of these key external drivers of change is very important for achieving the project goals since the main objective of G4 is to assess the effect of these drivers on water resources in the coastal Ganges basin. (4) Community Consultation: A field visit was conducted in Polder 30 and Polder 3 from 17 to 19 September, 2011 by the members of component G4. The objective of the visit was to conduct community consultation primarily with the farmers and fishermen through Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Key Informant Interview (KII) and other participatory tools to assess the important issues in water resources management and to identify the anticipated external drivers of change. Group discussions and interviews indicate that drainage congestion, polder overtopping (during spring tide) and breaching, availability of fresh water during the dry period, salinity intrusion, absence of an effective institutional arrangement for water management, conflict between gher owners and farmers, pricing and distribution of fertilizers and depletion of natural fish are the major problems in the area. Other observations indicate that population growth, encroachment of drainage canals, leasing of the khals, reduction in freshwater flow due to upstream interventions, sedimentation of river beds, destruction of natural fish habitats have caused these problems. These findings along with those from the questionnaire survey will enable G4 to identify and prioritize external drivers of change.
Figure 2: Focus Group Discussions in polder 30 and 3
(5) Survey and Data Collection: A comprehensive plan has been prepared for surveying the existing polders, regulators, land level, land use, khal cross-sections, water level, water flow and salinity in the selected polders (No. 3, 30 & 43/2F). The survey team has started primary data collection at six water flow stations, twelve water level stations and fifteen salinity stations in addition to collection of data on cross-sections of khals and embankments, topography, land-use, regulators and unauthorized structures. Some sample plots of these data are shown in Figure 3. From the figures it is evident that river salinity drops considerably during June/July which is suitable for agriculture.
Figure 3: Measured salinity in rivers near polder 3 and 30 This survey will enable G4 modeling team to setup a detailed model of the selected polders. Moreover, G4 has also started data collection from secondary sources. These primary and secondary data will be used for establishment of baseline condition, and development and calibration of the models.
1.2
Bottlenecks
The main challenge of the project is to make available water resources data, land use and demographic data from the Indian part of the Ganges basin as well as to know the future water resources plan. It is immensely difficult to assess the effects in the study area due to the changes of the external drivers in the upstream basin. However, the published data for the Indian part will be used to assess effect of changes in the upstream basin. IWMI, a partner of G4, will provide available data on water flow, rainfall, water-use, land-use, population, water plans and policies in the upstream region of the Ganges basin in present and future condition. Moreover, a relevant consultant will be appointed for the purpose.
1.3
Introduction With increasing pressure from population growth, industrialization and in a changing climate, it is more important than ever to assess the availability and productivity of water for agriculture and aquaculture system in Bangladesh, especially in the Ganges basin since this basin is the area of multiple problems and opportunities. The quantity of freshwater available is likely to decrease due to a combination of external drivers, including population increase, water pollution, inadequate planning and management of transboundary waters, climate change and inefficient operation of water management projects. Consequently, there is an increasing potential for water scarcity, crisis and associated conflicts in the future. It is also imperative that precious and vulnerable locations increase their resilience to changing conditions.
Methodology Selection of External Drivers: The problems related to water crisis and conflicts are numerous, complicated and challenging. Efforts to effectively resolve these problems require a clear vision of the future water availability and demand as well as new ways of thinking, developing and implementing water planning and management practices. The hydrologic system in the coastal regions of Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to the impact of external drivers. The performance of the system varies seasonally, annually and especially during the occurrence of extreme events. The project is developing a comprehensive list of external drivers based on past researches, literature review, and interaction with the peers and major stakeholders. The external drivers will be identified and prioritized through a questionnaire survey among the experts, stakeholders and peer groups. The questionnaire will be developed based on literature review and preliminary field information. Survey results will be triangulated with information obtained from the selected study areas through community consultation and key informant interviews. Modeling: The present research program attempts to offer a comprehensive account of the above issues and also to achieve the stipulated outcomes to contribute to GBDC. The effects of anticipated changes due to external drivers on flooding, submergence, sedimentation, salinity intrusion and water availability in the different polders of the coastal zone are going to be assessed using available water flow, salinity models based on MIKE series. The effect of storm surges of varying intensities and frequencies on polder overtopping and inundation will be assessed using the Bay of Bengal model based on MIKE 21. These models will be utilized to simulate the baseline and projected conditions in 2020, 2030 and 2050. The study will be conducted at the regional level for the coastal regions of Bangladesh as well as in three selected polders (Polder No.3, 30 & 43/2f. Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) models will be used for assessing the impacts of land-use changes on flow. Approach and Techniques: It is now well recognized that the existing adaptation strategies are inadequate to cope up with the enhanced magnitude and increased frequency of the impacts of the anticipated changes. Based on the resilience and the anticipated impacts different adaptation strategies will be devised such as improvement of drainage canals, operation of sluices, strengthening of embankments, dredging, and restoration of dry season freshwater flow for flushing salinity as well as restoration of the ecosystem. Specific adaptation strategies for choice and selection of the crops/aquaculture during different seasons and their salinity and submergence tolerance will be developed in consultation with G2. Collaboration will be developed with G3 and G5 projects for information on community/ institutional management of the resources and the operation of the water infrastructure and its governance at the polder level. For establishing future projections of climate change statistical downscaling will be applied. Statistical downscaling, on the other hand, provides an easy to apply and much rapid method for developing high resolution climate change surfaces for high resolution regional climate change impact assessment studies. Statistical downscaling is analogous to the model output statistics (MOS) and perfect prog approaches used for shortrange numerical weather prediction. Figure 1 shows a schematic illustrating the general approach to downscaling. In situations where lowcost, rapid assessments of localized climate change impacts are required, statistical downscaling (currently) represents the more promising option. In this context, statistical downscaling will be conducted in this study to developed climate change scenarios.
Figure 4: A schematic illustrating the general approach to downscaling. Currently, more than a dozen centers around the world develop climate models to enhance our understanding of climate and climate change and to support the IPCC activities (IPCC, 2001, 2007). There are marked differences between different models, based on the selection of numerical methods employed, the spatial resolution of the simulation, and the subgrid-scale parameters (IPCC, 2001 2007; Govindan et al., 2002), and due to that, any researcher would desire to use all climate models and assess uncertainties rather than selecting a subset of GCMs. It is essential to generate climate change information for the study area using a number of GCMs and using a number of driving SRES scenarios. Among the 24GCMs, sever of GCMs are widely used for impact studies which are listed in Table-1 will be used for this study. Two extreme scenarios (A2 and B2) and one moderate scenario A1B will be used to develop climatic information for the study area. Table 1: List of GCMs and principal characteristic Model CCCMA-CGCM3.1 (T47) CSIRO-Mk3.0 IPSL-CM4 MPI-ECHAM5 NCAR-CCSM3.0 Country Canada Australia France Germany USA Resolution T47 (3.75x3.75), L31 T63, L18 2.5x3.75, L19 T63, L32 T85L26, Reference Scinocca et al. (2008 ) Gordon et al. (2002 ) Marti et al. (2005 ) Jungclaus et al. (2005 ) Collins et al. (2005 )
UKMO-HADCM3
UK
3.75x2.5, L19
Gordon et al. (2002 )
Climate change scenarios will be generated for 25km spatial gird for the following 4 climatic variables1. Annual maximum temperature 2. Annual mean temperature 3. Annual minimum temperature 4. Annual total precipitation Using the full present day (20C3M) monthly time series, 30 year running means around 1985 (1961-1990) will be calculated as a baseline, for each of the GCMs and the 4 variables of interest. Then 30 year running means were calculated for each of the emission scenarios and for the four periods, so that the complete time series were reduced to 4 different 30 year averaged periods, as follows: 1. 1961-1990: The baseline climate, also referred as current climates 2. 2010-2039, referred as 2020s 3. 2040-2069, referred as 2050s 4. 2070-2099, referred as 2080s This mean monthly present day and future climate changes will be used for further impact study. G4 researchers will employ Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to assess the water balances at different reaches of the catchment and generate scenarios on the impact of future land use changes. SWAT is a process-based continuous hydrological model that predicts the impact of land management practices on water, sediment and agricultural chemical yields in complex watersheds with varying soils, land use and management conditions. The hydrological cycle as simulated by SWAT is based on the water balance equation:
where SWt is the final soil water content (mm); SWo is the initial soil water content (mm); T is time (days); Rday is the amount of precipitation on day i (mm); Qsurf is the amount of surface runoff on day i (mm); Ea is the amount of evapotranspiration on day i (mm); Wseep is the amount of percolation on day i (mm); and Qgw is the amount of return flow on day i (mm). IWMI already has some previous experiences in modeling some of the sub-basin in Ganges: Gorai sub-basin in Bangladesh (in the area of interest of the Project), Upper-Ganga sub-basin in India and Koshi sub-basin in Nepal. In case of the good data availability for calibration and validation, we may set up the model for the entire sub-basin so as to work out the cross-boundary flow regimes etc. In the more realistic scenario, we may model only the GDA area in Bangladesh or the Gorai sub-basin in Bangladesh (the area of interest for the Project). IWMI will greatly count on IWM for having access to the data through its own database and those available through the project partners (BWDB, BUET). This study assesses how demographic changes and economic growth influence food demand, land use patterns and water demand at the sub-national level in Bangladesh. It is well established that demographic changes and economic growth are two major drivers of changing food consumption patterns (Blisard et al 2001, Abdulai and Sharma 1999). And the resulting food demand combined with the goals of food and livelihood securities are then major drivers of land use patterns and water demand.
In Bangladesh, food grains provided 83% of the daily calorie supply per person in 2007, compared to 85% in 1990. With low base of calorie intake, the consumption and the calorie supply of food grains themselves have been increasing, at about 0.6% annually since mid 1970ss. But, the consumption of fruits and vegetables and animal products are growing at 3.9 and 0.8% and 1.1% annually and the consumption of milk is growing at 1.1% respectively. How will economic and population growth will influence these key food demand indicators in the country in general and sub-national level in particular are important for water futures assessment. The output shall provide: a brief overview of the study area, the analytical framework and the data, the spatial and temporal variation of food and water consumption patterns, food and consumptive water use projection ate the district level and the implications of changing demand on the water supply of the coastal districts of Bangladesh.
Nutritional intake (calorie supply) from food grains, non-food grain cops and animal products
Economic growth/ income increase and demographic change
Projections of calorie supply from food grains, non-grain crops and animal products
Composition of food grains, non-foodgrain crops and animal products consumption
Economic growth/ income increase and demographic change
Projections of consumption of food grains, non-grain crops and animal products
Current land and use consumptive water use of food grains and non-food grain crops
Marginal increase in land and water productivity
Projections of land use and consumptive water demand
Comparison with water availability at sub national level Figure 5. Framework for assessing consumptive water use demand
First, the current spatial patterns of nutritional (calorie) intake from food grains, non-food grains and animal products are assessed. Their linkages with demographic and income patterns are examined using a simultaneous equation econometric model (equation 1-3). Next based on future growth of population and income and elasticity estimates of equation (1-3), future intake of calorie supply from food grains, non-food grains and animal products are projected.
Where Cal_fg, Cal_nfg, Cal_ap are per capita calorie supply from food grains, non-food grains and animal products respectively; Gdp and % Rpop are Gross domestic product per person and percentage of rural population; p_fg, p_nfg, p_ap are the price indices of foodgrain, non-foodgrain and animal products; and subscripts i and t varies over districts and time. Second, the current composition of consumption in food grains, non-foodgrain crops and animal products are assessed (equation 4-6). These then combined with economic and population growth and future calorie intakes would project the quantity of foodgrain and other crops demand.
Where Con_fgcr, Con_nfgcr, Con_ap are the per capita consumption of food grain, crops, non-food grain crops, and animal products. The subscripts I, j, t vary over districts, crops or animal products, and time. Lessons Learned During inception phase lessons learning are quite exciting and useful for the project activities. It is learned that only one crop i.e. transplanted aman was grown in the pre-polder conditions and in the post-polder conditions rabi crops like vegetable, oilseeds and boro (limited area) are grown along with aman crops. The water-logging problem is severe in the polders and reduces the crop production about 10-12 kg per 50 decimal. The land level inside the polder has been and continues to decrease due to subsidence. Rivers and canals are silting up, regulator for water management are inadequate. During normal high tide water level reaches the embankment crest level and polders are over topped during cyclonic surges. River sedimentation is significant and likely to increase in future. Water requirement is different at different area of the polder that needs water management through sub-polder system for high and low land. Currently river water becomes saline in November which was the case in December in few years back. During rabi season about 8000 ha of land remains fallow in this region. Conflicts appear to exist between more influential gher owners and farmers regarding water and land management. There is a lack of effective institutional arrangement that can address water requirement for both agriculture and ghers.
1.4
Partnerships
Lead Institution: Institute of Water Modeling (IWM)
Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) provides worldclass services in the field of Water Modelling, Computational Hydraulics & Allied Sciences for improved Integrated Water Resources Management. It is a unique organization in the region having sustainable technological capability in developing mathematical models that cover a wide range of water related aspects such as: irrigation and drainage management, water resources management, salinity intrusion, tidal river management, coast and estuary management, environmental impact assessment, Impact Assessment of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise on coastal environment and coastal infrastructure development, flooding, water-logging. IWM has been maintaining models for Bay of Bengal, regional models and Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna basin model since 1986. IWM will lead G4 in assessment of the impact of anticipated external drivers of change on water resources of the coastal zone of the Ganges delta. IWM will utilise its wide experience in the field of water resources and modelling technology to achieve the following milestones: Selection and finalisation of the key external drivers of change that influence water resources in the coastal region of the Ganges basin and scenario generation; Collection and analysis of required data from primary and secondary sources; Development, calibration and validation of GBM basin model, SWRM and BoB model; Assessment of water flow in baseline condition and for external drivers in coastal region of the Ganges river (southwest region of Bangladesh); Development and calibration of suitable models for assessing flooding, drainage congestion, water flow, salinity and storm surge; Generation of surface water salinity zoning map in coastal region of the Ganges river for baseline condition and external drivers (southwest region of Bangladesh); Generation of storm surge risk map in coastal region of the Ganges river for baseline condition and external drivers; Development, calibration and validation of detailed drainage and morphological model for polders 3,31, and 43/2F; Generation of inundation depth-duration map for the selected polders in baseline condition and for external drivers; Assessment of sedimentation pattern in the peripheral rivers and khals for selected polders in baseline condition; Devising improvement measures & adaptation plan in the coastal Ganges basin. Writing reports and participation in the workshops.
Partner Institution 1: International Water Management Institute (IWMI) The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has been a lead actor and a major player in water management research in the Indus-Ganges Basin, with the goal of contributing to the vision of A Food Secure World for All. IWMIs research is organized around four themes: Water Availability and Access; Productive Water Use; Water Quality, Health and Environment; and Water and Society. IWMI has implemented and contributed to successful projects including CPWF phase 1 projects. As per the milestone plan of the project, IWMIs contributions have been listed under: Calibrated and validated SWAT and WEAP models for Ganges basin covering India and Bangladesh; Estimate the effect of change and population growth on water resources; Assessed cross-boundary flow in the baseline condition and for external drivers.
IWMI will also assist IWM in Selection and finalisation of the key external drivers of change that influence water resources in the coastal region of the Ganges basin and scenario generation; Development of strategic water management plan for the coastal areas of Bangladesh (in view of the results, analysis of all the external drivers); Writing reports and participation in the workshops.
Partner Institution 2: Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM) The Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM) of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) is a premier institute for the advancement of knowledge and development of human resources in water and flood management. As the leading knowledge institute in the field of water resources in Bangladesh, IWFM-BUET will contribute in the following way: Providing a literature review report relevant to this project; Downscaling of climate change data from RCMs, projecting climate change condition for future scenarios and providing technical inputs regarding this data and its use within the project; Selection and finalisation of the key external drivers of change that influence water resources in the coastal region of the Ganges basin and scenario generation; Writing reports and participation in the workshops; Active participation in up scaling and downscaling of the research results and outputs.
Partner Institution 3: Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) BWDB, a government institution under the Ministry of Water Resources, is a major stakeholder for water management and governance in Bangladesh. BWDB has Knowledge on agriculture, water governance water and crop management, policies and strategies. As per the contract, BWDB will: Provide historical data on water flow, rainfall, water level, salinity data in the Ganges basin and ensure technical inputs and support regarding this data and its use within the project; Actively participate in selecting and finalizing external drivers of change that influences water resources in the coastal region of the Ganges basin; Prepare a plan for improvement of khal system, sluices and embankments; Actively participate in up scaling and downscaling of the research results and outputs.
1.5
Other feedback
The CPWF provides an innovative approach to carry out research projects. We find innovation in outcome logic model, Gantt chart and involvement of multi disciplines. GBDC research is outcome based and its success needs proper integration of all projects i.e. G1 to G5 as well as proper up-scaling and down-scaling. This project provides ample opportunities to interact with other experts in home and abroad and to share knowledge, experience and technologies.
The bi-monthly meeting is an effective tool to review the progress and sharing the information and data and methodology. It is also important to review the technical aspects of the works of all projects (G1-G4) in the perspective of GBDC outcomes and providing guidance to do it. To us the approach of this research is innovative, new, effective, and thought provoking and we expect support and guidance from CPWF.
2.

Where to find it Annex 1 to this report Updated and / or annexed? Yes, updated
Annex 2 to this report Ditto Ditto
Yes, updated

Updated outcome logic model
Yes, updated Yes, improved No No No Yes, updated
Milestone plan developed for the duration of the project with Ditto particular emphasis on the next year) Baseline plan, outcome targets and outcome indicators for projects main two outcomes Updated Gantt Chart Updated budget worksheets (CPWF will not increase your budget; all changes beyond moving 5k must explained and justified as comments in the respective budget worksheets and in the financial report below) 3. Signed MOUs corresponding to your proposal 4. Third Party Intellectual asset audit Ditto Ditto Ditto
No No
3.
Needs from the CPWF
4.
4.1
Summary financial report
Time4 2011
(From May 25 to Sep 30)
2011
2012
2012
2013
2013
Completion Report and Final Audit for project closure
Inception Report
Progress Report
1 Annual Report
2 Annual Report US$
Progress Report
US$
US$
US$
US$
Progress Report US$
US$
138,511
138,511
55,761
4 5
55,761
82,750
94,131
Explanation:
The expenditure has been calculated from May 25 to September 30, 2011. The MoUs with IWMI and IWFM-BUET have been signed recently. However, their payments due at the signing of MoUs have not been made yet since IWM is waiting for invoices from them. The potential expenditure for the months of October and November is listed below: Payment to IWFM-BUET: Payment to IWFM-BUET: Participation in IFWF3: Personnel remuneration and field visits: Total 12,040 USD 34,627 USD 11,250 USD 36,214 USD 94,131 USD
I certify that the summary financial report is correct Chief financial officer: Iftakher Ahmed Date: 20 Oct, 2011
IWMI IWFM-BUET
12,040 34,627
October, 2011 October, 2011
The expenditure is in line with the CPWF six-monthly payment. The financial aspects of the project did not and will not affect progress of the research activities.
The financial records of the project receipts and expenditures are being maintained. We would like to seek advice from CPWF for keeping the financial records.
5. Annexes
Annexes as separate attachments to the main report

Project Title: Coordination and Change Enabling Project 5: Increasing the Resilience of Agricultural and Aquaculture Systems in the Coastal Areas of the Ganges Delta
Project Number:
G5 (BA3797CWF)
Project Leader:
Dr. Nowsher Ali Sarder
Date: 10- 20- 2011
Guidance
Throughout this template, there are links to relevant sections in the on-line CPWF M&E Guide, CPWF Handbook and CPWF Standard Clauses and Procedures that provide guidance, templates and examples. Submit the report to your Basin Leader (or MT lead in the case of the coordination project) by e-mail. In addition to this report, your project must send (i) a six-monthly statement of project receipts and expenditures and (ii) an invoice for the payment of the next tranche directly to the CPWF Secretariat (m.abeyesekere@cgiar.org). See Standard Clause 8.06 for more information.
1.
1.1

Achievements
Please describe your major research and process achievements (and how they contribute to the project and BDC) (suggest to follow the points in the Gantt chart which also needs to be modified)
Preamble The goal of the Ganges Basin Development Challenge (BDC) is to reduce poverty, improve food security and strengthen livelihood resilience in coastal areas through improved water governance and management, and more productive and diversified farm systems. More specifically, the objective of the program is to improve resource productivity and increase resilience of agriculture and aquaculture systems in brackish-water coastal areas of the Ganges. Project G5 of the BDC will fill the role of coordination and change-enabling in this program to enhance impacts in Bangladesh and India through facilitation of stakeholder participation, policy dialogue and effective coordination among collaborating Government, NGO, CGIAR and donor-sponsored projects and programs. The two major inter-related activities will be done in coordination with our partners in Projects G1-G4 and enabling change. Project Management LOA with BRAC The BDC G5 project has signed a letter of agreement (LOA) with BRAC as per the project proposal. The LOA was finalized in mid October, 2011. Through this agreement, BRAC agrees to scale out/up the research outputs of the Ganges projects. Capacity building of development actors is expected to be carried out by BRAC. Details of the LOA are shown in Annex 3. Staff Recruitment The Basin Leader of the G5 project was recruited and subsequently began work during the first week of July, 2011. The former Communication Coordinator joined the project in June 2011, but left in August 2011. The current Communication Coordinator joined in September 2011. The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist joined the project in September 2011. All recruitment followed standard policy of the WorldFish Center. The
recruitment of two research assistants is in progress and they are expected to join the project by November 2011. Arrangements have been made to recruit necessary and appropriate consultants as per project workbook. One short-term consultant has joined G5 to assist with management issues and another part-time contract has been awarded to a policy consultant who will shortly provide input. A gender consultant was also contracted during mid-October 2011 to write a gender strategy document. Launching workshop The G5 project organized a launch workshop from 01-02 June 2011. The workshop included delegates from CPWF, IRRI, IWMI, IWM, CSSRI, BFRI, BARI, BRRI, BWDB, LGED and other national organizations. The inaugural session of the workshop was chaired by the Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) and attended by the Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock as Chief Guest. The technical session on the first day began with a presentation by Dr. Boru Douthwaite, who introduced CPWF to the audience with the programs history (Phase I), how Phase II was conceptualized and implemented; and the future direction (Phase III) of the program in coastal livelihood development, showing the linkages of the present CPWF programs with the CRPs of the CGIAR in relation to their global perspectives. The mission and vision of the Ganges BDC was presented by Mr. William Collis, who elaborated the methods of up-scaling research results by using partnerships and by developing linkage with CSISA, GAFSP, GoB Master Plan for the southern delta and other stakeholders. All Ganges projects (G1-G5) presented their objectives, methodologies and projected outcomes as per the plan formulated in the January 2011 workshop. The second day of the workshop started with a presentation on CSISAs activities in Bangladesh by the IRRI representative in Bangladesh, Dr. Z. Abedin. Dr. Z. Karim, the former Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock presented a paper on the Master Plan for Agriculture Development in the Southern Delta. Highlights and insights of their project on the global agriculture and food security program of Bangladesh were presented by a representative of the World Bank. Workshop participants focused on the following issues: Improving water management in the southern coast to reduce salinity and water congestion Ensuring institutional strength and harmonization for improved food production and livelihood development in the coast and the country as a whole Partnering CPWF with CSISA, which has hubs in the southern part of the country Using information generated by CPWF to develop a strategic master plan for 2.8 million ha of saline-affected lands in the south Developing water management structures in the southern coast via greater investment by the World Bank
IFWF3 Forum The Ganges BDC will participate in the IFWF3 Forum to be held in Tshwane, South Africa from 14-17 November 2011. G5 is coordinating participation in the forum of a group of 25 government and non-government officials. The Ganges BDC will present 9 abstracts at the Ganges session of the forum, present two stories and attend a share fair session.
Organizing the inception workshop The coordination project will organize the inception workshop of the Ganges BDC from 31 Oct through 01 November, 2011 in Dhaka. Approximately 50 participants from the BDC projects and partners will attend the events. A senior member of the Planning Commission of the Bangladesh Government and the executive chairman of the BARC the apex coordinating body for NARS (National Agricultural Research Systems)will attend. The Directors General of BARI and BRRI are also expected to attend the startup session of the event. All projects are expected to present inception reports.
Organizing a training course on Theory of Change The project is organizing a two day training course on the theory of change to be conducted by Boru Douthwaite, the Innovation and Impact Director of CPWF, and his team. There will be 25 participants, mostly from CSISA and CPWF. The training will target capacity-building of project officials in respect to monitoring and evaluation of project deliverables and management of development projects. The training course is scheduled for 29-30 October, 2011, in the Lake Castle Hotel in Dhaka. Adaptive management System The adaptive management system is being formulated through the recruitment of senior project officials and the establishment of communication systems between BDC project leaders and Basin Leaders of the CPWF. Regular exchange of information has been established between the coordination project (G5) and the other BDC projects. The coordination project has begun collection of the six month plans of all BDC projects and their periodic progress reports. Key players in G5 have made regular field visits to observe the activities of G3 and G2. The Basin Leader has visited the project sites twice. Plans have been made to collect the key findings, success stories and lessons learned from BDC projects. Materials (findings and stories) are regularly fed to the CPWF ELetter. Arrangements are being made to extract the most adopted and best-performing technologies and production systems with a view to link up with national development pathways such as DAE, DoF and other Government and non-Government organizations. Local opportunities and local indigenous knowledge are being screened out in order to make wider extrapolation to similar agro-ecological zones using the partners of BDC projects. Sharing of information and reports: In the meantime, regular meetings of representatives of G1-G4 BDC projects have been established to ensure sharing of knowledge and views. The G5 has coordinated the participation of G1-G4 representatives to the IFWF3 to be held in South Africa in November, 2011, and assisted with the submission of the Ganges abstracts to that forums organizers. Monitoring and Evaluation: The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of G5 joined the project on 22 September. He has reviewed all project documents and is participating in the recruitment of two research assistants who will collect field data. The G5 M&E plan is under preparation. An M&E specialist is designing monitoring tools for the collection of information on expected outcomes such as knowledge, attitude, skills, production, adoption and income.
Bi-Monthly Meeting: G5 instituted bi-monthly meetings immediately after launching the workshop in July, 2011. The first meeting was well-represented by G1-G4. A second meeting, held in September, 2011, was attended by representatives from all G projects and chaired by the Director of the WorldFish Center. The major objectives were to share the progress of field activities and plan the rest of the years activities for all projects. A proposal was made to synchronize the research activities of the Ganges BDC and share in the resolution of bottlenecks to the implementation of field operations. The two bi-monthly meetings have focused mainly on completing agreements with project partners, organizing the inception event and attending the IFWF3 forum. These meetings also provide an opportunity to discuss common development issues in the Ganges BDC. Gender Strategy One consultant has been recruited to develop a gender strategy that will be shared with other Basins. Communication Establishment of Ganges wiki part of communications The Ganges BDC established its own wikispace: (http://ganges-bdc.wikispaces.com/) in June, 2011. All project leaders have the address of the site and have been requested to send project materials to be posted there. All projects (G1-G4) are able to upload their communication materials to the wikispace. All project proposals and presentations made during launching workshops of G1 to G5 are available on the Ganges wiki. Provision has been made for posting project data, reports, field visit reports and any other important communication materials. The minutes of bi-monthly coordination meetings are also available at the wiki site. Improvement and operating of wiki is an on-going activity of the coordination project of the Ganges BDC. Attend CPWF Phase 1 Repackaging Workshop The CGIAR Challenge Program for Water and Food (CPWF) Phase 1 ran from 2004 to 2009 and encompassed 68 projects working in 10 river basins: the Andes, the Limpopo, Niger, Nile and Volta, the Indo-Ganges, Karkheh, Mekong, and Yellow River. A workshop to repackage/ review a series of complementary materials from various sectors was attended by the Communication Coordinator of G-5. Preparation of Brochure on Ganges BDC A brochure on the Ganges BDC is under preparation. The communication coordinator has developed the contents and design of the leaflet. A draft is to be shared with other BDC projects during the inception workshop and it is expected that the document will be ready for circulation to users by November 2011. Communication Strategy The communication strategy for the Ganges BDC is being prepared by the Communication Coordinator. A draft outline of the strategy has been prepared and will be presented in the inception workshop for feedback. Preparation and development of a communication strategy is an on-going activity of G5 and will be completed by June, 2012. Innovation Research
The G5 project has prepared one research proposal on farmers innovation practice which will be submitted to the TWG for the next tranche of bidding in May 2012. Policy product and processes (Output 4 and 5) The G5 project has hired senior consultants for crop science and aquaculture. Both consultants are presently meeting with leading crop and fish research and extension organizations in the country in order to have solid policy planning documents for Ganges BDC oversight of policy dialogue and any policy changes that might be needed in the near future. The Ganges BDC project research outputs will be linked to development outcomes in consultation with partners and development actors. An apex committee of representatives from all development agencies will be formed to coordinate and implement policy. Advisory Committee The Basin Leader and the Director of the WFC South Asia Office conducted meetings with the Chairman of BARC in August and September to restructure the existing CSISA committee as a common CGIAR committee in order to reduce the numbers of meetings for senior officials of GoB and private stakeholders. The chairman agreed to use a common committee for CGIAR programs in lieu of a committee for each project. Field visit To date, the basin leader has visited the project site twice. The first visit was made with a senior official from WFC headquarters to become acquainted with the G2 project site. A second visit was made to polder 30 (a medium salinity area) where there was interaction with officials involved in water governance and management. A number of water user associations were visited and discussions were held to get a better understanding of the problems and opportunities in the area.
1.2
Bottlenecks
The BDC program has many partners (both government and non-government), but has yet to establish a partnership with BARI, the largest crop research organization in the country responsible for variety development of oilseeds, pulses, vegetables, wheat, maize, fruits and flowers. The G2 project should partner with organizations like BARI and BINA, which have research sub-stations at Satkhira (one of the districts in project area). Due to fund constraints if partnership is not possible G2 may sign MoU with BARI an BINA for research and seed exchange collaboration. The relationships between the BDC projects and national development agencies (particularly research and extension) and other development projects working in the Ganges basin areas must be strengthened to accommodate the exchange and sharing of experiences and lessons. This issue should be taken into consideration for next reporting period. There have been delays in the disbursement of funds for some of the Ganges BDC projects from the CGIAR
1.3
The participation of national lead organizations like DAE and DoF during the early stages of the research process would strengthen collaboration and help in up scaling of BDC research outputs. Interaction between Bangladesh and Indian sites in the Ganges basin would be enhanced through mutual visits, workshops, and meetings in both basins.
1.4
Partnerships
The BDC project proposal endorses the establishment of a partnership with BRAC to identify opportunities for scaling up/out of research findings from G1-G5 and assisting in the organization of policy dialogue and advocacy to the Government, private and non-Government organizations. BRAC has significant strengths that it brings to the Ganges BDC: wide experience in poverty alleviation and empowerment of the poor; existing cooperation with the CGIAR system; a strong participatory development focus and a wide network in the coastal regions of Bangladesh reaching large numbers of the poor. Its major relevance to the BDC goals will be its ability to identify opportunities for scaling out/up of research findings and its participation in innovation research projects to test processes and lessons.
1.5
Other feedback
The project officials need frequent interactions/ meetings with the TWG of CPWF either face to face or through skype to develop better understanding for coordination management and implementation of the BDC projects.
2.
Please fill out the checklist below and append the Annexes indicated to the report. Please refer to Standard Clauses and Procedures 3.02 and 3.03 for further information Documents required to finalize contracting requirements and for next tranche payment
1. Updated proposal reflecting changes negotiated with partners during the inception period (if any) and cover note explaining what has changed 2. Updated Project Workbook reflecting changes negotiated during the inception period: Where to find it Updated and / or annexed? No change/update
Annex 2 to this report Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Annexed No change Annexed Annexed Annexed No change

Updated outcome logic model Milestone plan developed for the duration of the project with particular emphasis on the next year) Baseline plan, outcome targets and outcome indicators for projects main two outcomes Updated Gantt Chart Updated budget worksheets (CPWF will not increase your budget; all changes beyond moving 5k must explained and justified as comments in the respective budget worksheets and in the financial report below) 3. Signed MOUs corresponding to your proposal 4. Third Party Intellectual asset audit
Annexed Annexed
3.
Needs from the CPWF
Is there anything that the CPWF can help you with at this point in the project? Please specify where you think the help should come (e.g., from Basin Leader, Coordination Project, CPWF KM team, CPWF Research team, TWGs)
4.
Please note that the summary report below requires sign off by the Lead Institutions chief financial officer. Financial reporting requirements are described in detail in Standard Clause 8.06. This summary report is required in addition to a six-monthly statement of project receipts and expenditures (see Guidance note above). 4.1 Summary financial report: (Attached as separate Annex 5)
Inception Report
Progress Report
1 Annual Report
2 Annual Report US$
Progress Report
US$
US$
US$
US$
Progress Report US$
US$
154.166
154.166
45.265
4 5
45.265
108.90
154,166
Please note that the figures contained in the financial table are meant to illustrate how the table works. Please delete before inserting your actual figures. Instructions to fill the table by row: 7. 8. 9. Insert the value of funds CPWF provided against your charge code/ project code during the period of your report. Insert the value of funds received to date by summing all amounts in line 1. Insert the value of all funds that have been transferred out of your charge code/project code during the report period. Your financial management system, or accountant, should be able to provide you with this figure. (See separate note on commitments) Insert the value of funds spent to date by adding this reporting period to the previous accumulative total. Insert the value of unspent funds that you are holding in your charge code/project code Of the balance you are holding in your charge code/project code, state what how much has been committed and provide an explanation below. This is also important, because we may hold back funds from your next tranche payment if it looks as though you are holding substantial unallocated funds.
10. 11. 12.
The project began two months later than the scheduled date (June instead of April, 2011) Partner selection has been completed and consultants are working but fund s are yet to be disbursed.
5. Annexes

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CPWF BDC Inception Report

Basin Leader: Dr. Nowsher Ali Sarder

Date: 31 October 2011

Progress made during BDC inception:

Insights and learning

2. Evaluation of BDC technical projects

4. Issues and remedies

Project Leader Project Leader

By next report By next report

versus the VAT on overseas remittance.

ASAP March 2012

Project Leader Project Leader

By next report By next report

5. Overall project performance

Date: October 25, 2011

Basin leader: Dr. Nowsher Ali Sarder

Date: December 15, 2011

MT lead: Dr. Boru Douthwaite

Annex 1: Project 1 Inception Report

CPWF Project Inception Report

Project Leader: Andy Nelson

Date: October 20, 2011

Progress made during project inception

Insights and learning

Compliance with contracting requirements

Documents required to finalize contracting requirements

and for next tranche payment

it Annex 1 to this report

annexed? No change, not annexed

Completed contact sheet

Annex 2 to this report Annex 2 to this report Annex 2 to this report

Annex 3 to this report Annex 4 to this report

Needs from the CPWF

2 Annual Report US$

Progress Report US$

Adjust the dates to fit with our contract period

No funds received. Nothing to report.

Annex 2: Project 2 Inception Report

CPWF Project Inception Report

Project Leader: Liz Humphreys

Date: October 20, 2011

Progress made during project inception

Insights and learning

Compliance with contracting requirements

Annex 1 to this report

Annex 2 to this report Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto

Completed contact sheet

Annex 3 to this report Annex 4 to this report

All attached Attached

Needs from the CPWF

Annex 3: Project 3 Inception Report

CPWF Project Inception Report

Project Leader: Dr. Aditi Mukherji, IWMI, New Delhi

Progress made during project inception

Insights and learning

Compliance with contracting requirements

Updated and / or annexed? Yes

Annex 1 to this report

Completed contact sheet

Annex 3 to this report Annex 4 to this report

Yes Not relevant at this point

Needs from the CPWF