AAS in the Southern Bangladesh Polder Zone

.an area of unique human and agro-ecosystems.. .home to 38 million people.

GBDC Reflection Workshop 10-11 April 2013

The AAS Development Challenge

The AAS development challenge is to achieve sustainable and continual improvements in agricultural productivity, livelihoods and nutrition of poor communities in the Southern Bangladesh Polder Zone in the face of increasing salinity, changing hydrology, climate change and within a context of complex and dynamic markets and social change.

Our Starting Point

We believe in and seek to harness an immense and inherent potential for: 1. People to innovate and adapt 2. Continued and sustainable improvements in aquatic agricultural systems in the polder zone

AAS Research Themes

1. Sustainable Increases in System Productivity
2. Equitable Access to Markets 3. Socio-Ecological Resilience and Adaptive Capacity

4. Gender Equity 5. Policies and Institutions to Empower AAS Users 6. Knowledge, Sharing, Learning and Innovation

KHULNA HUB LEVEL THEORY OF CHANGE

Norms for greater gender equity at the household, community and hub levels is established.

Farmers lead, have improved understanding of and have improved access to modern science and technology

Private sector, government and NGO services and structures are poorresponsive

Sustainable reductions in poverty & improvements in Nutrition

Strategic Changes: Greater gender equity in household decision-making Including food decisions More control and/or ownership of monetary and other productive resources by women Women playing more influential roles in community governance Women are respected as important economic actors the local economy Government policies support gender equity and are implemented Women and the poor have organized group approaches to gain voice and power in negotiations

Strategic Changes:

Strategic Changes:

Farmers have enhanced science skills which they use to do research, analyze research and share it with other farmers and communities.
Farmers are aware of and linked to key sources of information and science Formal sector researchers and scientists regularly communicate and engage with farmer scientists Farmers are linked to and share their research and knowledge with other community members and adjacent communities CGIAR scientists actively support and link their research to community based research agendas

Agriculture input systems are women and poor responsive.

Agriculture information systems are developed with women and poor as specific target audiences and their structures are designed for this purpose Markets are women and poorfriendly in terms of participation in buy, selling and negotiating prices. Women are involved in and their opinions equal for water and other common resource committees Women and the poor have organized group approaches to gain voice and power in negotiations

Polders 3, 30,433/2F

Prioritization of Researchable Participatory Technology Development Agendas

PROGRAM OF FARMER AND COMMUNITY LED RESEARCH AND INNOVATION PROGRAM SUPPORTIVE RESEARCH FOCUSED ON AGENDAS 1-6

Establish partnerships for research

Issues prioritization process

1. Prepared list of issues

2. Prepare ballot box and cards

3. Individual voting

4. Counting, analyzing and discussing

High Saline: Satkhira (Homestead Agriculture)

Women=100, Men=100, Total Taka=400,000 (@Tk 2000/person)
100000

80000 Amount in Taka

60000

40000

20000

0
Livestock Poultry Aquaculture Vegetables Fruits Freshwater

Women

Men

Total

Medium Saline: Khulna (2 polders) Homestead Agriculture

Women=200, Men 200, Total Taka= 800,000 (@Tk 2000/person)

200000

150000

100000

50000

0
Livestock Poultry Aquaculture Vegetables Fruits Freshwater

Women

Men

Total

Low Saline: Barguna (Homestead Agriculture)

Women=100, Men=100 Total Tk= 400,000 (@Tk 2000/person)
120000

Amount in Taka

100000

80000

60000

40000

20000

0 Livestock Poultry Aquaculture Vegetables Fruits Freshwater

Women

Men

Total

High saline: Satkhira (Field Agriculture)

Women=100, Men=100, Total Taka = 400,000 (@Tk 2000/person)

200000

150000 Amount in Taka

100000

50000

0 Rice Winter Crops Water Management Vegetables Gher Aquaculture Com. Poultry Ag. Equipment Others

Women

Men

Total

Medium Saline: Khulna Field Agriculture

Women=200, Men=200, Total Taka=800,000 (@Tk 2000/person)

250000

200000
150000 100000 50000 0 Rice Winter Crops Water Management Vegetables Gher Aquaculture Commertial Poultry Others Agri equipments

Women

Men

Total

Low Saline: Barguna (Field Agriculture)

Women = 100, Men=100 Total Taka=400,000 (@Tk 2000/person)
100000 80000

Amount in Taka

60000 40000
20000 0 Rice Winter Crops Water Management Vegetables Gher Aquaculture Com. Poultry Ag. Equipment Others

Women

Men

Total

A RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM OF TWO LINKED AND COMPLEMENTARY LEVELS OF RESEARCH

DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES

Research Partner Support Community Level Program of Action Research, Inquiry and Capacity Building GoB, NGO & P. S. Support

SCIENCE OUTPUTS

Researcher Leadership Program of System-Level Action Research & Strategic Research Agendas Community Vision-Informed

A PLATFORM FOR PRACTICE, KNOWLEDGE, COORDINATION & COMMUNICATION

2013 Village Level Action Research

Work with poor farm households to: Manage local water resources
Identify, construct suitable water management units and establish community water management systems Pilot and develop rainwater and freshwater homestead collection and storage

Improve integrated agro-ecological farming systems

Livestock Fodder (variety testing, animal health, markets) Testing of non-rice field crops

2013 Village level action research

Work with poor farm households to:
Develop sustained links to service & knowledge providers
Improve farmers knowledge of livestock market systems (constraints/opportunities

Creating awareness of and changes in gender equity at household level

Facilitate discussions about the benefits of greater gender equity for livelihood outcomes

2013 Strategic and System Level Research

Work with research partners to:
Improved and equitable micro-level water management systems
Review and monitor management practices that reduce conflict and increase inclusion Technology options for drainage and salinity control

Modeling salinity systems and system resilience to water intrusion

Modeling productivity of sorjan systems under plausible scenarios

Poor and women responsive market systems that provide appropriate, timely inputs Document then pilot existing fish seed supply systems Facilitate livestock (focus on fodder) value chain Challenged Ponds Technology Development

2013 Strategic and System Level Research Work with research partners to:
Climate change adaptation
Rice field habitat restoration research (for increased fish populations)

Ecosystem services
Overview of agro-biodiversity resources with focus on local crop varieties

Gender systems level research

Cage aquaculture technology risk research with focus on women Gender and social analysis in AAS Villages

Nutrition systems level research

Understanding of equitable intra-household food distribution

OBSERVATION

RESPONSE
Breeding Define salinity Fertilizer trials

Low rice production

Slow adoption of new varieties, low input use

Demonstrations Participatory selection Training

Share crop system (1/3 of harvest). No access to credit. No control over water. Must have own local rice varieties for own consumption and guests

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The WorldFish work on challenged ponds is exploring this same model: Why is there low productivity? Is it a lack of technology or are there other underlying factors?

Science Advisory Group

Establish dialogue with farmers on specific issues for better understanding and suggest best practice options for PTD (easy win) Train staff on research topics and research design Field visit support and dialogue visits Co-writing publications

Science Quality

Farmer Led Action Research

Identify groups interested in Coordinate researcher visits for technical backstopping and farmer-researcher interaction Identify and build networking opportunities between farmers, communities and orgaznizations Analyze, document and share final results with community, researchers and organizations and plan next research agendas

Farmer Science

research agendas and benchmark farmer's experiences

Initiate and design research for suggested technologies

Process Science

Provide thought leadership and documentation of PAR processes

Train on PAR processes, gender equity, monitoring tools and technique

Support staff on effective communication methods

Write publications and provide support/training on report writing & publication

Process Support & Documentation

Thank You