Dr. Harvey Demaine Presented a Presentation at the Closing Workshops for Project Partners, Noakhali June 22-23, 2013

1. A Presentation at the Closing Workshops for Project Partners
June 22-23, 2013
Harvey Demaine

2. Outputs and Partners
 1. Farmer Training through FFS approach (Resource-
poor farmers and Local Facilitators)
 2. Capacity Building of CBOs and Associations (CBO
Committees, Members and Resource Persons)
 3. Linkages to private agribusiness for quality inputs
and better market opportunity (Private sector
entrepreneurs)
 4. Capacity building of LGI to support agricultural
sector (UP Councils, SCAFL, Upazila Parishads)
 5. Capacity building of local officers of DLS, DOF (and
support to PRTC)

3. Improved Livelihoods of Resource- poor Farmers
(through increased productivity of and returns from fisheries and livestock systems)
Farmer Field Schools (demand-
driven extension)
Service- provision through
Community-based Organizations
Technical Support and Quality
Input Supply through Upazila
Fisheries and Livestock Offices
Supply of Quality Inputs and Market
Opportunities through (mainly local)
Private Agribusiness
Socio-political Support
and Financial Resources
from Union Parishad via
Block Grant
RFLDC Technical Assistance Team
Figure 1: Original RFLDC Extension Model

4. Achievements: FFS – Basic Numbers
 Conducted 5,926 Farmer Field Schools involving
about 148,000 farmer participants, mostly drawn
from resource-poor households
 Over 95% of participants in those FFS have been
women (98% in Cycles 4-7)
 FFS have mostly been arranged by Community-
based Organizations (only 10% by NGOs, UFO and
ULO)
 Trained 801 Local Facilitators under the Season-
long Learning mode; 51% of the Local Facilitators
have been women (61% in Hatiya)

5. Achievements: FFS - Impact
 Broad acceptance of the technical messages contained in the
FFS, indicated by the ‘adoption scores’ in FFS Evaluation Surveys
 Probably higher levels of adoption in poorer areas like Hatiya
 Increases in key parameters of improvement such as (Cycles 5-7):
 Numbers of households involved in key activities (Cattle fattening 248%)
 Holdings of poultry (broody hens 59%, ducklings 68%)
 Production and consumption of eggs, (+66%) vegetables (+28%) and fish
(+55%)
 Sales of eggs (86%), fish (92%), vegetables (54%)
 Net income from FFS sectors (poultry 136%, dairy 101%, cattle
42%, aquaculture 145%, vegetables 106%)
while most households (between 60-85% by sector) showed increases
of over 100%
 In Cycles 5-7, average total household income increase from the various
sectors was 177% over the pre-FFS
 Improvements in nutritional standards reflected in differences in
consumption from non-FFS households

6. FFS: Wider Achievements
 RFLDC has demonstrated that
 FFS can be adapted to fisheries and livestock sector, actually
homestead agriculture sector
 FFS can be adapted to different ecological contexts (hills,
salinity-prone areas, waterlogged paddies, etc
 It is highly suitable for resource-poor households, especially
where ‘learning topics’ do not require heavy investment.
 Location at homestead very suitable for women’s
participation if held at right time (after 3 pm?)
 Local young people – not necessarily with high education, but
from farm families and good social skills – can be trained to
conduct FFS efficiently and effectively
 As graduates gain confidence and increase production, FFS
can be adapted to market orientation and LF become
resource persons to organize production for market

7. Achievements: CBOs – Basic Numbers
 RFLDC Noakhali has supported 205 CBOs, including work with
new WMG formed by CDSP IV
 7 Associations have been formed at District level
 A total of approximately 10,000 households are formal members
of the CBOs; only 30-40% of members are women
 Some 1.3 million “household visits” have been made to avail the
services of the CBO up to the end of 2012.
 Numbers of households making use of CBO services has grown
by 10-20% per year
 CBOs have received over Tk100 million in Block Grant facilities
for investment (c Tk500,000 per CBO), most of which continues
to be used for projects and revolving funds for credit-in-kind.
 Range of activities has steadily widened, especially towards
Human Rights and produce marketing

8. Figure 2: Distribution of Services Provided by CBOs (up
to end 2012)

9. Achievements : CBOs Capacity Building
 Most CBOs have become well structured and organized with
regular elections and meetings; AGPM meetings are held
regularly and have seen more real participation by general
members;
 Financial management is generally excellent; in 2011-12 there
have been few negative observations from EOD or FAPAD
Audits;
 CBOs have developed into a business network linking Producer
and Marketing Groups to local, regional, national and
international markets
 Many Local Facilitators have become involved in business
activities in support of PMG and CBOs
 CBOs have a cadre of Resource Persons (PW, CLW, CAARP,
RPfA) who play a key service role in their communities. CLW
especially have developed new occupations with significant
earnings

10. CBOs: Wider Achievements
 RFLDCC has demonstrated that
 CBOs are a complement or an alternative to GOB and
NGOs for service provision, especially in isolated
communities
 CBOs can be adapted from other organizations within
the rural communities (IPM Clubs, WMG, UCC, etc)
 Capacity building of CBOs is a painstaking
process, requiring several years of support; this is
particularly true of financial management and building
of skills in business management
 Greater women’s involvement in CBOs also requires
time. Specific activities such as produce marketing and
human rights campaigns can stimulate greater
involvement of women.

11. Linkages with Private Agribusiness: Basic
Development
 RFLDC sought to widen scope of support to CBO
from private agribusiness from prawn sector (3
hatcheries and a feed mill)
 Now works with one prawn hatchery, four carp
hatcheries, four tilapia hatcheries, private
integrated farm
 Changes in focus over time:
 From local to regional and national suppliers
 From stand alone facilities like hatcheries to
partnerships with CBOs
 Support from specialist organizations like WFC and IDE

12. Private Agribusiness: Achievements
 UFWPH is only functional freshwater prawn hatchery in Chittagong, operating
despite overall sectoral problems
 Development of private hatchery network (Breeding Nuclei, Satellite Centres,
CBO Nursers) for carp and tilapia being recognized by policy makers
 Links between CBOs and national inputs suppliers and markets include:
 Vegetable seed suppliers: East West, Lal Teer;
 Feed suppliers: Mega Hex, etc
 Vaccine and pharmaceuticals: ACI, FnF
 Bangladesh Soyabean Association, BD Foods, chewa processors, coconut oil
mills
 Net making and cap making industry
 Numerous local market links, local branding (Khamar, Polli),
start-up of processing and packaging (FCA, Kalkini UCC)
 Links to the national retail trade: Unilever Polli Doot
 Interest also of private financial institutions like United Leasing and
commerical banks

13. Private Agribusiness: Lessons
 There are numerous local and national entrepreneurs
interested in investment in agriculture and aware of the
advantages of links to networks of Farmers Organizations
(CBOs)
 These potential entrepreneurs need technical guidance
 National and international policy context (subsidies for
government farms) and markets are often a threat to
sustainability of investment
 Private entrepreneurs may need to spread investment
 There is a need for careful analysis of market
opportunity, especially relating to quality control
issues.(e.g. prawn, okra)

14. Local Government Institutions: Achievements
 RFLDC was able to orient over 80 Union Parishads in their
possible role in fisheries and livestock
development, including
 Activation of Standing Committees for AFL; and
 Bottom-up Planning Process / Open Budget Meetings
 Most UP distributed and monitored use of Block Grant;
selected UP developed their own investment program
 RFLDC developed a pilot program with 4 Upazila Parishads
in Noakhali District, involving
 Strategic Planning (presence of UPMO, Medium-Term Plans, GO –
NGO Coordination Meetings)
 Capacity Building of UP in Bottom-up Planning
 Awareness campaigns, especially signboards
 Investments in facilities such as Livestock Service Centres, Water
Points, Killas, Community Ponds

15. LGIs: Wider Achievements
 RFLDC has demonstrated that
 Union Parishads could play an important role in targeting of
development programs in the fisheries and livestock sector;
 Experiences with handling the Block Grant for CBOs encourages UP
to develop proposals for their own activities in the sector ;
 Political uncertainties (date of UP elections) and election of non-
developmentally minded Chairs undermined this initiative
 Upazila Parishads, operating in a stable environment, successfully
utilized RFLDC funds in supporting the sector. Role of UPZ has
been recognized in Phase II of LGSP
 Logistic support in the Upazila Parishad (UPMO, Planning Office)
has proved valuable to the Chairmen
 Funds channeled through the Upazila may serve to support
demand-driven programmes by local offices of DOF, DLS

16. Achievements with DLS, DOF and PRTC
 Construction of Upazila Livestock Development
Centers to support CBO network at grass roots;
 Initiation of demand-driven development programs in
livestock sector in Noakhali, including cooperation
with Upazila Parishad programme
 Implementation of dogi aquaculture and support to
RFLDC-WFC fish seed quality improvement project
 Training for CLW at PRTC, Chittagong
 Sustainable operation of PRTC through earnings from
disease diagnosis and animal feed laboratories

17. Issues and Challenges
 Agricultural sector is highly dynamic. Is existing FFS learning
experience adequate for people to respond? Is the presence of
Local Resource Persons an adequate basis for further technical
support to resource-poor farmers?
 How far are CBOs financially and economically sustainable? Do
they need further support and from where?
 What funding sources can replace the Block Grant?
 How to ensure the hatchery network developed by RFLDC-WFC
in Noakhali as a basis for aquaculture development?
 Is there a means to build upon the encouraging performance of
the Upazila Parishads in supporting fisheries and livestock
development? What sources of funding are available? (LGSP?)
 And finally………………………………………………………………..

18.  How can the various stakeholders help one another to
sustain the system built up by RFLDC after June 2013?