Blue Gold Lessons Learnt Wiki

The wiki version of the Lessons Learnt Report of the Blue Gold program documents the experiences of a technical assistance (TA) team working in a development project implemented by the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) over an eight+ year period from March 2013 to December 2021. Blue Gold has rehabilitated and improved the main water infrastructure in 22 coastal polders in south-west Bangladesh and built the capacity of Water Management Groups (WMGs) and Water Management Associations (WMAs) to be the drivers of economic development in the polders – through organisational management, adoption of modern crop technologies and the importance of crop selection, collective purchase of inputs and sales of produce to maximise profitability.

The wiki lessons learnt report (LLR) is intended to complement the BWDB and DAE project completion reports (PCRs), by recording lessons learnt for use in the design and implementation of future interventions in the coastal zone.  The aim of this report is to review and analyse approaches and methodologies used in the delivery of Blue Gold, how and why they evolved over the lifetime of Blue Gold with reasons for the adaptations and adjustments that were introduced and an explanation for the timing of the intervention.

Whilst Blue Gold will end in December 2021, much of the lessons learnt report will have been written in 2020 and early 2021 while the principal contributors in the TA team remained in place.  But the completion of some sections of the report will only be possible when, for example, final payments have been made for water infrastructure contracts at end-June 2021, and findings are available from impact surveys conducted in 2021. DAE’s involvement as an implementation partner finished at end-December 2020, whilst BWDB’s involvement continued to end-December 2021.

Meanwhile, in order to pass on the knowledge and experience gained from the implementation of Blue Gold to planners and policy makers working towards the realisation of the Delta Plan, and to those responsible for the design and implementation of future projects in the coastal zone, the report is published in June 2021 in a partially-complete form. Those sections of the report which are either incomplete or missing will be marked accordingly in the draft report, and then finalized before end-December 2021.

In particular, this wiki provides digital versions of documents prepared by the project team, by other organisations through the Innovation Fund and the many valuable references (policy documents, legislation etc) that have provided direction to Blue Gold. Guidance on how to locate a specific document is given in the section File Library. Although the wiki report is in English, many documents were prepared in Bangla for use in training of Blue Gold communities and are also available in the File Library.

Aimed at first-time users, the frequently asked questions (FAQ) page provides answers about the wiki, browsing, files and downloads and points of contact for further information.

Table of Contents: overview

To aid navigation through the report, this wiki has been organised into multiple sections and chapters. Within the table (bottom right hand corner), there is a file library to explore the hundreds of files generated or used as references during the 8+year period of Blue Gold. Below you will see multiple navigation boxes, divided and organised for easier use - so that you can browse through the wiki and find the subject matter which is of greatest relevance to you.

Executive summary: A Call for Action

Section A: Background and context	Section B: Development Outcomes	Section C: Water Infrastructure
Summary Chapter 01: Overview, Purpose and Structure of Report Chapter 02: Institutional Setting Chapter 03: Social, Physical and Environmental Context Chapter 04: Policy framework, history of interventions and project definition	Summary and Introduction Chapter 05: Outcomes and Impact from Participatory Water Management Chapter 06: Outcomes and Impact from Agricultural Development Chapter 07: Inclusive Development Approach: Outcomes and Impacts from Homestead Based Production Chapter 08: The Outcomes and Impact on the Livelihoods of Women Chapter 09: The Overall Outcomes and Impacts on the Livelihoods of Coastal Communities in Blue Gold Polders	Summary Chapter 10: Coastal Infrastructure Chapter 11: Investments for Polder Safety and Water Management Chapter 12: Survey, Design and Procurement Chapter 13: Construction: Progress, Modalities and Lessons Learnt

Section D: BGP Interventions: Participatory Water Management	Section E: Agricultural Development	Section F: Responsible Development: Inclusion and Sustainability
Summary Chapter 14: Consultation and participation in planning Chapter 15: WMO capacity building Chapter 16: Women's participation in Water Management Chapter 17: In-polder water management Chapter 18: Water Management Partnership Chapter 19: Operationalisation of the PWM concept Chapter 20: Way Forward	Summary Chapter 21: The Evolving Approach to the Commercialization of Agriculture Chapter 22: Lessons for Agricultural Extension in the Coastal Zone Chapter 23: Outreach and Outcomes of Commercialisation Interventions	Summary Chapter 24: Gender equality and women's empowerment Chapter 25: Poverty Focus: development of homestead production Chapter 26: Poverty focus: Labour Contracting Societies Chapter 27: Sustainability

Section G: Project Management	Section H: Innovation Fund	Files and others
Summary Chapter 28: Project Management Arrangements Chapter 29: Technical Assistance: Context, Scope, Contractual Arrangements and External Service Contracts Chapter 30: Evolution of TA Organisational Arrangements Chapter 31: Capacity Building Chapter 32: Agricultural Extension Methods and Communication Chapter 33: Horizontal Learning Chapter 34: Monitoring and evaluation Chapter 35: Management Information System Chapter 36: Environmental Due Diligence	Summary Chapter 37: Purpose, fund evolution and management Chapter 38: Overview of BGIF Projects Chapter 39: BGIF Lessons Learnt	File Library Glossary and acronyms Frequently Asked Questions

Table of contents: detailed view

This section of table of contents provides a more detailed view of the contents of each chapter, allowing the reader to navigate directly to a specific subsection.

Executive summary: Call for Action

Main article: Executive summary: a call for action

Section A: Background and context

For a summary of this section, see Summary of Section A: Background and context.

Chapter 01: Overview, Purpose and Structure of Report	Chapter 02: Institutional Setting	Chapter 03: Social, Physical and Environmental Context
Overview Water management for development Purpose of the Report Structure of this report	Executive Authorities Implementing Agencies Other public sector organisations Private Sector	Geography of the coastal zone History of polders Social context Polder infrastructure

Chapter 04: Policy framework, history of interventions and project definition
Policy and regulatory framework for Participatory Water Management History of interventions Project definition

Section B: Development Outcomes

For summary and introduction of this section, see Summary and Introduction of Section B: Development Outcomes.

Chapter 05: Outcomes and Impact from Participatory Water Management	Chapter 06: Outcomes and Impact from Agricultural Development	Chapter 07: Inclusive Development Approach: Outcomes and Impacts from Homestead Based Production
Increased resilience against climatic variability: outcomes and impact of rehabilitation work on water management Organised coastal communities: outcomes and impact of institutional development	Changes in crop agricultural production Change in cropping pattern and crop types Increase in Cropping intensity Increase in Crop yields Increase in employment through agricultural development Economic return of improved agriculture production	Homestead vegetables production Homestead fruit production Commercial fruit production Poultry rearing Goats Cattle and buffalo Pond fisheries Feedback from FGDs on homestead production Problems of agricultural and homestead production

Chapter 08: The Outcomes and Impact on the Livelihoods of Women	Chapter 09: The Overall Outcomes and Impacts on the Livelihoods of Coastal Communities in Blue Gold Polders
Women’s role in economic activities Main Occupation of women Equality in food consumption Decision making regarding assets and land Mobility and participation Overall empowerment of women	General features of coastal households Land ownership and land tenure Improvement in household income and asset Enterprise development Improvements in Living Standards

Section C: Water Infrastructure

For summary of this section, see Summary of Section C: Water Infrastructure.

Chapter 10: Coastal Infrastructure	Chapter 11: Investments for Polder Safety and Water Management	Chapter 12: Survey, Design and Procurement
Coastal Zone Background to Dutch-Bangladesh cooperation in the coastal region	Polder Investments Revisions to Polder Infrastructure Investments Investments by Polder and by BWDB Division Emergency Repairs	Survey and design data collection Design
Chapter 13: Construction: Progress, Modalities and Lessons Learnt
Analysis of Progress Nature of Works Contractors Construction quality

Section D: Participatory Water Management

For a summary of this section, see Summary of Section D: BGP Interventions: Participatory Water Management.

Chapter 14: Consultation and participation in planning	Chapter 15: WMO capacity building	Chapter 16: Women’s participation in water management
Polder Development Plan WMG Action Plans	From individual to group capacity From transferring knowledge to promoting behaviour change From dependence to self-reliance From autonomous WMGs to networked organisations	Background Blue Gold approach Why is water management important for women? Why are women important for water management? Results Enabling factors and challenges

Chapter 17: In-polder water management	Chapter 18: The Water Management Partnership	Chapter 19: Operationalisation of the PWM concept
Context Interventions: a mix to address all scales In-Polder Water Management as a step forward		Trend 1: ‘Water management through business development’ or ‘business development through water management’ Trend 2: Supporting functional water management organisations Trend 3: From O&M to Local Economic Development; from task to mandate Trend 4: Unit of organisation: from pre-defined to pragmatic Sustainability – a discussion

Chapter 20: Way Forward

Section E: Agricultural Development

For a summary of this section, see Summary of Section E: Agricultural Development.

Chapter 21: The Evolving Approach to the Commercialization of Agriculture	Chapter 22: Lessons for Agricultural Extension in the Coastal Zone	Chapter 23: Outreach and Outcomes of Commercialisation Interventions
Project documents: Expectations and approach at the start Lines of change during implementation – an evolving approach	The role of Water Resource Management in Extension and vice-versa Technology transfers defined by local variation and pursuing productivity and profitability Moving beyond technology transfers – including market orientation Developing market linkages Facilitating the broader market system to adapt - Market system development Future binding constraints Efficiency of the extension approach	Impacts of the commercialisation interventions Household outreach of commercialisation interventions Cost of commercialisation interventions Outcomes of Commercialisation interventions

Section F: Responsible Development: Inclusion and Sustainability

For a summary of this section, see Summary of Section F - Responsible Development: Inclusion and Sustainability.

Chapter 24: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment	Chapter 25: Poverty Focus: development of homestead production	Chapter 26: Poverty focus: Labour Contracting Societies
Rationale and approach Gender mainstreaming Specific gender activities Results: outputs, outcomes and impact Analyses, challenges and lessons learnt	Introduction Homestead FFS - Cycles one to ten Homestead FFS – Cycles eleven to thirteen Results of the homestead FFS	Development objectives Implementation of LCS approach Findings from the LCS study Lessons learnt from BGP’s LCS work and the way forward
Chapter 27: Sustainability
Physical environment Coping capability Capability to maintain and improve water management Network of services Risk management Impact of disasters and resilience to face them Conclusion

Section G: Project Management

For a summary of this section, see Summary of Section G: Project Management.

Chapter 28: Project Management Arrangements	Chapter 29: Technical Assistance: Context, Scope, Contractual Arrangements and External Service Contracts	Chapter 30: Evolution of TA Organisational Arrangements organisation
Introduction Implementing Modalities Development Project Proformas (DPPs) Project Meetings Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) Review Missions Annual Work Plans Polder Development Plans Progress Reports	Context and Scope Contractual Arrangements TA Service Contracts	Scope Scope of Technical Assistance in the Program Document Early Arrangements for the TA Organisation Evolution of TA Organisation Theory of Change: the emergence of practical approach to PWM

Chapter 31: Capacity Building	Chapter 32: Agricultural Extension Methods and Communication	Chapter 33: Horizontal learning
Capacity Building Programs International Exposure Refocused Training Refocused TA FFS Vocational Education Training	Communication aimed at beneficiaries Communication aimed at organisations	Horizontal Learning – the approach in BGP Horizontal Learning – An assessment of BGP’s experience

Chapter 34: Monitoring and evaluation	Chapter 35: Management Information System	Chapter 36: Environmental Due Diligence
M&E Objectives Approach to the Participatory Water Management Project Monitoring and Evaluation Framework Key elements in the Project’s M&E Framework Impact assessment/Endline survey 2020 Independence of M&E Reporting	Background Establishing a WMG Tracker Management Information System (MIS) MIS Design and Development MIS Results Reporting WMG Tracker Closure Polder Dashboard Polder "Health Checks" Participatory Monitoring Post-Project Monitoring Self-assessment of WMG performance	Objectives of the EIA Study Overview of EIA arrangement and consideration The modalities for carrying out the EIAs Alternative future modality

Section H: Innovation Fund

For summary of this section, see Summary of Section H: Innovation Fund.

Chapter 37: Purpose, fund evolution and management	Chapter 38: Overview of BGIF Projects	Chapter 39: BGIF Lessons learnt
Blue Gold Innovation Fund Evolution of the Fund Fund Management	Project types and the innovation tunnel Projects in the Water Management Fund and Productive Sector Fund Fairs by GoB departments Annex 38.1 BGP Projects

Files and others

File library	Glossary and acronyms

Technical Assistance

Bangladesh Water Development Board, government agency which is responsible for surface water and groundwater management in Bangladesh, and lead implementing agency for the Blue Gold Program

Department of Agricultural Extension, a department of the Ministry of Agriculture responsible for disseminating scientific research and new knowledge on agricultural practices through communication and learning activities for farmers in agriculture, agricultural marketing, nutrition and business studies.

Water Management Group - The basic organizational unit in Blue Gold representing local stakeholders from a hydrological or social unit (para/village). Through Blue Gold, 511 WMGs have been formed and registered. The average WMG covers an area of around 230 ha has 365 households or a population of just over 1,500.

Water Management Group - The basic organizational unit in Blue Gold representing local stakeholders from a hydrological or social unit (para/village). Through Blue Gold, 511 WMGs have been formed and registered. The average WMG covers an area of around 230 ha has 365 households or a population of just over 1,500.

Water Management Association - In Blue Gold, the polder-level representative of WMGs, and signatory to an O&M Agreement with BWDB

Water Management Association - In Blue Gold, the polder-level representative of WMGs, and signatory to an O&M Agreement with BWDB

A defined set of temporary activities through which facilitators seek to effect change

A process by which the local stakeholders are directly and actively involved in identification, planning, design, implementation, operation & maintenance and evaluation of a water management project.