Temporary Drafts

See section Refocused Training in Chapter 31.

The DPP (Development Project Proforma) of DAE focused on agricultural extension through the Farmer Field School (FFS) methodology, which was already implemented by DAE with DANIDA support. The output, including the revised DPP, was the execution of 1492 FFS to transfer modern production technologies for crops, the distribution of a variety of inputs (vegetable seeds, fertiliser, fruit saplings) in 380 (horticulture focused) demonstrations, the general training of DAE staff (75 Departmental Trainers and 150 Farmer Trainers (FTs)), and the financial support to farmer organisations (375 x 20.000 BDT).

The DPP noted that in the selected polders BWDB would organize Water Management Groups (WMGs); DAE would provide crop production technology to these WMGs through a group approach i.e. the FFS approach. The FFS approach had been proven by DAE in Bangladesh to be a solid and practical mechanism through which new knowledge, practices and messages can be transferred to farming communities where the literacy rate is low. The FFS approach is successful because the sessions run over the course of an entire cropping cycle during which the participants are encouraged to implement new practices, resulting in overall high adoption rates.

The logframe of the DAE DPP is inserted in Annex 21-2. Note that it is not compatible with the logframe in the Blue Gold Program Document (i.e. as in Annex 21F.1).  

Preliminary Discussion: The DAE DPP set a strict framework for the implementation of agricultural extension through the Farmer Field School methodology. Farmer groups, belonging to the WMGs, were seen as leaders or core actors of value chains. However, the approach to farmers and to WMGs were not aligned. Any linkages between agricultural practices and water management, as well as linkages between farmers and other market actors were beyond the content of the classic FFS.

Blue Gold’s DAE contribution consisted of a small central office to organize the implementation of DAE’s FFS. It was expected to work through the lines of the DAE structure, ‘buying time and services’ in DAE’s line operations.   In support of implementation (only) the training of field staff was envisaged. Beyond this, there was limited attention to the involvement of the line in the process.

While the heterogeneity of the households in the polders was observed during Inception, it became better understood through familiarising ourselves with the Rural Transformation Framework. Around 2015 UNCTAD, DFID and IOB published strategy papers on Rural Transformation[i]. In essence, these papers recognise the heterogeneity of rural households and the need to diversify strategies to lift them out of poverty accordingly. At the core is the categorisation of rural households by Dorward, in households ‘stepping-up’ (improving farm production), or ‘stepping-out’ (i.e. stopping subsistence farming), alongside those ‘hanging-in’[ii].

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[i] DFID, DFID’s conceptual framework on agriculture 18 Jan 2016, IOB, Household survey baseline report – impact evaluation food security program Bangladesh, 2015, UNCTAD, The Least Developed Countries Report, Transforming rural economies, 2015

[ii] Dorward A, Hanging-in, Stepping In and Stepping Out, Livelihood aspirations and strategies of the poor…

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Figure 17.5

Introduction	Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment	Poverty focus
	Rationale and approach Gender mainstreaming Specific gender activities Results: outputs, outcomes and impact Analyses, challenges and lessons learnt	Part 1: Food Security - Evolution of Homestead FFS Part 2: Labour Contracting Societies 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
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

Toc

Executive summary: A Call for Action

Section D: BGP Interventions: Participatory Water Management	Section E: Agricultural Development	Section F: Responsible Development: Inclusion and Sustainability
Summary Consultation and participation in planning WMO capacity building Women's participation in Water Management In-polder water management Water Management Partnership Operationalisation of the PWM concept Way Forward Maps	Summary Introduction Commercialising Farmers	Summary Introduction Gender equality and women's empowerment Poverty focus Food Security - Evolution of Homestead FFS Labour Contracting Societies Sustainability

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Download the Executive summary: Call for Action in PDF format
Download the English PDF	Download in Bengali (বাংলা) PDF

Development Project Proforma: a formal document which sets out the intention of a GoB organisation to invest in a development project, seeking approval for the investment and, if successful, a budget allocation. The DPP follows a prescribed format, including the project’s financial and physical scope, benefits, and proposals for monitoring and internal and external audits. The approval of a development project proposal follows a number of stages: formation with preliminary studies, formulation to develop greater detail and with additional information to make the economic case for the project, scrutiny by the executing agencies and concerned ministries, appraisal by the Planning Commission, recommendation for approval by Project Evaluation Committee (PEC), Minister/ECNEC approval, and inclusion of a budgetary allocation in the Annual Development Plan (ADP).

Development Project Proforma: a formal document which sets out the intention of a GoB organisation to invest in a development project, seeking approval for the investment and, if successful, a budget allocation. The DPP follows a prescribed format, including the project’s financial and physical scope, benefits, and proposals for monitoring and internal and external audits. The approval of a development project proposal follows a number of stages: formation with preliminary studies, formulation to develop greater detail and with additional information to make the economic case for the project, scrutiny by the executing agencies and concerned ministries, appraisal by the Planning Commission, recommendation for approval by Project Evaluation Committee (PEC), Minister/ECNEC approval, and inclusion of a budgetary allocation in the Annual Development Plan (ADP).

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.

Farmer Field School - A group-based learning process through which farmers carry out experiential learning activities that help them to understand the ecology of their fields, based on simple experiments, regular field observations and group analysis. The knowledge gained from these activities enables participants to make their own locally specific decisions about crop management practices. This approach represents a radical departure from earlier agricultural extension programmes, in which farmers were expected to adopt generalized recommendations that are formulated by specialists from outside the community.

Farmer Field School - A group-based learning process through which farmers carry out experiential learning activities that help them to understand the ecology of their fields, based on simple experiments, regular field observations and group analysis. The knowledge gained from these activities enables participants to make their own locally specific decisions about crop management practices. This approach represents a radical departure from earlier agricultural extension programmes, in which farmers were expected to adopt generalized recommendations that are formulated by specialists from outside the community.

Danish International Development Agency

Farmer Trainer - Well-performing and capable farmers, previously trained in Farmer Field Schools, who became FFS facilitator themselves after ToT training

Farmer Trainer - Well-performing and capable farmers, previously trained in Farmer Field Schools, who became FFS facilitator themselves after ToT training

Bangladesh Taka

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

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.

human intervention in the capture, conveyance, utilisation and drainage of surface and/or ground water in a certain area: a process of social interaction between stakeholders around the issue of water control.

Department for International Development (UK government's development department); since September 2020, known as Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office - FCDO - after a merger with Foreign and Commonwealth Office - FCO

The Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) is the independent evaluation service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands which researches and prepares reports on the outcomes of Dutch foreign policy for reasons of accountability and so that the findings can be used in adjusting future policymaking