Sustainable Livelihoods and Socio-Economic Development of the Rural Communities of Northern Bangladesh

#SDGAction42702

Description

Intro

Kazi Shahid Foundation first started its journey as a dairy cooperative to support country’s first and only organic tea garden Kazi and Kazi Tea Estate Ltd. Located in the northern part of the country. KSF is developed with the commitment of “Establishment of a Society based on Organic Ideology” and main objective of the Foundation is to eradicate poverty in the society through implementation of organic concepts. KSF Dairy Model is implemented entirely through rural women of Panchagarh. Additionally, it encourages organic tea plantation, natural vegetable cultivating and supply, bio-manure creation and education programs.

Objective of the practice

The primary objective of Kazi Shahid Foundation is to develop the socio-economic advancement of the rural women by sustainable and responsible livelihoods. The vision is to eradicate poverty through development of entrepreneurship for the underprivileged part of the community. Other objectives are, Facilitating the community people to organize into group/co-operative 
Increasing participation of women to reduce gender gap 
Providing support and training to improve technical and management skill of the community people 
Distribution of cows on contractual basis and recovery of loan by cow dung and milk instead of cash 
Provide technical and financial assistance to develop Tea and Agricultural Group/ Cooperative. 
Employment generation and reduction of youth migration 
Encouraging on sustainable organic livelihoods

Partners

Rural underprivileged women are the only beneficiaries of KSF since the mission and vision of KSF is to develop the socio economic advancement of the rural women by sustainable and responsible livelihoods. To add more glory on that Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) and Palli Karma Shahayak Foundation (PKSF) these two organizations are the donors of KSF.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

The economic, environmental, and social conditions enabled the intervention of KSF to promote an innovative Dairy Farming Model that is linked with commercial organic tea cultivation and livelihoods improvement of the rural poor particularly the women and their family. KSF’s community based dairy farming model has now become one of the important income generating activities for the poor and marginal households in the rural areas of Panchagarh district. KSF has been implementing the strategy of “Generation of Employment and Income through Contract Dairy Farming and Market Linkage” with an aim to contribute in increasing incomes and sustainable livelihoods of the targeted landless and smallholdings through providing support for better farming practices. The program staffs and the small holders are given training and orientation on improved cow management. It is expected that the newer communities would be inspired by existing dairy farmers to adapt to a profitable and sustainable dairy farming to change their lives to a better one. KSF Dairy Model provides milking cows with calves to its beneficiary and repayment is based on milk and cow dung. Moreover, this model enables beneficiaries to enhance improved technical capacity and skills through training. KSF Dairy Model ensures risk minimization through introducing cow-insurance and veterinary care. It is also designed to ensure quality dairy cow, proper veterinary care, cow comfortness, access to proper quantity of quality feed and water, ensure regular breeding and proper marketing of products and by-products. In addition poor households also receive technical and financial management support. KSF has distributed 6750 cows to its beneficiaries till date. The number of current members of KSF are 2406 and having 1570 cows, but given its member-friendly approach KSF envisions infinite growth and not only to help enterprising impecunious people, but also to help mitigating the country’s pressing deficiency of milk and organic fertilizer. Kazi Shahid Foundation (KSF) has started a homestead biogas project in Panchagarh district from August, 2016. The objectives of the project are to provide a clean, healthy and environmentally sustainable source of energy for cooking, lighting and small to medium size power generation. It also had a community empowerment agenda where besides increased productivity and health/ environmental benefits, the users of the technology would be able to generate some income out of selling by-products of the operation (bio-slurry). The payment for buying and using the technology was made efficient through KSF Dairy Cooperative Program's non-traditional form of micro-credit as a barter system; the household would repay KSF the cost of the plant through bio-slurry, dung, milk and so on.

Results/Outputs/Impacts

Economic Development is one of the most crucial aspects of KSF which is observed, analyzed, and evaluated in the most recent impact assessment report done in December, 2018. According to the impact assessment report, the income level of KSF beneficiaries dramatically increased after joining the KSF dairy farming program. Especially the women have become entrepreneurs and they have started their dairy business by selling milk and cow dung. Moreover, the average maximum family income level of the respondents during financial stress has increased from TK 12,000 on an average (Non-KSF respondents) to TK 16,000 on an average (KSF respondents) per month, whereas the average minimum family income level of the respondents during financial stress has increased from TK 9,000 on an average (Non-KSF respondents) to TK 12,000 on an average (KSF respondents) per month. KSF also focuses on the living condition of its members, providing them with better and adequate amount of household materials. Almost every KSF member owns residence or homestead land. An incline has been observed in the amount of land holding after the respondents joined KSF. All the respondents unanimously believe that the primary service of KSF is to provide dairy cow for rearing since all of them get 54 hours of training for cow rearing from KSF. Also, the cows receive all vaccines timely from KSF as well. KSF believes in women empowerment; hence all the respondents of KSF are female. Women’s participation in decision making, asset ownership and control over loan have increased since KSF started working with them and training them. Women empowerment has increased both at household level and in society to some extent since more than 50% of women are taking financial decisions jointly with their husbands. Women are helping and feeding their family by cow rearing which promotes their empowerment and confidence. Change in Occupation: Due to occupational change, ultra-poor women get access to high paying and less volatile flow of earning. Access to more stable and secure employment leads to positive expansion of various occupation choices. The respondents before joining KSF was homemaker (100%), then dramatically changed after joining KSF. Majority of the members are now small farm owners (81%), while others are either medium farm owners (14%) or large farm owners (5%). KSF is an organization which not only works for its personal interests but also teach its beneficiaries how to handle difficult situations during severe disease/ accident, family problem, financial hazard, natural calamities, death of livestock, inability of loan repayment etc. The beneficiaries are well trained and aware of usage of household savings and spending of cow loan (from KSF for only its members). It has been found that the non-KSF members are more vulnerable during the time of crisis than the KSF members. Moreover, it has been estimated that non-KSF members could only recover 72% of their total assets during natural disasters whereas KSF member could recover 100% of their total assets.

Enabling factors and constraints

It is interesting to note that women do not have full control over family in terms of decision making, asset generating and maintaining. These social stigmas and mentality of people are the main barriers of KSF. Many regions of the world, and especially in Bangladesh, continue to suffer untold horrors as a result of different forms of violence that occur within society and at the domestic level. Advances in promoting the rule of law and access to justice are uneven. However, progress is being made and it is encouraging to note that prevalence of domestic violence against women seems very lower among the beneficiary households of KSF.
During data collection for the impact assessment report of KSF, it has been found that, both KSF and non KSF members have expressed that gender violence happens occasionally 55% and that too mostly by their husbands. They have also expressed that due to different campaigns and legal action the rat has significantly reduced. Moreover, the youths and adolescent groups linked to the KSF members have expressed that because of being able to attain knowledge, education and having positive role in their family as well as their community, the rate of severe forms of domestic violence has reduced significantly. They believe that awareness, knowledge and information about its ill effects and legal consequences have played significant role in the reduction of violence.
Women’s participation in decision-making, asset ownership and control over loan increased that reflected the women empowerment at household level to some extent. Over 50% of women were taking financial decision jointly with their husbands. They were more likely to share their decision with other household members. Only ownership of asset by the women does not necessarily reflect whether they have full control over asset unless they can sell those when necessary without taking permission from others. So, it is considered both ownership and selling right by women for interpreting control over asset.

Sustainability and replicability

KSF through its different interventions such as contractual dairy farming, promoting organic farming, learning center for the children and adults, etc. are improving the livelihood of local people. This program directly and indirectly helps in achieving the different social, economic and environmental wellbeing particularly the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On September 25th 2015, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years through global partnership by 2030 (http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/).[4]
KSF is strongly committed through its core intervention and dairy farming and other integrated programs for livelihoods development contribute directly to the following goals and, indirectly, most of the 17 global goals. KSF through its dairy farming for livelihoods development effort is tackling hunger, nutrition and create employment and income opportunities at the base of the economic pyramid also ensuring food security. The awareness program, events and campaigns of KSF is creating awareness on health, hygiene, health care services among employees and target beneficiaries. The Learning Center/School operated by KSF is making it easier for children and adults, specially girls and women to access education. This initiative is empowering women and girls in developing their skills and capacities to become entrepreneurs and leaders in their community. Moreover, KSF is driving environmental excellence along the project chain and its biogas and bio-slurry management program, setting targets to encourage environment friendly agricultural practices, combat harsh climate vulnerabilities, help to mitigate climate change.
KSF’s programs ensure the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources, composting, reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse, adopting organic lifestyle. KSF through its dairy cow rearing for livelihoods development effort strengthens and empowers the local community, boosts dairy farming and agricultural development and builds local capacity through partnership with private sector enterprises for mutual benefits. The mutual activities promote environment friendly, organic farming, renewable energy by building support for increasing value-added dairy management practices.

Conclusions

KSF’s innovative programs specifically, the contractual dairy farming model, are accordingly designed to provide both opportunities and capacity building in engaging the under privileged rural people in the profitable asset generating economic activity. The Biogas and bio-fertilizer has added more values to the KSF programs for providing healthy and environmentally sustainable source of cooking, lighting and small to medium size power generation. 
It has been observed that the capacity building and acceptance (by the society and at family level) are the two critical elements in making the program not only truly meaningful but also sustainable. Community people especially women find it hard to identify themselves as leaders due to persistent neglect and lack of knowledge, skills, and exposure. Members of KSF are all women, who are turning their lives towards progressive way of living. Though it is slow progress but changes are coming, which is encouraging. 
KSF should consider their implementing strategy to obtain appropriate information about availability and access of the different services and ways to improve them through community participation. KSF may also consider working closely with community institutions and the local service providers to secure corroboration those who are dealing with livelihood improvement, capacity building, market linkage, can assist KSF.

Other sources of information

Web: www.kazishahidfoundation.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KSF.ORG/
Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCDsvtGqsQ5aBSv5OsERxEdg

Publication:
“Climate Change and Sustainable Energy in Rural Bangladesh – An Innovative Approach”, 22nd Annual International Sustainable Development Research Society Conference Proceedings, p: 781, (ISDRS 2016), 2016.
“Climate Change and Sustainable Energy in Rural Bangladesh – An Innovative Approach”, (July 29, 2016). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2815991, Social Science Research Network Journal, 2016.
“An Innovative Dairy Model Leading to Sustainable Development for the Rural People of Bangladesh”, OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development 10:08, 2017.
“Engaging Rural Women in Entrepreneurship Through an Innovative and Sustainable Dairy Model”, In: Leal Filho W., Mifsud M., Pace P. (eds), Handbook of Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development. World Sustainability Series, Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63534-7_18, 2018.
“Climate Change and Sustainable Energy in Rural Bangladesh – An Innovative Approach”, 22nd Annual International Sustainable Development Research Society Conference (ISDRS 2016), Lisbon, Portugal, 12-16 July, 2016.
“An Innovative Dairy Model Leading to Sustainable Development for the Rural People of Bangladesh”, 2nd Conference on Sustainable Development, Center for Sustainable Development, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, 10-11 February, 2017.
“Engaging Rural Women in Entrepreneurship through an Innovative and Sustainable Dairy Model”, World Symposium on Lifelong Learning and Sustainable Development, Valletta, Malta, 2-4 March, 2017.
“An Innovative Approach towards Sustainable Energy in Rural Bangladesh”, SustainTech 2017, The Saskatchewan Environmental Industry and Managers Association (SEIMA), Saskatoon, Canada, 16 March, 2017.
“An Innovative Dairy Model Leading to Sustainable Development for the Rural People of Bangladesh”, International Conference on Sustainable Development 2017, Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA), Carlton University, Ottawa, Canada, 09-10 August, 2017.
“An innovative approach towards sustainable energy in rural Bangladesh”, has been published by the American Institute of Physics, AIP Conference Proceedings 2039, 020056 (2018); doi: 10.1063/1.5079015, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5079015

SDGS & Targets

Goal 15

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 7

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 2

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 5

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 1

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 12

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Deliverables & Timeline

N/A

Resources mobilized

Resources

Financing (in USD)

50000

Partnership Progress

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Action Network

This initiative does not yet fulfil the SMART criteria.

Timeline

04 December 2007 (start date)

31 December 2050 (date of completion)

Entity

Kazi Shahid Foundation

SDGs

15 7 2 5 1 12 13

Region

Asia and Pacific

Geographical coverage

Panchagarh district is situated in the extreme northern part of Bangladesh with an area of 1404.62 sq km with a population of 10, 26,141. It is surrounded by 288 km long Indian border on its three sides. It is 46 m high from the sea level.

Website/More information

N/A

Countries

Bangladesh

Contact Information

Shahana Chowdhury, Dr.

shahana.chowdhury@kazishahidfoundation.org