General

Integrated and sustainable polder development

Objectives

The combined efforts of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has reduced poverty and increased income for 186.339 households in 22 polders (119,124 ha) in the coastal districts of Bangladesh. This was done by (i) constructing water-management infrastructures, (ii) helping local communities to mitigate impacts of climate change, and to (iii) develop their local economy through diversified farming practices that are based on information on input costs and market prices, supported by participatory management of in-polder water resources. Results have been achieved in terms of effective participation of farmers, improved local level in-polder water management, agricultural production and operation and maintenance of infrastructure. Highlights from the project underline the substantial added value of facilitating in-polder water management and agricultural improvement: • Income from crops and fish were calculated to have more than doubled over the project implementation period. The increase in annual income exceeds the project expenditures (€ 89 million); it resulted in a payback period of 0.79 years. 60% of total household income comes from agriculture related sources, and 40% from non-agricultural sources. • The project established 543 Water Management Organizations (WMOs): 509 Water management Groups (WMGs) and 35 Water Management Associations (WMAs) that collectively make decisions over water management and agricultural issues. WMOs are officially registered, members contribute financially to a fund from which collective interventions are paid (eg repair). According to their self-assessment 486 (464+22) performed well and 56 (44+12) medium. • WMGs consistently reported a reduction in water-related constraints to crop production, with 69% of the seasonal reports from WMGs at the end of the project stating the water management situation is now good or very good, compared with only 13% in the pre-project situation. • Agricultural productivity in the area, traditionally much lower than other areas in Bangladesh, due to waterlogging and salinity, is now fast catching up. Overall cropping intensity has increased by 55%, from 186% to 241% in the polders. Against this overall rapid rise, there were some polders where crop intensity stagnated or decreased due to the conversion in urban land. • Besides cropping intensity, crop yields have improved. WMGs and DAE report yields have increased for almost all crops compared with the pre-project situation, by around 30% but doubling for paddy where high yield varieties have replaced local varieties. • Total labour used in agriculture has increased by almost 50%, with the number of women hired more than doubling. There is also tendency for landless persons to lease in land. These lease arrangement and the improved labour market have improved the opportunities for landless families. • 63% of the families received training under the project by DAE, whereas 38% reports to have received other training by the project. • Water management infrastructure in 22 polders has been rehabilitated/repaired/constructed, including 351 km of embankments, 538 km of khal excavation, 215 sluices, 254 outlets/inlets, 8 culverts, 4 pump sheds and 9 km of drainage pipes. The infrastructure provides protection from floods, improves river basin management and allowed WMAs to develop operational plans for (sub-polder) catchment areas.

Objectives

This project is designed to increase the role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in delivering Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), and in promoting adherence to LDN principles, including environmental and social safeguards, in public and private investments. The project has a global scope and will strengthen the capacity and the level of engagement of CSOs in the regions. The project objective is: “Increased capacities and recognition of the CSOs to contribute to the adherence of LDN principles in policies, programs and investments”. This will be delivered through capacities and support to CSOs to ensure that LDN is better aligned with established principles and practices and to lead investments in LDN. The project will consist of 2 components: 1) Influencing LDN and 2) Leveraging LDN. Component 1 focuses on increasing the recognition of CSOs at the political level, as well as increasing opportunities to be involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating LDN transformative projects. This is further extended to increasing the visibility of CSOs efforts towards achieving LDN. This will be done through a variety of mechanisms, namely knowledge development and exchange, mentoring, advocacy towards policy makers, awareness raising events and mobilisation of CSO community. Component 2 seeks to answer this demand, by building CSOs capacities and providing technical support to CSOs to leverage funds and convening fund raising meetings with donors and private investors. It is centred around a single outcome: CSOs’ capacities to leverage funds for LDN are increased. This will be achieved through knowledge development and exchange, and increased engagement with donors

Other

Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency.

Target Groups

As a global scale project, the socioeconomic benefits delivered by the project at national and local level will be indirect and context dependent. Overall, the project targets building the capacity of CSOs in both advocacy and fund-raising; these will directly feed into their mandate to bring forth civil societies to government, monitoring policies and encouraging political participation at the community level. Under Component 1, CSOs will be able to gain more knowledge about the UNCCD and LND, which in turn; this will improve their ability to understand how and when they can influence policy, starting at a national level, but for some, at an international level. This is of particular importance for countries where land degradation and LDN may not be prioritized; it will increase their ability to more effectively advocate to their governments, creating the necessary environment to encourage and strengthen sustainable land management and restoration opportunities. In terms of communities, this translates into the recognized socio-economic benefits of such actions (e.g., improved food production, natural resource management, climate resilience). Through component 2 (and some capacity building elements of Component 1 – e.g., communication), CSOs should be better equipped to navigate the funding landscape, which in essence, will provide more opportunities for community-based projects to slow land degradation or increase land restoration efforts. This in turn will provide numerous socioeconomic benefits to the local populations benefitting from the initiatives, including but not limited to, improved food production, improved and sustainable water and other natural resource management, improved health, increased job opportunities, and importantly climate change resilience. It is also important to recognize that this project will also improve the socio-economic opportunities for many of the CSO-based individuals taking part in the project, namely in terms of professional prospects. It provides a way to build capacity (i.e., increase skill sets), as well as expose them to novel situations and people. This, particularly in the global south, are non-negligible impacts, as it helps foster the confidence, capacity and networking that is necessary to increase the influence of such stakeholders on the global policy level, which in turn, should help further the (sustainable) socio-economic development agenda.

Objectives

To empower local communities and organizations to take integrated and adaptive actions for socio-ecological resilience and sustainable livelihoods in the seven target landscapes for local and global environmental benefits

Other

Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency.

Target Groups

SGP-OP7 is designed to achieve global environmental benefits (GEBs), as well as local benefits, in land degradation and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The project will contribute to the GEF’s Land Degradation focal area Objective 1 Support on the ground implementation of SLM to achieve LDN. It will restore approximately 15,000 ha of degraded agricultural land, will bring approximately 10,000 ha in target landscapes under improved practices, and promote landscape level planning and management in seven (7) target regions of Kazakhstan. On land degradation, the project will address erosion, desertification and deforestation through (i) Improved provision of agro-ecosystem and forest ecosystem goods and services (through dissemination of knowledge on agro-ecology and improved grazing/livestock maintenance); (ii) mitigated and avoided greenhouse gas emissions and increased carbon sequestration in production landscapes (reforestation, increasing plant coverage, conservation tillage). The project will also seek the sustainable mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) through project interventions that promote: (i) introduction, application and dissemination of energy efficient technologies; and (ii) Increased use of renewable energy (solar, wind). The project aims to support 15,000 direct beneficiaries of rural and peri-urban communities to increase the social, ecological and economic resilience of the seven target landscapes through community-level small grant interventions aiming at (i) conservation of land and water resources and promotion of climate adaptive solutions, with a focus on the agro-ecosystems that many rural communities rely upon and (ii) adoption of RE and energy efficient technologies and solutions. The project recognizes that there will be little uptake of sustainable practices unless and until beneficiaries can see socio-economic benefits as a result. For that reason, the SGP is anchored on principles to enhance livelihoods whether it is through demonstrations, trainings, alternative livelihood opportunities or access to markets and loans. A few of the new themes for future products include extension communications for small farmers. In that regard, the project will seek synergies with relevant ongoing government support/subsidy programs (e.g. the Sybaga livestock development program, drip irrigation, sustainable fish farms, fish farming using a closed water system, cage farming, fish processing and final fish product production, agrotourism development, etc.), National Management Holding “Baiterek” or DAMU Fund in leveraging state funding for upscaling of community-based projects. The project will build capacities of CBOs, small holder farmers, individual entrepreneurs on (i) good and sustainable agroecological practices and systems (including agroforestry) in partnership with experienced NGOs and experts, extension services, local government departments, academic/research institutions, (ii) cost-effective energy efficient and renewable solutions, including for productive use (drying, heating, pumping, lighting, etc.); (iii) rules and requirements of existing state support programs of regional and rural district akimats; (iv) how to fill in and submit documents to NUM Baiterek or DAMU for state financial assistance.