An ambitious approach
Bangladesh is one of the poorest and most densely populated countries
in the world. Despite rich soil and plentiful water and sun, there is
a constant risk of flooding due to the convergence of several major rivers,
including the Ganges, in the Padma River Delta. Most households are vulnerable
to these forces of nature and over half of the population continue to
live in extreme poverty. 
However,
with the support of donor agencies, such as the UK Department for International
Development, rural development has been a major focus since the 1970s.
(see also Food, income and
social pay off Developments 00-3).
Bangladesh has a population density of over 800 people per square kilometre which, as Donal Brown, Natural Resources Advisor for DFID in Bangladesh says, is a phenomenal amount of people to try and satisfy both in terms of food and income. After Independence in the 1970s, famines occurred regularly and the country was expected to have little hope of food security. And yet, over the last three decades, Bangladesh has become, by and large, self-sufficient in food and has a growing economy built on rural development.
However, the economy of Bangladesh continues to be heavily dependent upon rice. Nearly 75% of the cropped land is under rice, and paddy production is a key source of income for the majority of small farms, most of which are of less than one hectare. Up until the mid-1990s, small farmers benefited greatly from the adoption of modern and higher yielding varieties with an accompanying expansion of rice grown under irrigation. But yields are now stagnating and the potential for increasing production by bringing more areas under irrigation is limited. Input costs have also increased whilst prices for rice have dropped. Assistance continues to be provided for improved management and varieties of rice through the establishment of the Poverty Elimination through Rice Research Assistance Project (PETRRA), diversification of rural activities has also been encouraged through the network of NGOs that play a prominent role in the rural development in Bangladesh. Such activities, intended to improve the nutritional and income status of rural households for example, include the establishment of homestead gardens and information and training in food processing, an activity, which is particularly relevant to landless farmers or those with insufficient land for subsistence.
In addition, support for agricultural projects is being provided though
the Agricultural Services Innovation and Reform Project (ASIRP)
which continues to build on the successful impact achieved through the
Agricultural Support Services Project (ASSP) that ended in 1998. By working
with the Department of Agricultural Extension, a bottom-up, demand-driven,
extension service, with a focus on the needs of poorer farmers, has been
introduced. Decentralisation and the involvement of the private sector
will be crucial in the further development of the rural sector and the
way in which the ASIRP will continue to work to meet the needs of all
farmers, but particularly the large proportion of landless, marginal and
small farmers. Significant progress has already been made but, according
to Donal Brown, there is still much to achieve. "We have plenty of
technical solutions but this project is all about stepping outside our
traditional solutions and, instead, recognising the complexity of farmers'
livelihoods and the fact that thinking about farming in isolation is not
sufficient. It's about linking outwards to the role of women, to processing,
to markets but we're dealing, as in many countries, with traditional agricultural
ministries and so there is a process of education, a change in attitude,
which takes time but is necessary if these areas are to be successfully
integrated. One could try and impose but, if one imposes, the long-term
sustainability of these activities is just not going to happen."
