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Rural men and women in remote areas of the Chittagong Hill Tracts are now more optimistic about their future and their ability to withstand future shocks to their agricultural livelihoods. From February 2013 to June 2014, an FAO project successfully promoted an integrated family farming approach based on quality seed production, improved upland farming practices, fruit and vegetable production, poultry rearing and nutritional awareness. With support from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO), FAO worked with 6,200 men and women in the region to help reduce food insecurity, restore livelihoods and strengthen their resilience to future shocks and stresses.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is a geographically and socio-culturally unique region in southeastern Bangladesh. Prior to the signing of a peace agreement in 1997, the region experienced more than two decades of political turmoil and civil unrest, from which it has yet to recover. The region is inhabited by a large number of small ethnic communities with their own distinct traditions, languages and lifestyles. Much of the region is covered by rugged hills, which makes the region’s agricultural practices and living patterns unique in Bangladesh.
Most people rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, and many engage in subsistence farming, including a traditional shifting cultivation technique called sky.
Farmers have limited resilience to chronic and seasonal shocks and stresses. They are particularly vulnerable to events such as pest or disease attacks, natural disasters or outbreaks of localized conflict. In remote areas of Chittagong, food insecurity is a chronic and widespread phenomenon, especially between June and August. This period coincides with the monsoon and pre-harvest seasons. sky Rice – Family stocks are depleted and opportunities to earn money outside the household are limited.
Drought is also a common problem during the winter. Food shortages are widespread and the nutritional status is worse than in other parts of Bangladesh. Since 2010, a series of natural disasters (insect pests, flash floods, landslides, etc.) have worsened the situation, affecting the most vulnerable people, especially women, who usually suffer the most because they eat less than other family members.
From relief to development: helping rural men and women restore agricultural livelihoods
FAO’s intervention in the region builds on an emergency operation implemented by the World Food Programme in 2012. Limited food-for-work programmes in two remote districts led to requests for technical assistance from local farmers and district authorities to revive local production systems. FAO is working with ECHO and the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA) to implement sustainable agricultural practices to improve food and nutrition security.
The project provides key agricultural inputs (crops, horticulture, poultry); but these inputs also provide opportunities for extensive capacity development for rural men and women to improve agricultural production, diversification and sustainability, as well as nutritional awareness. Given the existing gender dynamics and the different roles and responsibilities of men and women in households in the CHT region, women are the main target of the horticulture and poultry interventions.
The combined distribution and training efforts have increased community income and resilience, and provided nutritional benefits by increasing the availability and consumption of more nutritious foods, while promoting conservation in areas affected by natural resource degradation. In addition, the project is working with 200 lead farmers to become community seed providers, in an effort to partially address the severe lack of quality seeds in the region.
The project has yielded significant results: beneficiaries, both men and women, have increased their rice reserves (from 4-5 months to 7-8 months per household on average) and started growing vegetables and fruits on their homesteads, resulting in a more diverse diet rich in vitamins and other nutrients.
Mobilizing community workforce for long-term resilience
for The project is FAO’s first cash-for-work programme in Bangladesh, and is being used to build two small dams. Built by communities under the supervision of FAO engineers, the dams will increase year-round access to water in an area that faces extreme water shortages during the dry winter months. In addition to building community ownership and accountability through direct participation in the construction process, improving water access by harvesting monsoon rainwater is also an effective local solution to increase the resilience of surrounding communities.
This is FAO’s first field project in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, a difficult region where needs are widespread but development work is limited by harsh local conditions. Despite the challenges, the project has been successful and ECHO is investing more resources to continue and expand its activities. Through this and other projects in this post-conflict region, FAO has demonstrated its commitment to building resilience in vulnerable communities.
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