Visit Date: 11 August 2025
Name of Producer’s Organization: Birahim IAPP Farmers Cooperative.
A high-level delegation from the FAO, World Bank’s Water Resources Group, IWET Project, and Sustainable Agriculture Foundation (SAF) visited a partnership-based water management model implemented by the Sara Bangla Krishak Society (SBKS) in Rangpur. The delegation witnessed firsthand how partnerships enable efficient responses to drought challenges.
In the drought-affected northern region and salt-affected southern areas, SBKS has pioneered a new approach by organizing 135 smallholder and marginal farmer organizations. These organizations have established equitable partnerships with other institutions, resulting in underground irrigation canals, solar-powered pumps, and expanded market linkages that have increased farmers’ incomes.
This visit has invigorated efforts to scale up water-saving technologies and empower producer organizations through inclusive multi-stakeholder partnerships.
2’nd step training:
FAO’s ACCESS project in Bangladesh has been named one of three global laureates in the FAO Global Innovation Challenge on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (SAM) and Farmer Field School (FFS). Implemented with SBKS, the project is piloting SAM-FFS integration in 15 Producer Organizations to enhance smallholder access to knowledge and machinery.
Following an inception and curriculum development workshop, a 5-day Training of Facilitators is underway to prepare 30 Farmer Facilitators to lead 60 SAM-FFS schools starting from August 12 to August 16 at the Brack Learning Training Center, Dinajpur. This initiative aims to empower smallholders—especially women—through participatory learning, reduced drudgery, improved yields, and increased resilience.