SCDP: An Integrated Extension Approach for developing the livelihood

Dr. Ashoke Kumer Roy

Second Crop Diversification Project, Department of Agricultural Extension

Project Overview

Project Title : Second Crop Diversification Project (SCDP)

Sponsoring Ministry : Ministry of AgricultureExecuting Agency : Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE)

-Lead Agency : Bangladesh Bank (Credit Component)

Project period : July 2010 to June 2017

Project Cost : Total : 415,23.83 (lakh tk) : GoB : 96,49.35 : P.A (RPA) (40 m $) : 318,74.48

Second Crop Diversification Project, Department of Agricultural Extension

Project Coverage

27 Districts52 Upazillas240,000 Small Farmers (Beneficiaries)

In Northwest & southwest region of Bangladesh

Goal of SCDPThe overall goal of the project is to reduce poverty by improving farmers’ incomes in 52 Upazilas under 27 districts in the southwest and northwest part of Bangladesh through increasing production of High Value Crops integrating gender & nutrition.

Objectives To extend additional 50,000 hectare of land under High Value Crops

(HVCs); To increase income of 2,40,000 household’s (marginal, small, and

medium farmers) through improved efficiency and value addition of HVCs production;

To empower rural women through commercial agricultural activities & leadership development;

To enhance food security, safety, and nutrition through reduction of post harvest losses by around 10%;

To provide credit support to 2,03,000 farm families; To improve rural income through 18,000 person years of additional

employment opportunities in project areas; To strengthen institutional capacity in the agricultural sector.

Project ComponentsHigh Value Crops Production Support

Value Addition Support

Credit Support

Project Implementation Support

Institutional Strengthening

An Integrated Extension Approach

Enhance skills on Production Technologies

Advisory Services on Value Addition Support

Post Harvest Technologies training and

facilities, Market

Education

Organized Productio

n and marketing

Increased Income, creates

employment

Formation of groups

Capacity Building (sharing, training,

demonstration, farmers rally, field day, motivational

tour)

Access to finance

Credit, Savings

Project Components

High Value Crops:for enhancing health & nutrition, ornamental etc.

Vegetables Fruits 

Spices Medicinal plants

Flower Others

Tomato Mango Malta Onions Ashwagandha Rose Potato-Maize- M.bean

Brinjal Guava Coconut Garlic Kalomegh Tube rose

Bitter gourd Litchi Ber Ginger Aloevera Gladiolus Mushroom

P. gourd Banana Sapota Chili Peepul Gerbera

C. bean Papaya Pumello Onion seed Amlocki Chrysanthemum

Bottle gourd G. apple   Turmeric Brammi

7 12 6 6 5 2

The Uniqueness of the Project in General

• Strong collaboration, common understanding amongst the partners and stakeholders;

• Effective participation of all stakeholders, DAE field officers, farmers, BRAC filed officers, PMU and Bangladesh Bank ;

• Transparent disclosure of information• Close relationship between the project management unit and

the field offices;• Visible impact at the grass root level;• Effective training both for the trainers and farmers; • Enhanced women involvement in high value crop production,

value addition and marketing;• Strong Team work.

Success of Gender Mainstreaming

• The Project is highly gender friendly – equal emphasis is given to both male and female farmers (53% WFs).

• Shifting the female borrowers from conventional microcredit system to agribusiness linked credit

• An initiative taken for formulating gender equality strategy for whole agriculture sector through this project

• Woman perception is higher not only as borrower but also with respect to volume of credit

• Motivating BRAC to shift the mindset from traditional microcredit to enterprise credit for the woman

At a Glance project progress up to Feb. 2017

Issue Target Achievements

% Success

SFG formation, groups 12,000 12,000 100No. of enrolled group members 240,000 252,000

(M 47%, F- 53%) 105Production credit disbursed, Million Tk. 2031 7027 324

No. of group members trained 344,750 340,075 99

Area expansion under production credit, ha 50,000 82,502 165

Technology Transfer (Field Demonstrations) 14,000 14700 105No. of Loanee 203,200 203,200 100Women participation 50% 53% 106

Project outcome up to Oct. 2016

Issue Before Starting

After Completion Comments

No. of enrolled group members - 252,000

(M 47%, F- 53%)Knowledge level (training) 19% 91%House hold income level (BDT) 192,384.00 313,584.00 yearly

Homestead space utilization 30% 40.71%

Homestead production (fruits, vegetables & spices) kg.

84, 57, 39 104, 70, 48

Practicing GAP 48% 78%OM application 22% 43%

Contd.

Issue Before Starting

After Completion Comments

Access of women in loan 66% Men 34%Land accumulation by women 51% 70%

Decision making in crop selection 11% 40%%Homestead space product marketing 9% 29%

Food security by own production 15% 21%

Glimpse of Successful Technology Transfer

Crop Technology Lessons Learnt/ImpactTomato (Summer)

Off-season (Aug - Oct) harvesting with improved var. BARI - 4, hormone spray, under poly shed cultivation.

Economically viable, high market price, av. yield about 30t/ha in NW and 18t/ha in SW.

B:C ratio 2.64:1 in Northwest. Large area (2178 ha) expansion through

SCDP production credit. Local production to substitute import

during off season.

Technology Demonstration Highlights: 2013 and 2014 Tomato : Off Season Crop, Import

Substitution

Pesticide free safe Bitter Gourd Production

Crop Technology Lessons Learnt/ImpactBitter gourd Pheromone trap

against fruit fly, applied in plastic bottles at 10m distance.

Economic return and pesticide free. Yield: 17.2 t/ha in NW and 14.6 t/ha in SW. BCR: 4.05 in NW & 3.13 in SW. Large area expansion in Southern region

(Barisal, Ujirpur etc.)

Onion: Possible Solution to Onion Shortage Crop Technology Lessons Learnt/ImpactOnion Kharif - II, short day

varieties BARI Peyaz 5/N53 as additional crops.

Seed production (seed - seedling - bulb seed) of Kharif varieties.

Performance testing of some commercial hybrids.

Average bulb yield of 12t/ha at Nov - Dec (high market price) harvest.

Good seed yield (av. 475 kg/ha) of Kharif var. recorded in NW.

Large bulbs with very high yield in Sept - Feb. Crop recorded with F1 hybrids.

Onion crop sequences for round the year supply Local cv. Taherpuri - Rabi crop, May harvest . BARI Peyaz 5 - Nov - Dec harvest Kharif-II crop. Commercial hybrids AFR - Feb harvest (autumn early

Rabi crop) may address Onion shortage problem in BGD.

Increasing Input use EfficiencyPotato- maize Relay Cropping

Crop Technology Lessons Learnt/Impact

Maize - potato/Mung-bean

Relay cropping of Maize - Potato for SW region.

Already technology well placed in NW.

Maize relayed with potato/mung bean highly popular and huge area expansion (4,324ha) with SCDP credit support.

Banana bunch baggingInsect beetle is a serious pest of banana fruit, it feeds on skin of very young fruits. Severe scarring of fruit skin leads to underdeveloped fruit and ugly appearance resulting low market price.Technology: Polyethylene bagging at the flower opening stage in controlling beetle. It is environment friendly and profitable.Response: Good positive response from farming community.

Coconut Mite ControlMite is a serious pest in recent years, it attacks on young fruits and causes lesions on the skin of fruit. Fruits become unattractive and less demandingTechnology: Spraying miticide (Omite/Vertimac)Response: Farmers’ are interested to apply this technology.

BARI Aam-4 (Hybrid)

Fruit wt. 600g• Regular bearer• Harvesting: Up to mid August• Skin colour: Slightly Yellow• Pulp colour: Yellow• Very sweet (TSS 24%)d :18 t/ha

Late Harvest Mango BARI Aam - 4 Crop Technology Lessons Learnt/Impact

Mango Popularization of new late harvest mango hybrid BARI Aam - 4.

Regular bearing, late mango hybrid variety with commercial prospect.

Crop Technology Lessons Learnt/ImpactSweet Orange (Malta)Outstanding import substitute

Introduction of new crop BARI, Malta - 1, with Oct harvest when local fruits not available adequately.

Highly juice, sweet fruits (March flowering, October harvest) as import substitution of exotic sweet orange.

Introduction of Sweet Orange (BARI Malta-1) in Project Area

Climate Change Adaptation: Quality Flower Production in NW

Crop Technology Lessons Learnt/Impact

GladiolusFlower (recognized for the first time as crop in DAE )

Winter Gladiolus in Northwest with improved var. BARI - 3.

Gladiolus in upland of NW as Rabi (NW- Feb) crop highly remunerative.

Potential commercial crop with harvest time of mid Jan - mid Feb.

Introduction and commercialization of Malta

Introduction and commercialization of Malta

Coconut mite control

Grading Packing

TECHNOLOGY SHOWN

Technology shown

Best project award of ADB

Thank You