| Floating Gardens (baira) for Sustainable Livelihood in Selected Haor Areas of Bangladesh
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| A lack of cultivatable space over the long flooding period is a vital concern in the haors of Bangladesh and it restricts the livelihoods of the local communities. To overcome this constrain, the focused Baira Project has aimed at promotion of baira cultivation or floating gardening, an age old agricultural system in southern Bangladesh, in the haor areas. This pilot initiative has been implemented under the SHOUHARDO Program of CARE Bangladesh funded by USAID. Through capacity building and community organization, this initiative has promoted baira cultivation as a sustainable alternative livelihood option for the targeted marginal communities in monsoon as well as in winter by seedling raising and vegetable gardening; consequently improving the food security of these vulnerable people. |
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| Goal |
- To enhance the level of food security of the vulnerable rural community.
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| Specific Objective |
To develop and establish a sustainable community-based baira (floating gardening) cultivation system as an alternative livelihood option for securing food availability in Baniachang Upazila, Habiganj District, and train CARE staff on the techniques for the sustainability of the initiative by October 2006. |
| Location |
Three villages namely Adarshagram, Bidyabhushan Para and Ghagrakona of Baniachang 2 no. Uttar Paschim Union under Baniachang Upazila of Habiganj District.
Approach
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- Pro-poor focus
- Ensure community participation
- Livelihood consideration
- Gender consideration
- Adapting baira technique
- Linking with SOUHARDO Program
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| Activities |
- Scope assessment, site selection and baseline establishment
- Awareness raising of the community and CARE staff
- Community mobilization and organization (guidelines)
- Capacity building of the community and CARE staff (training and cross-visits)
- Training manual development
- Appropriate baira technique development and baira cultivation facilitation
- Potential benefits assessment
- Project impact assessment
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Timeframe: 16 July 2005 to 15 October 2006
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| Progress/ Status |
- Final Report submitted on 12 October 2006
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