HKI

Helen Keller International (HKI): Resilience to health shocks through improved agricultural production and market access

Project title
Making Markets Work for Women (M2W2)

Project Area
Laksmichhari, Upazila, Khagrachhari
See the project areas on Google Maps

Target
450 Beneficiary Households (BHH)

Years to Graduate
3 years

Budget (BDT)
Total budget 31,165,286
Cost per BHH 69,256
direct delivery cost per BHH 25,399

Key Aspects

• This project addresses the critical issues of participating in markets and accessing services while simultaneously building human, social, and physical capital to allow the extreme-poor greater resilience to livelihood shocks and more equitable participation in household and community decisions;
• Transfers training and tools for contour farming to beneficiaries with a general orientation on contour farming,erosion control and resource management techniques for the entire community;
• Develop contour farming demonstration plots by introducing a few high-value crop varieties, such as long grain sticky rice, sesame, olives, blackberries, orange trees, pineapples, grapes, and intercropped maize;
• Formation of Marketing Committees (MC) for group training and distribution of contour farming, improved agriculture production, post-harvest processing, as well as business skills(numeracy, business management, pricing, negotiation, and book-keeping skills);
• Technical advice to improve yield through raised bed technology, intercropping, trough irrigation, integrated pest management, and use of organic fertiliser;
• Introduction of simple, low-cost post-harvest storage and processing technologiesand set up demonstration sites for solar driers, spice grinders, canning, and packaging;
• Each MC will be provided with a group-managed transportation asset for transporting bulk produce to local markets;
• Strengthening long-term income and livelihood security by improving household nutrition and access to health services.

Outputs

• Information and assets for ecologically appropriate land management systems disseminated to 30 remote tribal communities;
• Inputs, equipment, and training on market-oriented food production;
• Inputs, training, and equipment on post-harvest storage, processing, and packaging;
• MCs formed and provided transportation assets, business skills, and marketing information;
• Education on nutrition, gender awareness for men, and improved access to health services.

Read HKI’s Lesson Learning Report

See the works of SHIREE funded project of Helen Keller International (HKI) on flickr