Democratic local governance needed to empower smallholders
CSOs are fundamental to strengthening governance, accountability, and sustainability of smallholders
Formation of farmer-led Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) is fundamental to empowering smallholders including women, ethnic communities, the physically disabled, and all marginal people at the grassroots level, said experts at a discussion on Tuesday.
Dr Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (Barc), who was also the chief guest, said, "The project aimed at building partnerships to ensure policies and practices to strengthen the economic and social rights of marginalised farming communities in rural areas."
Tradecraft Exchange (TX) Bangladesh organised the Khamatayan project workshop, "Empowering Smallholders to Strengthen Local Democratic Governance," at Spectra Convention Centre in Dhaka.
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Marking the importance of establishing CSOs he also said, "The project has left a legacy of constructive partnerships between local authorities and smallholder-led CSOs that strengthen local democratic governance, ensuring the co-production and co-provision of development outcomes going forward, with 10 million smallholder farmers benefiting from improved recognition and fulfilment of their economic and social rights".
The project started its operations on 1 January 2018 and is about to close in December 2021. In these four years, the project targeted empowering smallholder CSOs, representing 24,426 marginal farmers. Of them, 50% were women, 10% were ethnic minorities, and 5% were disabled people.
The project was also able to proactively engage local authorities in five targeted districts- Mymensingh, Sherpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, and Satkhira.
It was funded by the European Union and has been a consortium initiative of Tradecraft Exchange (TX), Christian Aid (CA), and Solidarities International (SI), implementing through three local partners- Rural Development Sangstha (RDS), Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK), and Shushilan.
Laila Jasmin Banu, programme manager, Governance and Human Rights, Delegation of the European Union, and project beneficiaries as well were present at the programme.
