Justice for Food and Agriculture system in Bangladesh

Goal of the project: To campaign on comprehensive agrarian reform with due focus on climate change, adaptation and food security.

Objective of the project: To promote women’s role in agriculture and ensure female farmers’ access to cooperative market.

Duration of the project: 2013-2015

Donor: Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL) -Funded by Oxfam-GB

Background information of the project: This project aims for a ‘gender’ analysis, in the context of climate change, to promote an understanding of the ways that men and women are differently impacted by climate related hazards and by adopting adaptation and mitigation strategies. The project worked specially on the issue of gender equity and perspectives to empower women to offset the effects of climate change in agriculture and help them access to cooperative market in Sherpur district in Bangladesh.

Results: The Dalit community women, with whom the project worked, had no recognition of their contribution to family farming. So, the project aimed at that, and through the project interventions, made their community acknowledge that they also can perform as a successful farmer and can link them to farmers’ market.

Conclusion: Historically, Dalit is a male-dominated community. Dalit women encounter various types of discrimination within their family and society. Their role was limited within home only for child-bearing and rearing and housekeeping. They were never allowed to make any decision even within their family affairs. But, as the project worked with them, there is an opportunity created for them to prove their worthiness.