Accelerating Economic and Social Inclusion of Smallholder Farmers in Climatic Hotspots through Strong Producers’ Organizations (ACCESS)

About the Project

In Bangladesh, a $3.26 million grant to Sara Bangla Krishak Society (SBKS) will improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in climatic hotspots and strengthen their resilience to public health and climate-induced crises in targeted areas. SBKS, in collaboration with FAO, intends to scale up and build on the successful experience of the GAFSP Missing Middle Initiative (MMI) in Bangladesh to strengthen producers’ organizations (POs) and ensure their access to markets, and access to finance. The new project will broaden the farming community SBKS by supporting the establishment of new POs in three of the most climate change-affected areas of Bangladesh with the potential for the growth of the agri-business sector. These PO are expected to become commercially viable actors in their respective value chains as the project will support them in building their institutional capacity and governance processes and will guide their integration into their local value chains.  The project will also aim to support the POs’ access to community-based financing through the development of revolving loan funds, as well as linkages with external financial providers to crowd in additional finance. As a result, the POs will be able to make investments to uplift their families and communities, helping to recover from shocks brought about by the pandemic and to be more resilient to potential future climate-induced and public health shocks. 

Recognizing the strength of women leaders within the current SBKS network, the project will promote women to have opportunities for leadership in their communities. The new project will also be an opportunity for SBKS to continue building its capacity to serve smallholder farmers in Bangladesh, in partnership with the private sector and government. The project will build on lessons learned under the MMI experience so that it can effectively partner with and empower more farmers throughout the country, to not only respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but to potential future shocks, particularly related to climate change and public health.