Introducing Water Efficient Technology in Barind Tract (IWET) – Bangladesh

Duration	2018-2025
Location	Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Noagaon districts
Outreach	40,000 Farmers
Partners	Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), DASCOH Foundation

Context:

The Introducing Water-Efficient Technologies in the Barind Tract Project (IWET, or the Project) is a catalytic initiative planned as part of the targeted transformative agenda for sustainable groundwater based irrigated agriculture in the Barind Tract area. The project has been jointly implementing by SFSA Bangladesh and DASCOH Foundation under coordination of 2030 Water Resource Group (2030WRG) and sponsored by The Coca Cola Foundation. The overarching goals of this project are to enhance agro-water productivity, reduce ground-water extraction and increase farmers’ income, focusing on the water-stressed North-West region and especially in the Barind Tract. To meet the aim of efficiency (“More Crop per Drop”) as well as water productivity (“Value per Drop”), it has been intervening in two interventions: i) Ultra High Density Plantation (UHDP) of Mango by using drip irrigation technology, and ii) paddy cultivation using the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) method since 2018. 
  
In 2022, the project has added another fruit called “Malta” to intervention-1: UHDP of Malta by using drip irrigation. It has the same intention that the UHD Malta gardening with drip irrigation will reduce groundwater extraction and increase the farmers’ income. Thus, the project trained 500 farmers in Malta gardening with water-efficient technologies. It assumes that the trained farmers will utilize their knowledge and establish Malta gardens this year onward. 
 
There are three interventions of this project-  
Intervention 1: Ultra High Density (UHD) Plantation in Mango using Drip Irrigation technology. 
Intervention 2: Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) technology in Rice Paddy cultivation. 
Intervention 3: Establishment of Farmers’ Hubs (FHs) 
 
Sustainable Agriculture Foundation, Bangladesh (SAF Bangladesh) is the technical partners and key implementer playing vital role in water efficient technology identification, adaptation, and demonstration, extension and market linkage facilitation. It’s also developed the training module, validated it through the right stakeholders and developed the capabilities of the trainers on that module. 
 
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) is the field level implementer, and their key roles are farmers mobilization and capability development of the farmers on using water efficient technologies. DASCOH Foundation worked for farmers mobilization, farmers training, field day and demonstration, demo plot establishment etc.  

Objectives: 

• Reduce groundwater extraction and decline through sustainable water management practices. 
• Increase livelihood opportunities for Barind farmers by promoting groundwater-efficient agriculture. 
• Strengthen institutional coordination among key stakeholders for effective groundwater governance.  

Key Activities:

• Technology transfer through training and demonstrations 
• Capacity building through ToT  
• Forward market linkage 
• Farmers’ Hubs establishment and operationalize  
• Stakeholder engagement through workshops 

Achievements (so far):

• 22,000 farmers were through training on Mango, Rice, Malta and Mustard. 
• Engaged govt. and private sectors that are relevant with the water technology.
• 3,971,814.62 m³ water saved through these two water efficient technologies. It also contributes to increase 25% and 5% of yield in mango and rice respectively.  
• 70 Farmers’ Hubs established and 14 were female-led FH. 
• 47,947 MT supplied to forward market with the support of 5,328 farmers and 17 FH engaged in 2024.
• 283 employments created through FH business and majority are female. 
• Established an intermediary Mango processing centre for the mango pulp and mango bar production.