completed · Livelihoods· WASH

Resilient farming systems intensification in the Eastern Gangetic Plains

This project focuses on the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) of Bangladesh, India and Nepal, home to 300 million people, with the world’s highest concentration of rural poverty and a strong dependence on agriculture for food security and livelihoods. The EGP has the potential to become a major contributor to South Asian regional food security, but rice and wheat productivity remain low and diversification is limited. The project addresses two research questions: would farm management practices based on the principles of conservation agriculture and the efficient use of water resources provide a foundation for increasing smallholder crop productivity and resilience; and would institutional innovations that strengthen adaptive capacity and link farmers to markets and support services enable both women and men farmers to continue to innovate in the face of climate and economic change.