Women Empowerment Activity (WEA)
Development Partner
USAID
Implementation by
Winrock International, ACI, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, SAINT Bangladesh, SMKK, NABOLOK
Program Area
Khulna, Jessore, Barisal, Barguna, Patuakhali
Target Beneficiaries :
30,000 women and 7,500 men
Project Description
The Feed the Future Bangladesh Women’s Empowerment Activity was designed within the context of the U.S. Government’s broader Feed the Future Initiative. The objective is to promote women empowerment in the Agriculture value chain so as to improve their skill and ensure higher productivity through use of quality seed, fertilizer, and animal health products. ACI is playing a prominent role in providing agricultural technical training and entrepreneurship development training to the beneficiaries, through its competent workforce. ACI is also working to create linkages between small farmers and forward market actors so that they have greater control over the end market and can achieve a fair price for their produce. The project is working to promote women economic empowerment, which in turn would lead to women having more voice in their families and in the society that they live in.
Development Partner
Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)
Implementation by
Winrock International, ACI, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, SAINT Bangladesh, SMKK, NABOLOK
Program Area
Coastal Belt of Bangladesh
Target Beneficiaries
30,000 women and 7,500 men The Feed the Future Bangladesh Women’s Empowerment Activity was designed within the context of the U.S. Government’s broader Feed the Future Initiative. The objective is to promote women empowerment in the Agriculture value chain so as to improve their skill and ensure higher productivity through use of quality seed, fertilizer, and animal health products. ACI is playing a prominent role in providing agricultural technical training and entrepreneurship development training to the beneficiaries, through its competent workforce. ACI is also working to create linkages between small farmers and forward market actors so that they have greater control over the end market and can achieve a fair price for their produce. The project is working to promote women economic empowerment, which in turn would lead to women having more voice in their families and in the society that they live in.
Stress Tolerant Seed Varieties to Increase Agricultural Productivity in Rural Areas
Partnership with a2I
Development Partner
Prime Minister’s Office, USAID
Implementation by
UNDP
Program Area
64 Districts of Bangladesh
Target Beneficiaries
Farmers of 4000+ Unions of Bangladesh
Project Description
The main objective of the MoU is to introduce agro-input services through Digital Centers which are located at Union/Pourashova/City Corporation level and establish an integrated supply chain of the quality agriculture inputs and information services. It will diminish the sufferings and harassments of farmer for getting quality agricultural inputs by reducing cost, time and number of visit required to obtain this service.
Development Partner
USAID (Feed the Future Initiative)
Implementation Organization
CARE Bangladesh, Dhaka Ahsania Mission
Program Area
South west region of Bangladesh
Target Beneficiaries
1150 Private extension
Project Description
The USAID Agricultural Extension project has been implemented in the central and south-west Bangladesh since October 2012 with the primary objective of increasing farmers’ access to improved extension services leading increased household incomes, nutritional status and food security for 110,000 participating farmers. Various business units of ACI have come under a collaboration with this project to build capacity of 1,150 private extension agents and dissemination of improved crop, livestock and fisheries technologies. ACI will also make available its quality agro-inputs and advisory services in the project areas in order to achieve higher production rate which will result in increased income of 110,000 women and men farmers.
Agricultural Extension Support Activity (AESA) Project
Balanced Fertilization Promotion among Farmers
Development Partner
SDC & UKAID
Implementation Agency
Swisscontact -Katalyst
Program Area
Dhaka, Kishorganj, Mymensingh, Comilla, Sreemongol, Chittagong, Jessore, Barisal, Khulna, Kushtia, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Nilphamari
Target Beneficiaries
0.6 million farmers
Project Description
ACI Fertilizer initiated a project partnering with Swisscontact to promote balanced fertilizer application at the farmers' level. Field promotional activities, at various levels, through ACI’s dealers and retailers were conducted to reach out to farmers. Farmer were encouraged to adopt and practice the judicious use of chemical fertilizers and increased usage of compost for crop production. Targeted farmers were provided with the information of the importance and benefits of using balanced dosages of fertilizers, and farmers were motivated and continued the practice over the period. The project led to tangible benefits for the beneficiaries in terms of increased yield of crops and greater income for the farmers. ACI facilitated the project by giving access to its rural distribution network to reach the farmers effectively. ACI also facilitated the field based activities concerning the farmers.
Development Partner
SNV Bangladesh, SarVision, Nelen & Schuurmans, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE)
Program Area
Dinajpur, Rangpur, Bogra, Naogaon, Mymensingh, Jessore, Khulna, Satkhira, Barisal, Patuakhali, Barguna, & Cox’s Bazar
Target Beneficiaries
1 Million smallholder farmers
Target Crop:
Mostly rice & vegetables
Project Description
The goal of this project is to develop an Intelligent Decision Support System (IDSS) to provide reliable and timely advice to rice growing farmers in Bangladesh. IDSS software will integrate Geo-data from satellite, soil-health data & weather data into actionable localized crop-specific advice for farmers. The IDSS service will be made available through mobile application. Subscription models will be made available to farmers, input retailers, NGOs, development partners and companies. This will improve farmers’ access to advanced information. Thus, farmers’ decision making along the entire production cycle and the overall food production will improve. It will also reduce damages for farmers and improve productivity & profitability of the consortium, and DAE operations. Furthermore, there will be capacity development of local service providers (lead farmers, input retailers, extension workers), aiming to improve the knowledge base of farmers' points of information. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) will play the key role in reaching farmers. ACI will play a major role in sensitizing and training farmers, retailers, government officials and other stakeholders in using the service effectively.
Intelligent Farmer Decision Support System (IDSS) Project
Making Markets Work for the Chars (M4C)
Development Partner
SDC
Implementation Agency
Swisscontact
Project Area
Sirajganj, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Bogra, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat
Target Beneficiaries
0.6 million farmers
Project Description
ACI Fertilizer initiated a project partnering with Swisscontact to promote quality crop care solutions and balanced application of fertilizers at the farmer’s level. Field promotional activities, at various levels, through ACI’s dealers and retailers was conducted to reach out to farmers. Farmers were encouraged to adopt and practice judicious use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers and increased usage of compost for crop production. Targeted farmers were provided with the information of the importance and benefits of using balanced dosages of quality pesticides fertilizers, and farmers were motivated and continued the practice over the period. The project led to tangible benefits for the beneficiaries in terms of increased yield of crops and greater income for the farmers. ACI facilitated the project by giving access to its rural distribution network to reach the farmers effectively. ACI also facilitated the field based activities concerning the farmers.
Development Partner
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Working partners
ACI, Supreme Seed, Lalteer, Energypac Agro-G
Program Area :
Barisal, Khulna, Comilla, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Noakhali, Bagerhat, Patuakhali
Target Beneficiaries:
40,000 farmers
Project Description
The main objective of this project is improvement of climate risk management capacity of targeted vulnerable farm households of twelve vulnerable polders in coastal region to increase crop productivity, diversity and income for better livelihood. To support project activities, ACI Agribusiness made an agreement with IFC to promote quality agriculture inputs among the farmers and traders in the coastal area of south region of Bangladesh. Under the project, ACI will promote balanced fertilization application and good quality seeds through training and sensitization programs for farmers and retailers. Around 40,000 farmers will be trained up in two phases and a business model will be developed to ensure the return of their investments for sustainable agriculture. It is expected that these farmers will become climate smart prudent farmers, able to make informed choices about their farming methods; leading to greater yield and profits for them.
Climate Resilient Agriculture & Food Security Project
Development Partner
USAID funded Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia – Mechanization and Irrigation (CSISA – MI)
Implementation Partner :
International Development Enterprise (iDE)
Program Area
13 districts of south-west belt of Bangladesh
Project Description
The reaper commercialization project is a part of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia – Mechanization and Irrigation (CSISA – MI) project. The project seeks to transform agricultural technology in Southern Bangladesh by unlocking the potential productivity of the region’s farmers during the dry season through surface water irrigation, efficient agricultural machinery, and local service provision. ACI Motors is collaborating with iDE to commercialize the Reaper, which is a cost effective harvesting technology to replace manual labor and reduce harvesting expenses. The Reaper is an effective solution to the labor crisis that occurs during harvesting period. Through collaboration with ACI, iDE will be able to reach greater scale in delivering upon its mission to increase the income of poor rural households in Bangladesh.
ACI Motors is engaged in educating the customers, developing dealership channels through incentivizing, providing responsive and effective after-sales service to ensure high performance and stimulating consumer demand through mass media campaigns, practical demonstrations etc.
Reaper Commercialization Project
Enhancing Quality Seed Supply Project
Development Partner
Islamic Development Bank
Implementation Organization
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC)
Project Area
28 sub-districts (Upazilla) of Bangladesh
Project Description
The Project aims at improving the capacity of BRRI, BARI, and BADC in order to increase the supply of quality seed to the farmers. The supply of quality seed will result in an additional increase of 1.4 million tons of food, thereby ensuring food security for the people. For the proper preservation of seed and thus attaining sustainable food security, BADC is establishing four Seed Potato Cold Storages with capacity of 2000 MT. ACI acquired the tender from the government for construction of the Cold Storages, including supply and installation and commissioning of all Electrical and Mechanical Machineries. The storages will be equipped with modern technology, ensuring the supply of quality seed to farmers.
Development of Improved Varieties of Rice
Development Partner
USAID
Implementation Organization
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
Project Area
15 districts of Bangladesh including 7 districts under Feed the Future (FtF) zone
Project Description
IRRI entered a partnership agreement with ACI to initiate a state-of-the-art rice breeding program in Bangladesh. The partnership will aim to improve the lives of rice farmers through supporting better rice varieties and agricultural technologies. The collaboration will support a wide range of projects aimed to accelerate genetic research, advance breeding and product development for the Bangladesh rice ecosystem. After development of new improved varieties, ACI will distribute them through its extensive seed delivery network after securing government authorization. ACI will also contribute to the project activities through market linkage, extension and establishing networks with dealers, inputs retailers and rice farmers. By 2022, ACI plans to market 40,000 tons of hybrid and self-pollinating rice seed per year for deployment on 1.8 million hectares which is 16% of the country’s rice area. This will be dramatic shift in the seed supply system, which increases the private sector supply of rice seed, currently estimated as 2% annually. A national average yield increase of 20–25% in rice is also anticipated from project interventions due to high performing varieties. The ACI-IRRI project will be a prototype for transforming the rice value chains of other developing countries.
Sustainable Contract Farming Model
Development Partner
DFID (Business Innovation Facility program)
Implementation Organization
Practical Action Bangladesh, ACI
Project Area
Sirajganj
Target Beneficiaries :
Up to 5,000 landless farmers
Project Description
The Business Innovation Facility (BIF) is a five-year (2014-2019) DFID-funded market systems development program that aims to improve the lives of the poor in developing countries. The project objective was to implement a sustainable contract farming model that engages low-income landless farmers as tomato producers and ensures a sustainable supply of high-quality, affordable crops for ACI. Practical Action was responsible for organizing and assisting farmers in leasing land and overseeing the cultivation process, while ACI provided all agricultural inputs (machinery, seeds and fertilizer) to the contract farmers on credit. Under Practical Action’s supervision and using ACI’s inputs support, farmers cultivated tomatoes, which were then bought back by the trading wing of ACI. Through this venture, the contract farmers benefitted from training on optimal fertilizer use and cropping practices, gained accesses to high quality inputs and affordable production finance, and the guaranteed market for their produce. Thus the contract farmers participating in this endeavor managed to increase their farming performance and their farming performance and their income.
Agro Inputs Project (AIP)
Development Partner
USAID (Feed the Future Initiative)
Implementation Organization
Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)
Project Area
South west region of Bangladesh
Target Beneficiaries :
2564 agro input retailers
Project Description
In order to ensure the availability of quality agricultural inputs to farmers in southern Bangladesh, AIP project strives to increase the knowledge and sales of safe, high-quality agricultural inputs through technical training and improved business services by an expanding network of Agro-Input Retailers Network (AIRN). The project has trained 2,564 retailers on agronomic products, agro-business management and ethics, safe and judicious use of agro-chemicals, and high density nutritious crops. ACI played an active role in facilitating training for the retailers. In addition to formal training AIP has also organized seven local and two international study tours for 116 retailers. They received practical experience on agro-inputs business management, supply and best practices from local and international stakeholders. The retailers also paid a visit to ACI formulations plant in Gazipur. In addition, AIRN has organized 341 demonstration plots for hands on learning of the retailers and farmers on quality agro-inputs and appropriate input application practices. ACI played an active role in facilitating AIP to organize many of these demo plots. Approximately 21,000 farmers (of which 2,500 were female) also got opportunity to learn from these demonstration plots.
Safe Fruits & Vegetables Projects
Development Partner
USAID (Feed the Future Initiative)
Implementation Organization
DAI
Project Area
South west region of Bangladesh
Target Beneficiaries :
1000 farmers, 50 traders and 10,000 consumers
Project Description
The objective of this project is to develop a -productive model for production, procurement, distribution and marketing of safe and quality fruits and vegetables for the premium consumers of Bangladesh. ACI wants to develop a preferred supplier network for the company to have better quality product. ACI will be working closely with DAI to facilitate strengthening of backward and forward linkage points and various activities with the farmers. The linkage will be established through an online platform through which customers can interact with their sellers conveniently and ACI will take the lead to materialize such a platform. ACI will also play a leading role in the branding/promotion of the platform to ensure the business viability of this model. As a result of this initiative consumers can access quality agricultural products from their home and farmers can expect to get greater prices for their produces.
Promoting Bio Pesticide for Small Farmers of Bangladesh
Development Partner
UKAID and Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC)
Implementation Organization
Swisscontact- Katalyst
Project Area
Dhaka, Narsingdi, Jessore and Gazipur
Target Beneficiaries :
600 vegetable farmers
Project Description
The project facilitated the promotion of bio pesticide among vegetable farmers and demonstrated the higher profitability in doing so. Farmers were intensively trained by ACI’s technical staff on awareness and usage of bio-pesticide. The beneficiaries came to know different kinds of pests and their solutions, provided by ACI. At post-production level, farmers were trained on proper harvesting, grading and carrying. Then in the third part, farmers’ group leaders were connected to the ACI’s retail business “Shwapno” where they sold their safely produced vegetables at a much higher rate.
Safe Fish Initiative
Development Partner
SDC & UKAID
Implementation Organization
Swisscontact (Katalyst Project)
Project Description
Fish is one of the common dishes for meal in almost every household in Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh’s farmed fish market faces multi-faceted challenges. Besides, consumers are now highly cautious about the quality of fish farming inputs.
To address the shortfall of quality and safe fish in the consumer’s plate, ACI and Katalyst came together to devise an innovative business plan. Under this scheme, Katalyst Innovation Fund (KIF) provided co-funding and technical support to ACI in order to establish and promote an efficient distribution channel for safe and healthy fish through an outlet. Now “Fisharbour” is Bangladesh’s first fish outlet that provides guaranteed safe fish to its customers. ACI also provided training and guidance to the farmer from whom the fish is sourced, to ensure optimum quality.
