Bangladesh
Sunrise Potato Systems Institute is dedicated to empowering families in remote mountain farm communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.
About Our Program
Slash and burn hill tract farming is no longer sustainable in the feeding the local populations of Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts. Strategically we are supporting 14 communities introducing improved technologies including vegetable seed, fruit trees as well as other inputs and irrigation facilities with self managed microcredit.
Our Partnerships
Bangladesh Baptist Church Fellowship (BBCF) supports a network of churches in the Chittagong Hill Tracts amongst several tribal groups for the past 50 years. The BBCF seeks to support the broader communities with the technical guidance by SPSI. Fourteen communities were selected for developing programs based on their priorities and needs.
Dialogue and training activities are followed by provision of improved inputs such as vegetable seed, fruit trees , water pumps and fertilizers as well as a revolving fund that each community can manage to help its members with financing their input costs with repayment after harvest.
Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh
Background
The CHT is a hilly area in Eastern Bangladesh where various ethnic minorities live and practice “Jhum cultivation” a slash and burn farming system with some small animals and fruit trees. Due to periodic civil unrest these tribal areas are off limits to all foreigners unless special permission is granted.
A good friend and former missionary to these people groups requested that SPSI consider assisting in empowering these communities to greater financial well being. SPSI agreed to investigate with a special trip to the area in 2018. A first hand assessment was made of the situation, meetings were held with community leaders as well as government research station scientists on how to assist these poor rural communities. SPSI agreed to follow up with the training of two young men at PSRTC in the Philippines for 3 months from January-March 2019. Their learning included a diverse set of skill sets with vegetables, fruit trees, fish, irrigation and water management as well as learning how the farmers fund actually works. All of this in preparation for their work in the CHT.
Situational Analysis for communities was conducted from May to October 2019. This served as the basis for the formulation of a Community Development Program in the Hill tracts. Dr Demonteverde came to the CHT for a general survey of the area and then assisted in the formulation of the program through a workshop held by BBCF for leaders of 10 community to set the guidelines of how the program will work in empowering these communities.
Memorandum of understanding was signed between SPSI and the Bangladesh Baptist Church Fellowship (BBCF) in November 2019 in Dhaka. This permits the work of empowering communities in the CHT to commence.
Staffing was completed in January 2020 including two extension supervisors.
Program activities focus on the following key activities:
Introduction of new improved technologies. Efforts include improved seed potato production an and introduction of new varieties of Dutch potato varieties that are green in the lowlands of Bangladesh. Assessment of the local indigenous potato varieties called “Deshi alu” and doing selection of the best plants from those varieties to have reduced virus infection levels. Practices including late blight control and spraying of protective fungicides is being supported. On farm fertilizer experiments are assessing how farmers can improve their yields. Support is provided for distribution of healthy fruit tree and coffee seedlings to all the communities that desire them.
The loan program is available for all the 14 communities. This program is self managed by each community leaders and loans are provided and must be repaid with interest and then others can avail of the funds to help with their investments in improved farming techniques.
Grants are provided for small equipment such as water pumps and back pack sprayers.
Agribusiness with larger detailed work plans and requests for loan money from a separate account is being promoted.