Community Livestock and Dairy Development Project

Bangladesh

07/1999 - 12/2005

Funded by the Grameen Bank and UNDP, the overall development objective of this project is to support national efforts for poverty alleviation by providing a model for sustainable rural development through livestock-based income generating activities at the rural community level which reduces the incidence of poverty; enhances development opportunities for women; improves household food security and nutrition; sustainably increases family income; and is consistent with safeguarding the environment by promoting integrated farming system. The project is located with the Grameen Motsho (Fisheries) Foundation (GMF), a non-profit arm of the Grameen Bank. The Foundation operates three inland fisheries in partnership with 3,000 or so very poor people who are organised into village groups.

The project aims to better fish pond operator livelihoods, especially the livelihoods of disadvantaged women, through promoting their earnings from livestock, poultry and dairy production; and through their participation in self-operated, self-reliant village organisations. It seeks to accomplish this by adapting and expanding the GMF village group structure and the Grameen micro-credit system to provide 7,750 assetless and functionally landless people with extra skills for starting income increasing and food production activities. This is to be achieved firstly by making a range of micro-credit packages available from community owned and managed development funds for livestock raising. And secondly, by establishing innovative, low cost, community owned milk processing enterprises for marketing pasteurised milk under a 'Grameen Dugdha' (Village Milk) label. In the process, an ecologically sustainable crops-livestock-fish farming system is to be introduced, including over 300 biogas units. The system will be available for replication in other areas of Bangladesh.