ALTER PHASE-1 project is being implemented in Ramnathpur, Mahmudhkati, and Noakati village of Haridhali Union, Hitampur, and Baka Village of Godaipur union of Paikgachha Upazilla of Khulna District situated in the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh which is one of the most climate-vulnerable areas in the world and poverty pocket of the country. The project seeks to strengthen the resilience of the climate-vulnerable seagoing traditional fisher and marginalized farmer community of the project area through developing the adaptive capacity of the target community. The project contains five core components which are skills and capacity development, climate adaptive agriculture development, women development and alternative employment, disaster preparedness and reducing loss and damage of seagoing traditional fishers, WASH support, and local level advocacy, Direct beneficiaries of the project are 4225 from 845 Households (HHs) (Fisher -2420, farmers-1805).
Seagoing traditional fishers (Component-wise project activities):
Skills and Capacity Development: In order to increase the skills and capacity of the target population of the project, sharing meetings, consultation meetings, workshops, and issue-based training are held at different levels. In order to implement the project activities smoothly and to achieve the objectives of the project, thematic training will be conducted for the project staff.
The project covers Fisher’s training on Local level strategy of reducing climate-induced loss and Damage, Mockdrill on Emergency Response, Thematic courtyard meetings, Leadership Development Training, Community-based Disaster Preparedness, Farmers Training on Local Level Cropping strategy and Organic Farming, Market Linkage Orientation for small business groups, have been conducted. As the southwestern part of Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable areas in the world due to climate change and the project will be implemented to improve the living standards of the people in the region, AOSED participates in the environment and climate-related advanced training/seminars/workshops/policy meetings on adaptation, mitigation, and relief.
Disaster Preparedness and reducing loss and damage of seagoing traditional fishers:
Various types of safety equipment and tools (life jackets, lifebuoys, compasses, torch lights) and mobile phones have been provided to the ocean fishermen for disaster preparedness and mitigation. Regular and live communication has been established through the Central Monitoring Hub, providing advice on taking shelter in safe places by providing weather forecasts to fishing boats at sea through Vessel Tracking Systems. Initiatives will also be taken to set up sea depression and cyclone tolerant tents in Dublar Char / Alorkol area for the fishermen to spend the night safely during the fishing season.
Distributed safety and security materials to seagoing traditional fishers :
- Lifejackets
- Lifebuoy
- Compass
- Signal lights
- Mobile Phone
- Vessel Tracking System (VTS)
- Cyclone Tolerant Tent
Early Warning Response Mechanism for Seagoing Traditional Fishers:
To reduce the loss and damage of lives and assets of seagoing fishers, AOSED has innovated a model of early warning response mechanism by using locally available technologies and instruments to provide cautionary weather information to the fishers in the sea for the upcoming disaster. This mechanism consists of two major components, tracking the fishing boats and providing their weather information from a Central Monitoring Hub (CMH).
AOSED succeeded in locating the seagoing traditional fishing boats through installing Vessel Tracking Devices (VTD). The CMH has been able to locate and track the boat up to 40KMs in the sea. Weather information is being collected and analyzed in the CMH for dissemination in an easily understandable method through live communication (phone calls and SMS).
As of now, 129 fishing boats comprising 1032 fishermen from 5 villages of Paikgacha Upazila of Khulna district are getting precautionary information for upcoming sea weather conditions. Besides, the initiative has been taken for the first time to equip them with safety materials.
Climate Adaptive Agriculture Development:
Under the project AOSED Household-based seeds and fertilizers distribution to increase agricultural production through trained farmers. In addition, seeds of indigenous climate tolerant varieties, solar-powered irrigation technology, production of organic manure (vermicompost) at family level, model agriculture farm for demonstrating the climate adaptive cultivation technique to farmers, seed production and preservation techniques, homestead vegetation support, crop calendar publication are included.
Women Development and Alternative Employment: In order to empower women and generate income-generating alternative employment, women entrepreneurial groups will be assisted in fishnet weaving, vermicompost, making shopping bags, producing puffed rice in an indigenous way, homestead vegetable production, and marketing of their products for a profitable return.
WASH Support: Under the project, household-based offset pit latrines have been installed. Selected families are provided with Rainwater Harvesting and a Community-based Reverse Osmosis Technology Water Purification Plant (with a capacity of 8000 liters per day) has been set up.
Local-level advocacy: Sharing meetings at various levels for the development of effective relations of fishermen and farmers under the project with government officials and stakeholders at the Upazila level; Round table meeting; Lobby meetings with policymakers and implementers at the local, divisional, and national level, social media campaigns, media coverage of livelihoods of people in the project area in newspapers and on television, organizing Climate and Water Conference highlighting water and environmental issues in the southwest coastal region (Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat) by collaborating with government, non-governmental organizations, research and educational institutes, letter campaign will be organized. In addition, sharing meetings will be held with banks and insurance companies to ensure easy access to bank loans and insurance facilities for sea-going fishermen.
- * Mockdrill
- * Community leadership development training
- * Local level cropping strategy and organic farming
- * Market linkage orientation for small business groups
- * Courtyard meetings
- * Workshop and issue-based trainings for stakeholders
