Prosperity Packages for Rural Bangladeshi Farmers

IDE Bangladesh is celebrating 25 years of successfully helping small rural farmers generate additional income this year! Our work in Bangladesh began with the rower water pump, developed by George Klaseen, who was IDE Bangladesh's first Country Director. Talks with the farmers revealed that this pump, while efficient, was very strenuous to handle for the farmers. Enter the treadle pump. IDE began a widespread marketing campaign, involving Bollywood style movies, movie vans, radio and print ads, demonstration plots and most importantly word of mouth. All of these efforts culminated in the sale of 1.5 million treadle pumps to Bangladeshi farmers.

The sale of treadle pumps is now a sustainable value chain within Bangladesh and needs little help from IDE. Our work is more focused on market connections, skill training in animal husbandry, marketing and general business practices as well as providing linkages with farmers to better inputs such as seed, fertilizer and other irrigation systems.

Your support of IDE Bangladesh helps us to continue to provide farmers with the training and inputs necessary to take the first permanent steps out of poverty.

From July to September of 2008 IDE was able to successfully set up 8 training sessions for 163 farmers and 34 input retailers on the best agronomic practices for high value crops.

In order to establish IDE farmers with high value market connections, nine meetings were set up between producers and traders from July to September. These necessary introductions have opened the door for 1948 farmers who previously had no access to high value markets for their produce.