SCB and Friendship to transform lives of 7,000 char-based farmers

DESK: Standard Chartered Bangladesh and Friendshiphave joined hands to ensure that char-based communities receive muchneededfarm-to-market support to increase agricultural output, rise above poverty, produceefficiently, and build resilience. The newly launched project will improve theeconomic condition of 7,000 climate-impacted farmers from across 36 chars viathe provision of sustainable agricultural technologies; training opportunitiestofoster growth;essential technical support; and market-extension assistance toboost financial inclusion. This end-to-endsupport will revolutioniseagricultural activity across some of the most vulnerable communities inBangladesh’s northern and southern regions. This initiative emphasises theessential role played by agriculture in furthering individual prosperity whilesimultaneously paving a path towards ensuring food safety and security acrossBangladesh.

 

Thiscollaborative intervention will cover all the steps of a typical agriculturalcycle. Starting from providing farmers with essential inputs – such as climateand salt tolerant seeds, fertilizer, and pesticide – to hosting trainingsessions,this initiative will teach farmers how to utilise the resources athand and scale operations efficiently in a world grappling with climate change.Standard Chartered and Friendship will also power greater access for all 7,000 beneficiariesby connecting individuals to market hubs – which will facilitate the ability tosell goods on a larger scale. Linkages with microfinance institutions andgovernment bodies will empower farmers to access funds, resources, andarea-specific aid.  Sustainable andinnovative technologies such as a solar-powered pumps and crop dryers will helpfarmers to move from subsistence to self-sufficiency while the building ofessential infrastructure, such as plinths, will protect char communities andtheir agricultural efforts in the event of extreme weather.

 

Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Chief ExecutiveOfficer, StandardCharted Bangladesh, said, “Those living in our country’s most isolated char communities, needour help to weather climate events, sustain their livelihoods, and access theopportunities which are currently beyond their reach. By working withFriendship, Standard Chartered is proud, not only to save lives and livelihoodsbut also to create a safety net for over 7,000 farmers, their families, andcountless communities, while also facilitating Bangladesh’s food securityambitions. With the support of this joint initiative, char-based farmers willfinally be able to access a pool of knowledge, innovations, education, andsustainable resources that will equip them to achieve inclusive development andbridge the gap that exists between our nation’s rural and urban areas. We arehonoured to continue working with Friendship to work towards solutions thathelp to make our world a better place.”

 

Runa Khan, Founder and Executive Director, Friendship,said, “This partnership,where we build the capacity of farmers, through affordable agriculturetechnologies, innovation, training, technical support, and market extensions,will help us to fulfil our four commitments to our stakeholders. It will savelives by increasing food productions, it will help alleviate poverty byincreasing productivity of farmers, it will make farming communities moreresilient to climate change, and it will empower farmers – both men and women.”

 

With over 118 years of uninterrupted presence,Standard Chartered is the only multinational universal bank in Bangladesh. Asthe nation’s longstanding partner in progress, Standard Chartered is dedicatedto driving commerce and growth without leaving people behind, negativelyimpacting the planet, or creating divisions that diminish Bangladesh’s sense ofcommunity.

 

Friendship is an international Social PurposeOrganization. Over the course of the last 20 years, Friendship has been workingto help address the needs people belonging to remote and marginalisedcommunities across Bangladesh. Via each project, Friendship delivers on itsfour commitments: saving lives, poverty alleviation, climate adaptation, andempowerment.