Back to news
23 Nov 2015 | News

Multi-stakeholder Consultation Meeting for AdaptHimal Initiative in Khagrachari, Bangladesh

2 mins Read

70% Complete

 

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) organised a multi-stakeholder consultation meeting in collaboration with the Khagrachari Hill Development Council (KHDC) in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh on 26 October, 2015, under the AdaptHimal Initiative (Livelihoods and ecosystem services in the Himalayas: Enhancing adaptive capacity and resilience of the poor to climate and socioeconomic changes). ICIMOD is implementing AdaptHimal in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Myanmar in collaboration with national partners, and is financially supported by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD). In Bangladesh, the project’s focus is on building capacity of institutions to support sustainable and inclusive transformations in shifting cultivation.

The objective of the meeting was to conduct a rapid context and need assessment for planning interventions in Sindukchari union of Khagrachari district with the stakeholders. About 30 participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA), KHDC, line departments, Sindukchari Upazilla and Union Parishad, Sinduckchari villages, Bangladesh Agriculture Research nstitute (BARI), Zabrang Kalyan Samity, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ICIMOD attended the meeting organised at KHDC.

In the inaugural session, Suman Bisht and Dhrupad Choudhury welcomed the participants and introduced ICIMOD and AdaptHimal initiative, followed by the joint secretary MoCHTA, and the acting chairperson of KHDC, who shared their views to set the context of the meeting.

Md Abdur Rahman Tarafder, Executive Officer, KHDC, commenced the second session with a  comprehensive presentation on KHDC programmes in Khagrachari. Thereafter, the organisers carried out a rapid context and need assessments through group work and plenary discussions. Participants divided across three groups – Sindukchari local, Sindukchari Upazilla and Khagrachari district – reflected on three questions:

Participants suggested various interventions across agriculture, livestock and fisheries, inclusive of capacity building activities, assistance in developing market linkages and on-farm and off-farm opportunities, to help diversify income generation activities and increase income of the Sindukchari people. Other avenues suggested were Participatory Forest Management (PFM), development and operationalisation of farmer’s producer groups, and strengthening of local institutions, infrastructure and facilities towards

With regard to improving food security in Jhum, participants suggested awareness raising and capacity building activities for the Jumma people — indigenous people of Chittagong Hill Tracts, who practice Jhum cultivation (slash and burn agriculture) — on improved cultivation practices on hill slopes, crop fertilisation techniques and increased opportunities for pisciculture. Participants also suggested organisation of exposure visits for farmers for experiential learning opportunities.

In conclusion, the participants suggested development of a thorough understanding of location specific requirements, prioritisation of activities to address local farmer’s needs and aspirations and development of a sustainable, long-term monitoring solution.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related Contents

Continue exploring this topic

31 Mar 2015 News
Partners Refine Strategy for Upper Indus Basin Initiative

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) organized the first Upper Indus Basin (UIB) Strategic Committee Meeting in Lahore ...

18 Dec 2015 News
National Experts’ Symposium on Ecosystem Based Adaptation in Pakistan

  ICIMOD, in collaboration with the Mountain Agricultural Research Centre and WWF-Pakistan, organized a two-day ‘National Experts’ Symposium on Ecosystem Based ...

14 Dec 2015 KSL
Toilets Clean up Kailash Sacred Landscape

  The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) Foundation and Central Himalayan Environment ...

10 Feb 2015 News
Inception workshop on Cryosphere Monitoring Programme – Bhutan held in Thimphu, Bhutan

The main focus of the programme is to build the capacity of national agencies including DHMS for long-term cryosphere monitoring ...

30 Sep 2019 Livelihoods
Himalayan large black cardamom: Geographical indication key to developing value chain in the Kangchenjunga Landscape

During the workshop, Kinlay Tshering, Director of the Department of Agriculture, Bhutan, emphasized the need to capitalize on the unmet ...

16 Jan 2015 Atmosphere Initiative
HKH scientists plan to investigate the problem of fog in the Indo-Gangetic Plain

Since the winter of 1998-99, researchers have documented widespread fog that occurred over a 1,500 km distance in north-eastern Pakistan, ...

24 Jan 2018 Cryosphere
Cryosphere Initiative field activities for the autumn 2017

Thana glacier, Bhutan In Bhutan, Sharad Joshi, Associate Glaciologist and two glaciologists from the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Germany, ...

3 Jul 2017 Himalica
Roadmap for Tourism Development of Bandarban Hill District Launched

Menon called on the private sector to join forces with the government to develop the country's tourism infrastructure around its ...