IFAD photo by Anwar Hossain - Woman harvesting greens.

Project area. This project has national coverage.

Target group. The target group will consist of small-scale and marginal farmers, fishers and the landless poor. The project will also aim to bring specific benefits to women and minority ethnic groups.

Project objectives. The overall goal of the project is to continue to support the Government's poverty reduction efforts by promoting sustainable agriculture, including fisheries production. The objective is to develop sustainable, stakeholder-driven small-scale water resource management systems, with special attention to poorer community members.

Project description. The project will have three components:

• Institutional strengthening. This component will focus on building the capacity of agencies directly engaged in small-scale water resources development. Institutional support will be provided to the Integrated Water Resources Management Unit and the Department of Cooperatives. Component activities will also strengthen linkages between the Department of Agricultural Extension and the Department of Fisheries and, to a lesser extent, the Department of Livestock Services and the Department of Women's Affairs in connection with small-scale water resource development, particularly at district and upazila, or subdistrict level.
• Participatory development. Through this component, the project will improve beneficiary participation in small-scale water resource development by setting up and strengthening water management cooperative associations. Project support to these associations will consist of management training for elected management committees and training for members.
• Small-scale water resources infrastructure. The project will develop small-scale water resource management systems by implementing subprojects that include agricultural extension and fisheries development, as well as environmental and social safeguards through regulation and monitoring. The project will improve sectoral development through participatory implementation and management of small-scale water resources infrastructure. It will assist beneficiaries in setting up water management cooperative associations and developing infrastructure for (i) flood management; (ii) drainage improvement; (iii) water conservation; (iv) command area development; and (v) combinations of these four basic categories. The effects of climate change will be taken into consideration when designing all subprojects, particularly those in coastal and estuarine areas.

Important features. Agriculture and rural development are critical elements of the Government's poverty reduction strategy.

Many rural poor people rely upon water for their livelihoods, and effective water resource management is fundamental to addressing pervasive rural poverty and promoting economic growth in Bangladesh.

The proposed project, initiated by the Asian Development Bank, builds on lessons learned during the implementation of two previous projects in the small-scale water resources sector, one of which - the Small-Scale Water Resources Development Sector Project - was cofinanced by IFAD. This project is in line with IFAD's 2006 country strategic opportunities programme for Bangladesh, which identified a strategic niche for IFAD in pro-poor infrastructure development. The project expects to increase agricultural and fisheries production through a participatory, beneficiary-driven process for small-scale water resource development and management.

In terms of innovations, this will be the first project of its kind in Bangladesh to explore expanding the benefits of small-scale water resource management to the Chittagong Hill Tracts. IFAD's experience in the tribal areas of India is being drawn on to design an approach that is sensitive to the needs of minority groups in these areas.

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Potential cofinanciers and domestic contribution. The Asian Development Bank is expected to provide US$50.0 million. IFAD is planning to cofinance this project together with the Government of the Netherlands. Domestic contribution is expected to amount to US$40.0 million.

Facts and figures Region: Asia and the Pacific Project ID number: 1466 Nature of project: Rural development Estimated project cost (provisional): US$125.0 million Estimated IFAD loan (provisional): To be determined Cofinancing gap: See section on potential cofinanciers Estimated domestic contribution (provisional): US$40.0 million Proposed terms: Highly concessional Stage of project cycle: Under detailed design Next step in project development: Design completion scheduled for December 2008 Tentative date for consideration by the Executive Board: April 2009 Project duration: Eight years Tentative project start-up date: July 2009 Implementing agency: Local Government Engineering Department Borrower: People's Republic of Bangladesh Hot links IFAD operations in Bangladesh Rural poverty in Bangladesh Planned project activities disclaimer Contact information Mr T. Elhaut Director, Asia and the Pacific Division Mr N. Brett Country Programme Manager, Asia and the Pacific Division e-mail: n.brett@ifad.org International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Via Paolo di Dono, 44, 00142 Rome, Italy Tel: + 39-0654591 e-mail: ifad@ifad.org