Bangladesh

IFAD Asset Request Portlet

Country

Bangladesh

37

Projects Includes planned, ongoing and closed projects

US$ 3,956.25 million

Total Project Cost

US$ 1,016.56 million

Total IFAD financing

11,729,563

Households impacted

The Context

Bangladesh is one of the most populous countries in the world, with a population of more than 169 million. Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has increased its real per capita income almost eight times and made significant strides in reducing poverty.

Nevertheless, poverty remains a major challenge, leaving people extremely vulnerable to the impacts of crises.

Agriculture is a vital sector of the economy, employing more than a third of the country's labour force and contributing 12 per cent to the country's GDP. However, the land area available for farming is shrinking as the country urbanises, and most rural households have little, if any, cultivable land. Rice, wheat, pulses, fruits and vegetables are the main food crops, but farmers lack access to critical agricultural inputs, nature-based solutions and mechanisation.

Climate change is a significant threat to Bangladesh, exacerbating natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, landslides and changing monsoon rainfall patterns. The country has experienced severe and untimely flooding at an increased frequency in recent years, which has had a negative impact on agricultural production and economic growth, with implications particularly felt by the economically and socially vulnerable.

The Strategy

IFAD has been investing in poor rural communities in Bangladesh since 1978. We promote inclusive and resilient livelihood opportunities for smallholders and microentrepreneurs to: 

  • Strengthen the climate resilience through infrastructure and climate-smart agriculture. 
  • Enhance access to financing, technology and markets to diversify the economy and generate rural employment. 

We focus particularly on women, youth and marginalised groups, including ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities. Other thematic areas include innovation, improved nutrition, natural resource management and low-carbon technologies. 

Country Facts

Over the last 40 years, cyclones and floods have affected more than 400 million people in Bangladesh.

Although agriculture accounts for less than 15 per cent of the gross domestic product, the farm sector still employs about 38 per cent of the labour force.

Country documents

Related Assets

Country Experts

Projects and Programmes

Projects Browser

PLANNED Under design after concept note approval

APPROVED Approved by the Executive Board or IFAD President

SIGNED Financing agreements signed

ONGOING Under implementation

CLOSED Completed/closed projects

No matching projects were found
No matching projects were found
No matching projects were found

Related news

Related Assets

IFAD and Bangladesh observe 45 years of successful rural transformation

August 2023 - NEWS
Minister for Agriculture Muhammad Abdur Razzaque highlighted the dramatic progress made by Bangladesh in the agricultural sector at an event commemorating 45 years of partnership between IFAD and the Government of Bangladesh.

IFAD, Japan and Bangladesh partner to bring smallholder farmers closer to international markets

September 2022 - NEWS
IFAD and Grameen Euglena, a joint venture between Japan's Euglena Co Ltd and Bangladesh's Grameen Krishi Foundation, are collaborating on an initiative that supports smallholder farmers to cultivate mung beans.

At COP26, IFAD spotlights the impact of climate change on small-scale farmers with an innovative virtual visit to Bangladesh

November 2021 - NEWS
IFAD highlighted the impact of climate change on small-scale farmers at the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change currently underway in Glasgow, UK, through a virtual visit to Bangladesh, where the country’s poorest small-scale farmers spoke about the projects and practices that are helping them adapt.

Related stories and blogs

Related Assets

Let's raise a glass to South Asia’s dairy farmers

June 2023 - STORY
Milk is widely produced in South Asia, but not without its challenges. Here’s how IFAD helps small-scale farmers across the region optimize their production.

From tulips to tomatoes: Technology empowers women in Asia

March 2023 - STORY
In Pakistan and Bangladesh women are harnessing technology to connect to the world and build a business, one click at a time.

Five ways IFAD is helping to reduce rural poverty in an age of climate change

October 2022 - STORY
Even when a world without poverty seems out of reach, here’s how IFAD continues to work in developing countries, amplifying the voices of rural people and integrating them into value chains, so they can earn and save, while feeding the world and conserving the natural environment.

Related publications

Related Assets

Enhancing women’s resource rights for improving resilience to climate change

November 2021
This brief summarizes relevant findings from socio-legal analyses, combining the review of key legal and policy documents and literature on existing barriers to the recognition of women’s land rights.

Investing in rural people in Bangladesh

June 2021
IFAD has worked in Bangladesh for almost 40 years. It has supported 34 projects, costing a total of US$2,356 million, with IFAD financing of US$913 million.

Impact assessment: Coastal Climate Resilient Infrastructure Project (CCRIP)

April 2019
Farmers in southwestern Bangladesh, an area prone to natural disasters, are sometimes unable to reach community markets in the monsoon season.

Gender in climate smart agriculture, Module 18 for the Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook

July 2016
This module provides guidance and a comprehensive menu of practical tools for integrating gender in the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of projects and investments in climate-smart agriculture (CSA). The module emphasizes the importance and ultimate goal of integrating gender in CSA practices, which is to reduce gender inequalities and ensure that men and women can equally benefit from any intervention in the agricultural sector to reduce risks linked to climate change. Climate change has an impact on food and nutrition security and agriculture, and the agriculture sector is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. It is crucial to recognize that climate change affects men and women differently. The initial assumption is that social differences, particularly gender inequality, must be taken into account to strengthen the effectiveness and sustainability of CSA interventions. Women are key players in the agricultural sector, yet compared to men, they own fewer assets and have access to less land, fewer inputs, and fewer financial and extension services.

Related videos

Related Assets

Driving Miss Babli: Young women in Bangladesh get the chance to learn new skills

March 2022 - VIDEO
Thanks to driving lessons provided by the Haor Infrastructure and Livelihood Improvement Project - Climate Adapation and Livelihood Protection (HILIP/CALIP), a group of young rural women in Northern Bangladesh now have careers as drivers—a typically male-dominated profession.