Traidcraft Exchange is providing farmers in Bangladesh with the skills and support they need to farm their way out of poverty.
So far, over 2,500 farmers have been helped since Traidcraft launched the Sustainable Livelihoods for Poor Producers back in January 2007.
Independent organisation, Bangladesh is Innovision, found that the project had helped to increase and improve livelihoods for beneficiaries.
As a result of the project, vegetable farmers have increased their income by over 78% and now have enough income to eat more regular and nutritious meals, and send their children to school.
One farmer who has benefited from the project is Muklasur Raham Mukul, who has learnt new agricultural techniques, enabling him to increase yields and lower production costs, whilst also connecting with other farming groups to share knowledge and skills.
Muklasur, an experienced spinach farmer says: "Before I did not know about different cultivation techniques for different vegetables, but I got training and I have increased production.
"We are grateful for the support that we receive, the importance is training, not cash. The project helps us to improve our knowledge so we have organised these groups."
Traidcraft has the ambitious goal to support a further 9,000 farmers in the Mymensingh and Sherpur districts of northern Bangladesh.
Maveen Pereira, Traidcraft's Head of South Asia Programmes says: "The project goes to show that by working together we can reduce poverty from the ground up. Our plans to extend the project will benefit 9,000 farmers and their households too – totalling around 45,000 people."
