At its third year, the Prosperity programme is now focusing more and more on expansion of the service delivery under all its components, with special priority on scaling-up the income-generating activities undertaken by the target extreme poor households.
This is done by extensive field visits for growth monitoring, and subsequently create the badly needed market linkage so that the programme participants can sell their produce at the right time at the right price.
Over the past few months, the programme intensified on-site monitoring by technical staff under each component to support participants in expanding their IGAs as well as diversifying their livelihoods options.
Technology transfer and technical support are an integral part of the multidimensional programme spread across three climate vulnerable geographical regions of Bangladesh. As part of this, participants are provided with hands-on training and technical guidance through periodic discussions on development of major livelihood activities. They include building and maintaining cowsheds, fodder management, pond preparation and its maintenance for fish culture.
Besides, participants get immediate solutions to their day-to-day problems during household visits by technical and assistant technical officers as well as field officers. For additional support, participants are referred to and connected with local public and private service providers, with whom the programme has already established linkage to ensure access to services by the extreme poor households.
Among these institutions are upazila administration, agricultural extension departments such as Department of Agriculture (DAE), Department of Livestock Services (DLS), Department of Fisheries (DoF), Department of Health (DoH) and Department of Family Welfare (DoFW), social welfare department and Local Government Institutions.
The programme also links public and private service providers with different social platforms to make sure that programme participants have an easy access to the service providers in the long run. To ensure availability of necessary inputs, field officers are also working to create an effective linkage between participants and input suppliers (such as fodder, medication, seeds, pullets, fertiliser, pesticide) in different working areas. This helps EP HHs to know in advance the availability and the price of the inputs they need.
In different working areas, the programme is working to link participants with market intermediaries such as Faria, Bepari or local agents who are key actors in local markets. This linkage will help participants to determine the best buyer and sell their products at the best price.
To meet their financial needs for IGA expansion, the programme offers a range of financial services including interest-free loan which they can pay in their own terms.