Bangladesh Rice and Diversified Crops Activity Work Plan FY18

The project aims to address systemic constraints in the rice, maize, pulse, oilseed, and mechanization sectors. Key interventions include improving market signals to increase farmer investment in diversified crop value chains, facilitating strategic alliances between institutional buyers and input suppliers, and shifting from commodity-oriented to customer-oriented marketing strategies. The project has identified 35 companies interested in implementing programs to support market system changes. It is anticipated that at least 20 signed market sector agreements will be made with these companies during the reporting period, benefiting an estimated 66,700 farmers. Additionally, 7 workshops will be designed and delivered to market actors based on findings from 7 studies evaluating business opportunities in the rice, oil seed, pulse, and maize sectors. Implementation of the project will focus on five sectors: rice, maize, pulses, oilseed, and agricultural machinery. The project will employ standard and innovative monitoring, evaluation, and learning methods to capture attribution of RDC's facilitation activities. These methods include maintaining a record of those trained, conducting sample surveys of farmers purchasing inputs or services from a company, and mining company sales, purchase, or customer data. The project will also focus on increasing access to mechanization, facilitating innovative financing mechanisms, and increasing the adoption of information technologies. Furthermore, the project aims to improve the understanding of the business case for including women in sales strategies or procurement plans, and improve last-mile service delivery. The project anticipates stimulating investment in these sectors by both the agricultural industry and venture capital investors. The project's value chain strategies have identified several systemic constraints common amongst the majority of value chains. To address these constraints, the project has designed interventions that address several of the following systemic changes. These include improving market signals, facilitating strategic alliances, shifting marketing strategies, increasing access to mechanization, facilitating innovative financing mechanisms, and increasing the adoption of information technologies. The project will also focus on increasing the adoption of information technologies, including enterprise resource planning systems, digital payment systems, and information systems to improve communications with customers and suppliers. Additionally, the project aims to improve the understanding of the business case for including women in sales strategies or procurement plans, and improve last-mile service delivery. The project's Coordination, Learning, and Adaption (CLA) section outlines plans for intentional collaboration, systemic learning, and strategic adaptation. The project's Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) section describes planned activities, including maintaining a record of those trained, conducting sample surveys of farmers, and mining company sales, purchase, or customer data.