Quarterly Performance Report: Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock Production for Improved Nutrition Project

The project's primary objective is to increase the availability of hygienic, diverse, and quality food for rural households, particularly women and children. The project's scope encompasses the entire country, with a focus on the northern and eastern regions. The project's working area includes 48 upazilas, covering a total of 1,200 square kilometers. The project's target population consists of 49,908 farmers, with 43,636 women, from 48,888 farming households. The project's implementation is divided into three intermediate results (IRs): IR 1, IR 2, and IR 3. IR 1 focuses on increasing livestock productivity, while IR 2 aims to improve access to hygienic, diverse, and quality food for rural households. IR 3 targets improved nutrition-related behaviors of rural households. During the third quarter of fiscal year 2018, the project benefitted 17,462 farmers, with 16,462 women, from 17,260 households through two separate trainings. The project redesigned and integrated contents for courtyard sessions, presenting information on milk production, improved livestock practices, family hygiene, and nutrition. Livestock Service Providers (LSPs) successfully cascaded milk production, improved livestock practices, and farm management training to farmers, while Community Agents (CAs) conducted family hygiene and nutrition-related farmers' training. The project provided training of trainers (TOT) to 36 LSPs, with 23 women, on livestock rearing, healthcare, and farm management practices. Sixty-three LSPs, with 21 women, cascaded farmer trainings to 17,273 farmers, with 16,306 women. Women household members showed more enthusiasm about the project training and services during the trainee selection process. The major topics covered by the trainings included animal husbandry and management, hygienic milk and meat production, processing and consumption for improved nutrition, and gender equality in livestock rearing. The project also conducted TOT for 12 new women CAs about milk preservation, processing, and improved nutrition-related behaviors. Forty-eight CAs, with 490 women, cascaded this training to farmers, focusing on topics such as animal health and household nutrition, family hygiene, and nutrition-related behaviors. The project continues to track milk collectors as key actors in the milk value chain and provides training to them on milk production and improved livestock practices. The project's monitoring and evaluation (MEL) activities are ongoing, with a focus on tracking progress towards the project's intermediate results. The project has established a system for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of its interventions, including the use of mobile data collection platforms and service provider trackers. The project's MEL activities are designed to provide timely and accurate information on project progress, enabling the project team to make informed decisions and adjustments as needed. The project has faced several challenges, including the need to redesign and integrate contents for courtyard sessions, and the difficulty in cascading training to farmers. However, the project has also learned several lessons, including the importance of engaging women in the project's activities and the need to provide training to milk collectors on milk production and improved livestock practices. The project continues to work towards its objectives, with a focus on improving the productivity and nutritional value of livestock in rural Bangladesh.