The Accelerating Vegetable Productivity Improvement Project (AVPI) aimed to boost the knowledge and income of women vegetable and fruit farmers in southern Bangladesh. The project was funded by the Walmart Foundation.
The goal of AVPI (2017-2019) was to enhance rural women’s empowerment and the food security status of their families by increasing their capacity to produce and market horticultural crops. This was done by increasing income from the sales of the vegetables and fruit that were produced, improving nutrition by increasing the home consumption of these products, and increasing knowledge on the quality and marketing of horticultural products.
Cumulative Highlights
- More than 40,000 female fruit and vegetable farmers are applying new agricultural technologies, including GAPs, on more than 13,000 ha and FDP on 8,250 ha.
- Incremental yield increased 58-200% for 2019 winter crops. The average incremental income per farm was $372.
- 300 women participated in marketing seminars and are now assuming leadership roles in their communities.
- Women farmers’ market knowledge about demand for quality crops, timing to receive a premium price, and consumer preferences improved from 3-11% to 14-25%.
- AVPI established 80 demonstration plots on GAPs and 25 on seedling raising and crop production. A total of 4,200 female horticulture farmers participated.
Improving FDP in Bangladesh
AVPI worked with women vegetable and fruit farmers, supported by work with the Department of Agriculture Extension and agro-input dealers, to improve the use of fertilizer deep placement (FDP) along with other associated good agricultural practices. Furthermore, the project surveyed market hubs and worked to build producer awareness of evolving market requirements and standards for vegetables and fruits.
Introducing Quality Seeds
AVPI introduced a method for producing seedlings using polymer houses with trickle irrigation, which improved the income of the women farmers selling quality seedlings.