Bagerhat district in the southwestern part of Bangladesh has faced some of the harshest realities of climate change in the last two decades. Farmers in the region noticed a significant rise in heat waves during summertime, while rainfall lessened. Increased desertification and severe salinity intrusion in the water left farmers helpless in the face of climate change.

Almost every layer of the soil in Bagerhat has become saline. Farmers who were thriving with three to four harvests a year are now scrambling to grow just one type of crop once a year. For the rest of the year, their land remains infertile and dry, severely exacerbating the socio-economic condition of the area.

“Just a few years ago, I cultivated three types of rice thrice a year. I also grew seasonal vegetables,” said Hares Akon, who lives in Rayenda Union of Sharonkhola Upazila in the district.

“But now we struggle to make ends meet. Crop production is low, and so is our income level,” he added.

Hares and his family had aspirations to build a strong brick house that would be able to withstand the harsh windstorms and rainfalls during frequent natural calamities that hit the southwestern part of Bangladesh. But this has only been a dream for many years, as economic conditions have grown more and more unfavourable.

The family resides in a small house made out of clay and bamboo, with only a fragile piece of tin over their heads. The roof is vastly exposed and vulnerable to climate adversities.

“Last time, the storm blew away the roof, and we had nowhere to go. Every time there’s a storm, we worry if we will even survive,” said Minara, who grows crops alongside her husband Hares.

To build the resilience of this community, the Local Government Division (LGD) of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives has been implementing a four-year project called Local Government Initiative on Climate Change (LoGIC), supported by UNDP, UNCDF, SIDA and EU.

The project transfers Performance Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRG) to Union Parishads in climate-vulnerable areas as additional financing and complements the general grant resources provided by the government. The PBCRG aims to build the capacity of Union Parishads for climate-friendly investments, infrastructure and better public services for the poor.

After Hares and his fellow farmers raised their issues at Union Parishad meetings, LoGIC, through its PBCRG, facilitated the implementation of a solar-based agricultural irrigation plant by redirecting water from nearby natural canals.

A PBCRG of USD$21000 was provided for this implementation, and local government paid USD $11600 through a co-financing mechanism. This mechanism helps to create stronger ownership of the local government and farmers to ensure the sustainability of the irrigation system.

Bringing water from about four kilometres away, the irrigation system uses solar-based pumps to bring the water up and disperses it through valves situated across the 2000-acre agricultural land. Solar panels provide consistent service as grid-based electricity supply is often disrupted due to natural disasters.

This is a nature-based solution that avoids groundwater extraction and leaves no adverse effect on the environment. It makes use of surface water and renewable energy while using Ferro-cement systems, which is multi-sustainable, low-cost, and environmentally friendly.

Farmers are now able to harvest three types of crops throughout the year in these 2000 acres. This has initiated a socio-economic transformation in the community and increased room for crop diversification.

“Previously, we could produce around 500 kg of rice in one harvest. Now we’re producing around 1,600 kg of rice from just one round of cultivation,” said Hares, who is one of the 600 farmers using the plot.

LoGIC also played a catalytic role in developing a committee for maintenance, monitoring, and ensuring optimal utilisation of water from the plant -- the committee members include local government representatives, community farmers and community mobilisation facilitators who sit once a month to discuss plans, ideas and opportunities around the irrigation system.

“This irrigation system has been very good for us. Our profits have more than doubled, and farmers have been able to diversify production,” said Hares. He and Minara have even begun saving for more resilient housing.

LoGIC puts grassroots development at the root of sustainable development, helping farmers build resilience with every grain. By 2023, LoGIC aims to support about 4,00,000 vulnerable households in 72 unions of seven districts -- Khulna, Sunamganj, Kurigram, Bagerhat, Barguna, Patuakhali and Bhola.