BANGLADESH / EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

In Bangladesh, women dairy farmers are struggling to grow their businesses as they lack access to markets, loans, digital technology and information.

To help bridge information gaps, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting equal access to digital technologies for farmers.

8 March marks the International Women’s Day. This year’s theme recognizes and celebrates the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education.

Women are the backbone of rural economies, and their contributions are key and indispensable in all agrifood sectors and value chains. 

However, they lag behind in accessing resources, knowledge, services and markets.

In Bangladesh, women dairy farmers are struggling to grow their businesses as they lack access to markets, loans, digital technology and information.

32 year-old dairy farmer Sadhona Halder who lives in the rural district of Lahiri Mohanpur village faces challenges brought by high feed costs and a lack of market access. She could not earn enough to provide for her four children.

SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Sadhona Halder, dairy farmer: “There were cattle feed problems as we were unable to sell the milk. This being a wetland region we had to face many such problems.”

To help bridge information gaps, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting equal access to digital technologies for farmers.

Digital technologies can help increase rural people’s access to services such as information, advisory, market, business development, social protection, and financial services thereby enabling them to optimize the use of inputs and natural resources.

In Lahiri Mohanpur village district, where milk and dairy production constitute the main source of income for 500 families, FAO supported the creation of a cooperative-run Digital Village Service Centre to help farmers access information, financial resources and markets for their produce.

SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Sadhona Halder, dairy farmer: “There were a lot of things I didn’t know before. After the Digital Village Service Center set up here, I learned many things. The Digital Village Service Center keeps account of loans and keeps track of how much milk the cattle produce.”

As part of the Digital Village Service Centre's training programs, both young women and men farmers are taught how to use the main tools for writing, communicating and keeping track of their economic activities. 

Women are receiving financial assistance and support in using social networks to sell their products, thus reducing marketing and transportation costs and increasing family incomes. 

21-year-old Jhumu Rani Sarkar found the training programs a great learning opportunity.

SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Jhumu Rani Sarkar, dairy farmer and student: “After the training center was established here, our area has been developed. Coming here is an opportunity for me, which is why I am so proud of myself.”

In Bangladesh, FAO has established 65 Digital Village Service Centres in 16 districts in collaboration with producers' associations in order to provide assistance to farmers in remote areas with poor access to digital technologies and markets.

The digital centers promote equal access to information on agricultural production, markets, weather forecasts, and government services.

Each digital village has a virtual call center that facilitates smallholder farmers buying inputs and selling their products. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 10 000 producers in the country have benefitted from this service. Nearly half of them have been women.

SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Simpson, FAO Representative in Bangladesh: “We are able to help female farmers very specifically access real time information on product pricing, so the cost of, or price of, dairy on any given day. Real time information on weather challenges so they have real time forecasting of challenging weather events that may impact their production, early warning systems, access to pest management. There are a lot of services that come through the digital village center that are now accessible to all the female farmers within these associations."

Helping Bangladesh achieve better production through digital agriculture is one of FAO’s core goals to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, along with ensuring better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all.

FAO is seeking to further expand equal access to digital technologies throughout the country.

SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Simpson, FAO Representative in Bangladesh: “FAO has many plans for digital technologies in Bangladesh. First and foremost, it's building on the government's digital Bangladesh policy, which is to digitize all of Bangladesh in the coming years. Through this program, FAO takes its lessons learned in the Digital Villages Initiative and is trying to transpose that with the government of Bangladesh in 8 000 marginalized communities.”

FAO is implementing the Digital Villages initiative around the world. In the Asia-Pacific region, countries involved include China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, several Pacific Island states, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. 

STORY: BANGLADESH / EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

TRT: 2’:50’’

SOURCE: FAO

RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN

LANGUAGE: BENGALI / ENGLISH /NATS

DATELINE: 23-27 OCTOBER 2022, LAHIRI MOHANPUR, BANGLADESH / 16 FEBRUARY, DHAKA, BANGLADESH

SHOTLIST:

23-27 OCTOBER 2022, LAHIRI MOHANPUR, BANGLADESH

1. Medium shot, Sadhona Halder, dairy farmer, stroking her cows as they are eating

2. Close up, Sadhona Halder milking a cow

3. Wide shot, Sadhona Halder (center) attending training at the Digital Village Service Centre

4. Close up, Computer screen showing software that helps farmers in business planning

(The below soundbites spans from shot 5 and 6)

5. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Sadhona Halder, dairy farmer: “There were cattle feed problems as we were unable to sell the milk. This being a wetland region we had to face many such problems.”

6. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Sadhona Halder, dairy farmer: “There were cattle feed problems as we were unable to sell the milk. This being a wetland region we had to face many such problems.”

7. Wide shot, Digital Village Service Centre entrance

8. Wide shot, farmers attending a training in Digital Village Service Centre

9. Medium shot, Sadhona Halder attending a training in Digital Village Service Centre

(The below soundbites spans from shot 10 and 11)

10. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Sadhona Halder, dairy farmer: “There were a lot of things I didn’t know before. After the digital village service center came here, I learned many things. The digital village service center keeps account of loans and keeps track of how much milk the cattle produce.”

11. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Sadhona Halder, dairy farmer: “There were a lot of things I didn’t know before. After the digital village service center came here, I learned many things. The digital village service center keeps account of loans and keeps track of how much milk the cattle produce.”

12. Close up, hand using a computer mouse

13. Jhumu Rani Sarkar, dairy farmer and student, (camera left) attending a training in the Digital Village Service Centre

14. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Jhumu Rani Sarkar, dairy farmer and student: “After the training center was established here, our area has been developed. Coming here is an opportunity for me, which is why I am so proud of myself.”

16 FEBRUARY, DHAKA, BANGLADESH

15. Wide shot, Meeting at FAO office in Bangladesh

16. Medium shot, FAO (camera right) Robert Simpson, FAO Representative in Bangladesh talking with staff

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Simpson, FAO Representative in Bangladesh: “We are able to help female farmers very specifically access real time information on product pricing, so the cost of, or price of, dairy on any given day. Real time information on weather challenges so they have real time forecasting of challenging weather events that may impact their production, early warning systems, access to pest management. There are a lot of services that come through the digital village center that are now accessible to all the female farmers within these associations."

23-27 OCTOBER 2022, LAHIRI MOHANPUR, BANGLADESH

18. Close up, Computer screen 

19. Medium shot, Jhumu Rani Sarkar using a computer in the Digital Village Service Centre

16 FEBRUARY, DHAKA, BANGLADESH

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Simpson, FAO Representative in Bangladesh: “FAO has many plans for digital technologies in Bangladesh. First and foremost, it's building on the government's digital Bangladesh policy, which is to digitize all of Bangladesh in the coming years. Through this program, FAO takes its lessons learned in the Digital Villages Initiative and is trying to transpose that with the government of Bangladesh in 8 000 marginalized communities.”

23-27 OCTOBER 2022, LAHIRI MOHANPUR, BANGLADESH

21. Wide shot, Sadhona Halder and her family milking cows

22. Close up, using a digital application for cattle management on a tablet

23. Medium shot, Sadhona Halder smiling 

24. Drone shot, surroundings of Lahiri Mohanpur village