The Barind region, often referred to as the “food bowl” of northwestern Bangladesh, plays a vital role in ensuring national food security. Yet, this agriculturally rich area is now facing a severe water crisis. Continuous extraction of groundwater for irrigation—especially during the Boro rice season—has caused the water table to drop rapidly, raising production costs and putting farmers’ livelihoods at risk.

Recognizing the urgency of sustainable water management, the Sustainable Agriculture Foundation (SAF) Bangladesh has partnered with the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) through its Rajshahi Division Agriculture Development Project (RADP) to scale up the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation technology across the drought-affected Barind Tract. The collaboration was formalized through the signing of a Letter of Agreement (LoA) on 29 September 2024. This collaboration builds on SAF Bangladesh’s ongoing efforts under its Introducing Water Efficient Technologies in Barind Tract (IWET) project from 2018, supported by The Coca-Cola Foundation and coordinated by the 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG).

Collaboration to Scale AWD Across the Barind Region

Under this partnership, the IWET project has helped RADP adopt AWD technology across all its project areas, marking a significant step toward mainstreaming water-efficient practices in public agricultural programs. Additionally, SAF Bangladesh has introduced cluster-based AWD practices in the RADP project areas to ensure a more coordinated and community-driven approach. By organizing clusters, AWD implementation has become more consistent, allowing for collective learning, shared resources, and measurable water savings.

A major achievement of this partnership has been the joint revision of the existing training module used by both DAE and SAF. The updated module now includes practical guidelines on AWD application, field water management, and monitoring techniques. This harmonized learning resource has strengthened the capacity of field officials, deep tube well operators, and farmers to understand and apply AWD more effectively.

Driving Awareness Through Popular Local Communication

Beyond training, both organizations recognized that real change requires widespread awareness and behavior transformation. To that end, a series of miking campaigns were conducted across eight upazilas—Tanore, Godagari, Nachole, Gomastapur, Porsha, Sapahar, Mohadevpur, and Badalgachhi.

These vibrant local announcements proved to be a powerful behavioral communication tool, spreading key messages about AWD’s benefits in an accessible and relatable way. Farmers noted that such campaigns helped them understand not only the process and benefits of AWD, such as saving irrigation time, fuel, and electricity also where to source the perforated pipes needed for implementation.

Encouraging Results and Growing Adoption

The results emerging from this collaboration are promising. Farmers who adopted AWD under the RADP and IWET projects have reported a notable reduction in irrigation costs while maintaining or even improving rice yields. Yields have increased by 4–6%, while water savings of up to 20% per acre have been achieved, alongside enhanced soil health. Encouraged by these outcomes, the collaboration has a strong commitment further to expand AWD coverage in the upcoming Boro season, reinforcing their shared mission to promote efficient water management and climate-smart agriculture.

Toward a Climate-Resilient Future

This partnership represents a major step in advancing sustainable agriculture in the Barind region. By aligning Govt and NGO efforts, the initiative is not only conserving groundwater but also enhancing farmers’ resilience against climate change.

As a result of the ongoing collaboration, the adoption rate of AWD technology has increased significantly across project areas by demonstrating how coordinated efforts, capacity development, and behavioral communication can drive tangible change in the agriculture sector.

Together, SAF Bangladesh and DAE are transforming irrigation practices in one of the country’s most water-stressed regions, shaping the way toward a more resilient, resource-efficient, and food-secure Bangladesh.

This initiative has been made possible with the generous support of The Coca-Cola Foundation and the 2030 Water Resources Group.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to both partners for their continued commitment to promoting sustainable water management and climate-resilient agriculture in Bangladesh.