by emilie.cremin@gmail.com | Nov 27, 2025 | Blog, Previous Events, Upcoming Events
ENGAGE4 Sundarbans receives LIVING WITH RIVERS LABEL
“A Label that speaks of possibilities and shares enthusiasm!”
Erik Orsenna, IGFR President
In line with the first international action, Living with Rivers 2022, IFGR is continuing to promote actions in the field for the Future of Rivers!
In 2024, IFGR is setting up with its expert committee the first International River Initiatives Label.
This label aims to highlight positive initiatives and tell of the commitment of actors rooted in the territories in response to the significant challenges facing rivers. Reference indicators established by the IFGR expert committee are used to select initiatives in France and abroad, within a systemic and multidisciplinary framework that takes into account uses.
Find all the labelled initiatives: https://www.initiativesrivers.org/le-label-living-with-rivers/labeled-initiatives/
ENGAGE4Sundarbans page
This multidisciplinary approach opens the selection to an extensive range of initiatives whose expected goals and impacts should strengthen the sustainability of rivers, their territories and their populations.
We intend to provide support to the contributors of initiatives as closely as possible to their needs and to facilitate their actions (financial prizes for the 3 winners, contributions of expertise and visibility, networking, etc.).
We are convinced that it is by action in the field that we can make an impact collectively and inspire other actors. Therefore, we want to place ourselves in the service of those who act concretely in the territories.
Our intention is to provide support to the contributors of initiatives as close as possible to their needs, and facilitate their actions (financial prizes for the 3 winners, the contribution of expertise and visibility, networking, etc.).
We are convinced that it is by action in the field that we can make an impact collectively and inspire other actors. Therefore, we want to place ourselves in the service of those who act concretely in the territories.
by emilie.cremin@gmail.com | Nov 20, 2025 | Previous Events, Upcoming Events
Our Project member, Emilie Cremin, UNIL, will discuss with Jinat Hossain, University of Bern and Zurich, about Gender issues in the research-action project at at the upcoming
Swiss Geoscience Meeting (SGM) in Bern on the 6th of December 2025.
Science Panel 26. Human Geographies: Feminist Political Geographies and Socially Engaged Research
Room: B303 (Fabrikstrasse 8)
Whose Space Is It Anyway? Perspectives from Marginalised Communities on Occupation and (Re)appropriation of Public Space led by Cosima & Morgane
Each presentation will be allocated 15 minutes, followed by a short discussion. The session will take place on Saturday, 6th December 2025, starting at 11:45.
From Inclusion to Transformation: Feminist Approaches to Co-Development in the South-West Bangladesh
1 Institut de Géographie et de durabilité, FGSE, Université de Lausanne
(emiliehelene.cremin@unil.ch)
2 Institut of Geography, University of Bern, (jinat.hossain@unibe.ch)
This presentation will take the form of a conversation between two researchers.
This discussion will tackle challenges of co-developing adaptation initiatives with local communities in South-West Bangladesh, with a particular focus on the gendered dimensions of participation. International funding schemes increasingly require the inclusion of women in project design, yet operationalising these mandates often encounters structural, cultural, and institutional barriers.
Drawing on our experiences as researchers—positioned, respectively, as outsiders and semi-outsiders—we interrogate how positionality shapes both the
production of knowledge and the implementation of participatory processes.
Our analysis engages with debates in political ecology, feminist geography, and intersectionality to unpack why gender remains a contested and rugged terrain in
adaptation research. We ask how women are positioned within locally led initiatives: to what extent their involvement reflects tokenistic inclusion, symbolic representation, or substantive engagement in decision-making and implementation. We further explore the politics of conversation and meaning-making, highlighting how spoken, unspoken, and relational forms of dialogue reveal tensions between project objectives, local norms, and gendered Expectations.
By situating our reflections within a transdisciplinary and politically engaged practice, we argue that addressing gender in adaptation requires moving beyond
prescriptive participation frameworks towards processes that critically engage with local power relations, cultural constraints, and the positional biases of urban
researchers and development agents. Our contribution seeks to reframe knowledge production as a collective endeavour, opening space for dialogue between scholars, activists, and community organisers, and for rethinking the politics of inclusion in adaptation governance.
by emilie.cremin@gmail.com | Nov 8, 2025 | Previous Events
Complementary Collectives: Presenting ENGAGE4Sundarbans at the State-level Consultation Workshop
This one-day State-level Consultation Workshop on Collectivised Natural Farming was organised by the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Birmingham, in close partnership with organisations such as the Centre for the Development of Human Initiatives (CDHI), Sakhi Bihar, and Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya. Together they have worked and piloted on a transformative model of collectivised farming for creating sustainable and equitable pathways to agricultural prosperity.
This workshop brought together a diverse cohort of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and community representatives to reflect on a decade of intensive, field-based inquiry into collectivised natural farming. The event was attended by many distinguished guests, including the former Minister for Agriculture of West Bengal; the President of the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress; the Regional Director for South Asia and the Middle East from the University of Birmingham; the Vice-Chancellor of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya; as well as representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RSS), a key institution in collectivised natural farming in Andhra Pradesh.
Image 1. Cohort of Stakeholders attending the Collectivised Natural Farming Workshop in Kolkata
The presentation by Dr. Jenia Mukherjee, titled “Collectivised Inland Fish Farming as an Economic Wellbeing of Natural Farming in the Indian Sundarbans”, explored the complementary relationship between fishing and farming within the framework of collectivisation. Drawing on the Collectivised Canal Fishing Experimentation (CCFE) under the ENGAGE4Sundarbans project in the island of Kumirmari, Dr. Mukherjee presented a case study that stood out as the only example among the various collectivised agriculture initiatives in the workshop to focus specifically on inland fish farming.
Image 2. Dr. Mukherjee representing ENGAGE4Sundarbans by presenting Collectivised Canal Fishing Experimentation (CCFE) project
Through her presentation, Dr. Mukherjee narrated the evolution of this community-led experiment, describing how each phase of the project organically shaped the trajectory of subsequent interventions. She positioned the initiative as a unique convergence of co-production of knowledge, ethnographic engagement, and scientific methodology.
This approach strongly resonated with the keynote remarks delivered by the former Minister of Agriculture, who emphasised that successful collectivisation must be rooted in a dynamic interplay between theory and practice. He further advocated for deeper collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, stressing that communities are more likely to thrive when supported by sustained institutional engagement and inclusive knowledge sharing approaches.
Image 3. Dr. Mukherjee receiving a token of appreciation from Dr. Sugden, University of Birmingham.
One of the key insights from the presentation, as noted by the UNEP Project Lead, was the significant potential for scaling the collectivised canal fishing model. This prospect was also evident in Dr. Mukherjee’s presentation, where she highlighted how community members themselves initiated efforts to maintain the canal ecosystem and integrate traditional practices—such as mulching and cattle rearing—into the collective framework. These community-led actions not only reflect a strong sense of ownership but also indicate a viable pathway for the model’s scalability through locally embedded knowledge and participatory resource management.
Image 4. Stakeholders engaging in shared commitment through collective action
The session concluded with a vibrant Q&A segment, offering delegates an opportunity to engage directly with the presenters, deepen their understanding and reflect on key themes. In his valedictory address, Dr. Fraser Sugden, underscored the cruciality of grounding interventions in local cultural contexts and geographically specific practices to ensure long-term sustainable impacts. He highlighted the value of cross-disciplinary dialogue, such as this workshop, as vital for cultivating integrated, intergenerational and adaptive approaches to natural resource governance. Moving forward, it is recommended that future initiatives continue to prioritise locally informed, community-driven models while nurturing collaboration across research, policy and practice. Such engagements not only strengthen the knowledge base but also build resilient systems that are responsive to the complexities of socio-ecological change.
by Shimim Mushsharat | Sep 30, 2025 | Previous Events
The ENGAGE4Sundarbans team will participate in the 28th European Conference on South Asian Studies (ECSAS), taking place in Heidelberg, Germany, from October 1–4, 2025. During the conference, the team is organising a panel titled “Living with and Recovering from Coastal and Riverine Disasters: A Critical Approach to Riskscape”.
Under this panel, Samiya Selim, Director and Professor, Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, and Md Nurul Islam, Lead Researcher, Research and Evaluations at SAJIDA Foundation, will deliver a presentation on “Governing the Commons: An Ethnographic Exploration of Local Adaptation Response to Complex Global Problems.”
Emilie Cremin, Institute of Geography and Sustainability – IGD, University of Lausanne, Switzerland; Souradip Pathak – IIT Kharagpur, India; and Tapas Mondal – SJSM, NGO, Kolkata, India, will be delivering a presentation on “Restoring Rights and Resilience: Ādivāsī Communities, Traditional Knowledge, and Environmental Conservation in the Indian Sundarbans” during the panel.
Emilie Cremin will convene this panel.
The discussion will focus on the challenges faced by riverine, deltaic, and coastal regions of South Asia, which are regularly exposed to cyclones, floods, and storm surges. These recurring hazards not only damage agriculture and infrastructure but also displace communities. The panel will explore how different stakeholders respond to these risks—through public management, community initiatives, agro-ecological practices, and nature-based solutions—while critically examining their effectiveness. By engaging with questions of power, the hydrosocial cycle, and local socio-ecological contexts, the session seeks to foster knowledge exchange on sustainable reconstruction and adaptation in complex, multi-risk environments.
Learn more about the conference: Click Here
Riverine, deltaic, and coastal areas of South Asia are frequently affected by hydrometeorological hazards, such as cyclones, floods, and storm surges. These recurring events damage agricultural production and public and private infrastructure. As a result, erosion of the coasts and banks has led to the displacement of many villages. For this panel, we are seeking contributions that examine the adaptive strategies deployed by different categories of stakeholders to cope with and adapt to hazards. The effectiveness of public management of hazards through structural (extension of embankments, construction of shelters, etc.) and non-structural (awareness raising, support for adaptive strategies, etc.), individual and collective strategies based on agricultural adaptations and agro-ecological technologies used in rice or shrimp farming, nature-based solutions initiatives, coastal or river restoration practices and other alternatives are all being called into question. Overall, we aim to create a site-based knowledge exchange that critically addresses the issue of adaptation by examining power relations between public and private sector actors to highlight the limitations of strategies adaptation. We thus wish to explore the source of the problem, considering the hydrosocial cycle and the social, economic, and ecological situations that support sustainable reconstruction in spaces exposed to multiple risks.
Presentations
Selim Samiya – Center for Sustainable Development, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Islam Nurul – Sajida Foundation, Sajida Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
This paper examines the critical role of place-based, localized governance systems for protecting and restoring commons i.e access to land access and water systems that benefit communities over corporate investment. It highlights the importance of community-centric governance approaches and bottom-up policy frameworks in fostering resilience by returning the rights of commons to the communities.The study emphasizes the need for localized governance of commons and a bottom-up policy approach to enhance social resilience of coastal communities facing the complex dual challenges of climate change and human intervention. By analyzing the role of the local governance system in managing shared resources, the paper aims to provide actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and community stakeholders involved in common resource management and policy formulation.
Theocharis Angelos – Department of Media, Culture, Heritage, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Indigenous worldviews encompass nuanced understandings of cultural adaptation, recognising change as an intrinsic part of sustaining living cultures and landscapes amid environmental shifts. Many Indigenous communities perceive time as cyclical, fostering continuity and resilience through transformation. This paper examines Indigenous adaptation strategies in deltaic environments, where climate crisis exacerbates existing ecological vulnerabilities. Drawing on Indigenous films from the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta in Bangladesh, the Red River and the Mekong Deltas in Vietnam, I will explore how Indigenous narratives illustrate adaptation as a complex interplay of loss, resilience, and innovation. Dao filmmakers in Vietnam document shifts in traditional cultural practices due to resource scarcity. Khmer communities in the Mekong Delta, facing soil salinization and erratic weather, adopt alternative livelihoods. The Munda people of Bangladesh, displaced by climate disasters, navigate transformations in social and economic practices while maintaining cultural identity. This paper argues that Indigenous strategies frame adaptation as a relational, forward-looking process that integrates cultural continuity with necessary transformations.
Crémin Emilie – Instititute of Geography and suistainability – IGD, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Souradip Pathak – IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
Tapas Mondal – SJSM, NGO, Kolkata, India
This article delves into the environmental history of ādivāsī communities, including the Munda and Santal, who rely on the Indian Sundarbans for their livelihoods. Displaced during colonial rule, these communities have since developed a symbiotic relationship with the forest, acquiring extensive ecological knowledge critical for its preservation. Despite their expertise, ādivāsī communities face severe challenges from recurrent
geophysical and human-made hazards. Additionally, they face significant socioeconomic challenges. They are among the poorest and most vulnerable groups in India, with limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Their exclusion from forest areas, driven by conservation policies and development projects, has further undermined their livelihoods. Their vulnerability is exacerbated by socioeconomic
marginalisation, exclusion from forest areas, and the impacts of development projects like tourism and industrialisation.
by Shimim Mushsharat | Sep 11, 2025 | Previous Events, Uncategorized
SAJIDA Foundation hosted a half-day research dissemination event on 21 August 2025 at Lakeshore Heights, Dhaka, bringing together over 50 participants including researchers, policymakers, government officials, embassy representatives, development practitioners, and community members.
Representatives from IUCN, icddr,b, GAIN, WHO, Naripokkho, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), Helvetas, the Ministry of Agriculture, Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), Plan International, Swisscontact, SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) attended the event. The gathering provided a platform to share insights and discuss local, community-led solutions for climate adaptation in Bangladesh’s most vulnerable regions.
ENGAGE4Sundarbans| A Research to Experiment Intervention Co-designed with Climate-vulnerable Communities
The Sundarbans faces severe threats from climate change and human activities, and top-down interventions often harm rather than help communities. In response, the Eliciting Needs-based Grassroots Action through Cross-Group Engagement (ENGAGE4Sundarbans) project was launched with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).
At the event, Nurul Islam Biplob, Lead Researcher at SAJIDA Foundation, presented key findings from the project, which builds on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and community-led adaptation. He described how farmers, community leaders, union councils, local entrepreneurs, government agencies, and experts collaborated to design and implement the intervention.
More on ENGAGE4Sundarbans: Click here
Key learnings from the experiment
The findings emphasized that locally driven solutions yield the strongest outcomes when we
- Elevate and integrate women’s leadership into adaptation planning and implementation.
- Expand the Farmers’ Commons model for collective access to land, finance, and markets.
- Invest in local value chains and processing to strengthen rural economies and reduce losses.
- Provide flexible financing tailored to smallholders and local entrepreneurs.
- Institutionalize community-led adaptation through stronger local governance partnerships
“We will continue to explore avenues for collaboration between CALL and ENGAGE, aiming to advance the discussion and practice of locally led localisation.” – Corinne Henchoz Pignani, Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh
Corinne Henchoz Pignani highlighted the activities the Swiss funding agencies and NGOs are doing in the Climate Action at Local Level (CALL) programme. She expressed the hope that there would be greater cooperation between CALL and ENGAGE4Sundarbans for locally led adaptation and mitigation. Emphasising the importance of co-design with communities, she noted that when people of concern are in the driver’s seat—actively participating in design and decision-making—the solutions are far more effective. While this approach is not always easy, it is essential for meaningful impact.
Plenary Session | Bridging Evidence and Action: Climate Resilience in the Sundarbans Delta
An engaging panel discussion on was moderated by Md Fazlul Hoque, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SAJIDA Foundation, who raised questions on scaling research findings, contextualising NbS in local Settings, ensuring social inclusion, securing government support for NGO projects, and strengthening local adaptation.
Session Takeaways
Regarding the scalability of research findings, Dr Shah Abdul Saadi, Deputy Secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD) under the Ministry of Finance, expressed that scaling requires careful consideration of the supply and demand equation. He appreciated SAJIDA Foundation’s focus on sensitive areas of climate change including fisheries and agriculture.
Bipasha Hossain, Country Representative at IUCN, highlighted the impressive work of communities, especially women, including testing salt-tolerant rice and vegetable varieties, practicing raised-bed cultivation, excavating canals, and using compost. In the Sundarbans, she suggested interventions such as mangrove creation, embankment plantations functioning as “green fences” against salinity, and multi-nutrient crop farming on the same land.
“When discussing agriculture, we often focus solely on people and neglect biodiversity. However, during the last presentation on agroecology, biodiversity naturally entered the conversation, highlighting its intrinsic connection to farming practices. It is important to remember that we are part of a social-ecological system; we are not only “social” or only “ecological”—we are both,” Noted Dr Haseeb Irfanullah, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB)
Dr AKM Nuruzzaman, General Manager at Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), noted challenges in aligning with public organisations, as civil society efforts often run parallel to government initiatives and pointed to critical data gaps at the local level, such as the number of functional water sources. Coordination, he explained, often requires peace-building approaches, and while many good initiatives remain shelved, gradual progress continues within an imperfect system.
A Q&A session followed the plenary, allowing participants to engage with the speakers and clarify key points.
“There is a gap between researchers and implementers. We need to bridge the gap between people, research, programmes, bureaucracy for better results.” – Dr Sajeda Amin, Senior Research Advisor, SAJIDA Foundation
In her closing remarks, Dr Sajeda Amin laid emphasis on the need for understanding local cultures for better communication with local communities and ensure greater impact of any programme.
Recommendations
- Recognise women’s role in resilience building
- Strengthen local governance partnerships
- Enable flexible financing for smallholding farmers and local entrepreneurs
- Invest in local processing and value addition
- Scale up Farmers’ Commons model
- Enhance market linkages
- Develop sustainable irrigation system
- Document and Scale Social Learning
- Integrate NbS in climate adaptation planning
Event coverage
The event garnered extensive media coverage, reflecting the critical role of women in driving climate resilience:
by Shimim Mushsharat | Aug 7, 2025 | Previous Events, Uncategorized
There was a time when the villages of Protapnagar Union were famous for its greenery and fruit orchards. Towering palm trees lined the narrow paths, wood apple, mango orchards thrived near homesteads. Children played in the shade of banyans that had stood for generations. For many elders in the community, those memories are still vivid, a time when the land was fertile, the rivers gentle, and every household had at least a few fruit trees providing both food and shade.
Over the years, however, the landscape has changed drastically due to changing climate. Repeated cyclones, coastal flooding, and increasing salinity have taken a heavy toll on the environment. The big trees are now rare. Orchards have disappeared. Once-productive lands are now dry or saline. Local biodiversity has declined, and many livelihoods have been affected. Still, the memory of the greener past lives on in the words of senior citizens, who speak of it not just with sadness, but with a hope that one day, the land might heal again.
On 6 August 2025, the first step was taken to make that hope a reality. Engage4Sundarbans, in collaboration with the Union Council, Farmers’ Association, and youth groups, organised a large-scale native tree planting and re-greening campaign at Protapnagar. This community-driven initiative aimed to restore some of the lost greenery and strengthen the region’s climate resilience.
The activity was designed to foster local ownership and participation. Saplings were distributed through schools, the Union Council office, and other community channels. Farmers, students, local leaders, and volunteers came together to plant over 1,000 saplings of native tree species, including Blackboard tree, Black Plum, Tamarind, Wood Apple, Neem, and Banyan.
These native species were selected because they are well-suited to the local climate and soil conditions. They contribute to soil health, retain water, support local wildlife, and are more resilient to salinity and extreme weather. In addition to their ecological value, these trees offer long-term benefits to local livelihoods through fruit production and environmental protection.
The re-greening effort is part of a broader climate adaptation strategy. Restoring tree cover helps reduce erosion, improve air quality, and create natural barriers against cyclones and floods. It also supports the return of native biodiversity, which is critical for maintaining ecological balance.
For many local residents, especially the older generation, the event was a meaningful reminder of what the area used to be and a hopeful step toward what it could become again. The participation of young people alongside elders highlighted the shared responsibility and intergenerational commitment to protecting the environment.
Engage4Sundarbans will continue to support the care and monitoring of the planted areas, working closely with local partners to ensure survival and growth. This initiative reflects the power of community-led action and the belief that with sustained effort, degraded landscapes can be revived.
