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.Â
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 Bangladeshâs 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).Â
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.Â
More on ENGAGE4Sundarbans: Click here Â
Key learnings from the experiment
The findings emphasized that locally driven solutions yield the strongest outcomes when we Â
- Elevate and integrate womenâs leadership into adaptation planning and implementation. Â
- Expand the Farmersâ Commons model for collective access to land, finance, and markets. Â
- Invest in local value chains and processing to strengthen rural economies and reduce losses. Â
- Provide flexible financing tailored to smallholders and local entrepreneurs. Â
- Institutionalize community-led adaptation through stronger local governance partnerships
âWe will continue to explore avenues for collaboration between CALL and ENGAGE, aiming to advance the discussion and practice of locally led localisation.â â 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 driverâs seatâactively participating in design and decision-makingâthe 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 TakeawaysÂ
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 Foundationâs focus on sensitive areas of climate change including fisheries and agriculture.Â
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 âgreen fencesâ against salinity, and multi-nutrient crop farming on the same land.Â
âWhen 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 âsocialâ or only âecologicalââwe are both,â Noted Dr Haseeb Irfanullah, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB)Â
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.Â
A Q&A session followed the plenary, allowing participants to engage with the speakers and clarify key points.
âThere is a gap between researchers and implementers. We need to bridge the gap between people, research, programmes, bureaucracy for better results.â â 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. Â
Recommendations
- Recognise womenâs 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 Farmersâ 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, Farmersâ 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 regionâs 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.Â
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.
by Shimim Mushsharat | Jul 30, 2025 | Previous Events, Uncategorized
SAJIDA Foundation and the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) had the honour of jointly showcasing the ENGAGE4Sundarbans project at the Frugal Innovation Forum (FIF) hosted by BRAC in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 25-26 July 2025. The forum brought together researchers, practitioners, entrepreneurs, policy makers and development partners working on climate adaptation to discuss emerging climate challenges and solutions in the Global South. This year, the Forum centred around climate adaptation in agriculture, food security, and livelihoods.Â
SAJIDA Foundationâs Lead Researcher presenting the ENGAGE4Sundarbans project to Rizwana Hasan, Adviser for Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Bangladesh
During FIF 2025, Nurul Islam Biplob, Lead Researcher at SAJIDA Foundation and Faisal Imran, Senior Research Associate, ULAB, shared insights from ENGAGE4Sundarbansâ Living Lab approach, emphasising how community-driven, gender-responsive agroecological practices are helping restore degraded lands in Protapnagar, a climate-vulnerable union located in the Sundarbans delta. Â
âOur goal was to strengthen social resilience for communities living near the Sundarbans, while also supporting local biodiversity and ecosystems,â SAJIDAâs Lead Researcher explained. He also reflected on the importance of listening to local, indigenous knowledge and co-creating adaptation strategies with communities who experience climate vulnerability firsthand.
Presenting ENGAGE4Sundarbans to Asif Saleh, Executive Director of BRAC, during FIF 2025.
This participation was significant as it created space for dialogue with key policymakers and development actors. The presentation received thoughtful engagement from climate leaders, including Rizwana Hasan, Adviser for Environment, Forest and Climate Change of Bangladesh; and Asif Saleh, Executive Director of BRAC.Â
ENGAGE4Sundarbansâ participation at FIF 2025 reflects our commitment to climate justice, locally led innovation, and building social and climate resilience for the most affected populations.Â
 Watch ENGAGE4Sundarbanâs session highlight from FIF 2025 âŹïž
by Shimim Mushsharat | Jun 26, 2025 | Blog, Previous Events, Uncategorized
Jayanti Rani Saha lives in Pratapnagar, Assasuni, one of the climate change hotspots in Bangladesh. She is a housewife, sharing a modest home with her husband and three daughters. Her husband earns just enough to sustain their family of five. But Jayantiâs determination to contribute has turned their yard into a thriving oasis of hope and sustainability.
Jayanti is a proud member of a female farmer group supported by SAJIDA Foundationâs ENGAGE4Sundarbans project. This project aims to strengthen social and climate resilience in the Sundarbans delta, an area heavily affected by climate change. Together with her groupmates, Jayanti is currently cultivating beetroot to produce beetroot powder, which contains both nutritional and economic value.
Although Jayantiâs family doesnât own agricultural land, they have two small ponds where they farm freshwater fish. But Jayantiâs transformation is most visible in her kitchen garden. She nurtures the garden with advice and training from SAJIDA Foundation. Determined to cultivate a healthy and self-sustaining lifestyle, Jayanti has transformed her garden into a diverse ecosystem.
In the winter, she focused on cultivating eggplants along with other vegetables. She crafts natural fertilisers and pesticides from kitchen leftovers, cow dung, and poultry manure instead of using chemicals in her garden. Her reasoning is simple yet profound, “Chemicals harm the insects and animals that are valuable for the environment. And I want my children to eat healthy food.” Her commitment to agroecology is a testament to her intuitive understanding of sustainable living.
“Chemicals harm the insects and animals that are valuable for the environment. And I want my children to eat healthy food.”
â Jayanti Rani Saha, Member of a female farmer group under ENGAGE4Sundarbans Project
Beyond cultivation, Jayanti repurposes household waste into fertiliser, pesticide, and cooking fuel. Cow dung cakes, neatly arranged on a coconut tree trunk in her yard, dry in the sun before being used as eco-friendly fuel. Her forward-thinking approach includes designating one eggplant plant as a seed plant, ensuring her familyâs self-reliance in the next planting season. Notably, Jayanti’s garden also blooms with a vibrant scattering of flowers that attract beneficial insects, helps with pollination and also makes the space beautiful.
The backdrop to Jayantiâs story is Pratapnagar’s slow recovery from Cyclone Amphan, which devastated the region in 2020. The cyclone triggered prolonged waterlogging, heavy salinity, and the loss of greenery, leaving the land barren. But with the support of SAJIDA Foundationâs ENGAGE4Sundarbans initiative, Jayanti is rebuilding what was lost and creating something greener and more resilient.
Jayanti Rani Sahaâs story is a reminder that resilience is about thriving in harmony with the world around us. Her passion, resourcefulness, and commitment to sustainability inspire not only her community but also anyone who dreams of making a difference, no matter how small their resources may seem.
Jayanti Rani Saha is member of a female farmer group under the ENGAGE4Sundarbans Project.
by Shimim Mushsharat | Jun 4, 2025 | Previous Events, Uncategorized
Farmers Share Updates, Experts Offer Guidance
On 1 June 2025, SAJIDA Foundation convened a Local Advisory Committee meeting at the Protapnagar Union Parishad to review agricultural progress and chart the way forward. The gathering brought together Union Chairman Abu Daud Dhali, former Agriculture Officer Mujibur Rahman, journalist Masum Billah, local leaders including market committee president Kamal Hossain, and farmers representing various farmers commons.
Farmers shared field-level updates, highlighting recent cultivation efforts in mustard, vegetables, sunflower, beetroot, and fennel. While some groups encountered challenges due to high soil salinity, late sowing, and drought conditions, others reported encouraging results. Notably, the women farmers’ group led by Rahima and Jayonti Rani celebrated a successful beetroot harvest, and fennel cultivators reported strong yield.
Providing expert insight, former Agriculture Officer Mr Mujibur Rahman discussed soil test results facilitated by SAJIDA Foundation and offered tailored guidance on fertiliser application. Farmers expressed gratitude for this data-driven support, noting such services were previously inaccessible in the area.
Local agri-input dealer and market committee president Kamal Hossain committed to supporting farmers with high-quality seeds and fertilisers. Chairman Abu Daud Dhali reflected on the regionâs long-standing challenges due to saline water intrusion and lauded SAJIDA Foundationâs research-backed interventionsâparticularly the soil testing initiative. He also advocated for a salt-tolerant tree plantation programme and pledged Union Parishad backing for future ENGAGE initiatives.
The meeting concluded with a discussion on upcoming SAJIDA Foundation activities and a shared commitment to strengthen collaboration among farmers, local stakeholders, and the Foundation.
by emilie.cremin@gmail.com | Mar 18, 2025 | Previous Events, Uncategorized
Tuesday 18th of March 2025
12 pm to 1.30 pm: Seminar at SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation) in Bern, Eichenweg 5 3003 Bern-Zollikofen
SOR4D Seminar âResilience in the Sundarbansâ
Tuesday 18th of March 2025, 12 pm to 1.30 pm, Room Nil 1, SDC, Eichenweg 5, 3052 Zollikfen
Open event (RSVP)
Contact: Jonathan Demenge: jonathan.demenge@eda.admin.ch Registrations: LĂ€tt Louise louise.laett@eda.admin.ch
 The seminar will present the project âSocial resilience in the Sundarbansâ, ENGAGE4Sundarbans, and will foster an exchange between the public and the research team on the experience and findings on the project and transdisciplinary research supported by SDC and the SNSF through the SOR4D program. The event is open to the public of development practitioners and researchers.
The project aims to enhance the âsocial resilienceâ of subsistence farming communities living in rural areas of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, on the outskirts of the Sundarbans Forest, a large mangrove forest. The project examines how small-scale farmers in Kumirmari (India) and Pratapnagar (Bangladesh) perceive and experience their social vulnerability and their exposure to multi-hazards such as floods, storm surges and salinisation. Knowledge is built on archival research, household surveys, and ethnographic fieldwork to develop a comparative synthesis of their challenges.
To support these rural communities, the project implements âreal-life labsâ as experimental spaces to translate knowledge into actionable solutions. These labs explore sustainable fisheries and integrated agroecological market farming, guided by local ecological knowledge and community collaboration. Initial findings reveal that agroecological practices require collective action and institutional support for long-term sustainability. Market access emerges as a significant obstacle for rural communities, necessitating innovative strategies for resource management.
The project proposes leveraging community-managed commons, such as canals and tidal plains, through collective use and governance. By fostering cooperative farming initiatives, the transdisciplinary team, comprising members from India, Bangladesh, and Switzerland, supports the development of community-driven solutions. Ultimately, the creation and management of new commons aim to strengthen social cohesion, promote collective work, and enhance community resilience in this socio-ecologically fragile region.
The SOR4D programme (2022-2030)
The Solution-oriented Research for Development (SOR4D) programme is a joint funding instrument between the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) implemented in the âDecade of Actionâ: that is accelerating efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda). The overarching goal of the SOR4D programme is to produce better knowledge, solutions and innovation by needs-driven, transdisciplinary research that opens up new ways for advancing sustainable development and reducing poverty in the least developed, low and lower-middle-income countries.
Speakers and Research Team
 Prof. Dr. Jenia Mukherjee (Principal Investigator, IIT Kharagpur, India)
Jenia, Assistant Professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (IIT Kharagpur), is a transdisciplinary researcher on water-society relations. Jenia is providing research coordination and outreach support to the Indian team. Apart from her research contributions, her (long-term) agenda is to mobilise research communities and practitioners with the SOR4D-driven action framework through lectures, policy talks, MOOCs, and other policy-relevant, field-oriented outputs (training manuals, user brochures, etc.).
Prof. Dr. Samiya Selim (Principal Investigator, University of Libel Art of Bangladesh, Bangladesh)
Dr. Samiya Selim, Director and Professor, Center for Sustainable Development, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh specialised in the field of environment conservation, climate change and sustainable development, specifically ecosystem-based management, sustainable livelihoods, socio-ecological systems, climate change adaptation and resilience, ecosystem services, and science-policy interface.
Prof. Dr. Anuradha Choudry (Co-Principal Investigator, IIT Khragpur, India)
Anuradha, Assistant Professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences IIT Kharagpur and Outreach Coordinator at the Indian Knowledge Systems, Division of Ministry of Education, Government of India, is anchored in Sanskrit studies, Psychology, Indic philosophies, and yoga traditions. She conducts and disseminates Indic research and specializes in cultural heritage and community traditions for ecosystem-dependent societies inhabiting vulnerable delta ecologies such as the Chilika and the Sundarbans. In this project, Anuradha experiments with cognitive frameworks to map transitions from community vulnerability to viability in fragile ecosystems.
Mr. Tapas Mandal (Project coordinator, SJSM, India)
Tapas is a proactive community leader with over more than 30 years of experience working on community development and filmmaking, using the medium for grassroots activism and mobilization. His film âVoices of the Sundarbansâ (funded by the Global Green Grant Fund in 2018) documents Forest Dependent People of the Sundarban forest in their struggle for survival and their livelihoods and lifeworlds as fishers, farmers, honey collectors and crab collectors.
Mr. Nurul Islam Biplob (Project coordinator, Sajida Foundation, Bangladesh)
Nurul is currently working as lead researcher at the Sajida Foundation, based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. As an anthropologist specializing in climate change, he is deeply passionate about studying the intricate relationship between societies and their environments. Nurulâs primary research interests revolve around climate governance, climate migration, and urbanization.
Mr. Md Faisal Imran (Research collaborator, University of Liberal Art of Bangladesh)
Md Faisal Imran is a development professional working as a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), ULAB. He completed his Masterâs in Zoology (specialization in fisheries) and his Bachelorâs in Zoology from Jagannath University.
Mr. Souradip Pathak (Research Assistant, PhD candidate, IIT Kharagpur, India)
Souradip Pathak is an institute Doctoral Researcher at the Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness, IIT Kharagpur. His Doctoral work focuses on âCrafting interactive âfluidâ governance: Knowledge co-production through multi-stakeholder engagement, reflections from the Indian Sundarbansâ in the context of fishing communities. His area of research interest includes political ecology, human rights, environmental governance and sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Prof. Dr. René Véron (Principal Investigator, University of Lausanne, Switzerland)
René Véron is a professor of social geography at University of Lausanne with primary interests in the field of development studies. His policy-oriented research addresses urban and rural environmental governance issues in the global South with a regional specialization in South Asia, where he has been involved in international collaborations since 1994. For the SOR4D project, René brings expertise on decentralization and rural governance in West Bengal. More recently, he has contributed to the literature on (urban) political ecology, and his research on flood governance in West Bengal and France in Switzerland is directly linked to the SOR4D project.
Dr. Emilie Cremin (Project coordinator, University of Lausanne, Switzerland)
Emilie Cremin is coordinating the project, from the Swiss side. She is a senior researcher, PhD in geography, with training in social, cultural, ethno-ecological and environmental geography. She conducts action research for community engagement in the collective management of river and coastal ecosystems commons and multi-hazard risk assessments and supports communities in developing and implementing collectively built agroecological solutions through integrating local knowledge into environmental policies.
Daily Sun: https://www.daily-sun.com/post/821517