Today, COAST Foundation has organized a workshop with the collaboration and support of AVAS, BINDU and The Street Child in Kalapara Upazila of Patuakhali district.

This workshop was organized under “CARE for Women” project which is funded by Gates Foundation. Nahid Hasan, Upazila Agricultural Extension Officer Kalapara were present as chief guest, besides, Taslima Akhtar, Upazila Women Affairs Officer, Asad Udzamman, Upazila Social Service Officer and Manager of Bangladesh Krishi Bank, Kalapara Branch were present in the meeting.

Imtiaz Ridoy, Country Lead of Street Child Bangladesh, presided the meeting. Md. Enamul Haque, Project Coordinator of the project presented the key note of the meeting.

He said that the contribution of women is immense in the agricultural sector in Bangladesh. Women are actively involved in all the activities of like farming, sowing seeds, weeding, and harvesting crops, but their contribution is still considered invisible or informal in many cases. They have no legal recognition as women farmers.

Women farmers are also being affected in various ways due to climate change special in the coastal areas. Although they are given priority in various policies but they are not getting the benefits in ground, he added.

Some women farmers participated the workshop and shared their experience and demands in agriculture.

A women farmer Sumi said that they should be listed and recognized as women farmers and ensure all facilities under agricultural services.

She also mentioned that government should recognize them and given priority in getting agricultural incentives and inputs, launched special extension programs for women farmers, and provide officially women farmer ID card.

These marginal women farmers presented demands and recommendations such as increasing women's digital capacity through mobile banking and establishing support centers as they are the most affected persons due to climate change and suffer in every natural disaster.

Imtiaz Riday said that the project has been implementing some activities to develop the skills, capacity and leadership of women farmers in Kalapara Upazila.

He also said that the project applied various modern methods in agriculture to mitigate climate change. These initiatives helped women farmers to increase their resilience in agriculture, business and daily life.

The CARE for Women project has been working to creates supply chains and increase linkages on climate-resilient agriculture and equipment.

The project has been working through intensive linkages to increase the production of women farmers, ensure their rights and improve their quality of life through skill development and training of women farmers.

Some journalists from Kalapara Press Club, Agriculture Deputy Assistant Officer and Union Administrative Officer of Latachapoli and Dhulasar Unions, NGO representatives, local government representatives, women farmers, partner NGOs, and Rashida Begum, Assistant Director, Md. Yunus, Advocacy and Liaison Coordinator from COAST Foundation, Kristina Baroi, Gender and Safeguarding Officer of Street Child were also present in the meeting.