Water

Commercialization of smallholders' CA-based planters in Bangladesh

Image

Overview

This project aims to enable the business of mechanised planting and the demand for Versatile Multi-crop Planters (VMP) to reach a scale where no further specific public funding is needed to ensure that the services continue to be delivered and grow in Bangladesh.

This Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio project will identify policy level bottlenecks and barriers to the adoption of CA and mechanised planting (including gender impacts); and pilot test two commercialisation models for scale out of the CA-based planter (i.e. VMP) which are needed at this critical juncture to advance the CA-based mechanisation program for smallholders in Bangladesh.

Project Outcomes

  • Identifying gaps in policy, capacity, and roadblocks for the adoption of CA-based farm mechanization on small farms.
  • Evaluating commercialization models for smallholders' 2-wheel-tractor-operated CA-based farm machinery (e.g. VMP).
  • Assessing the opportunities and scope for 4-wheel tractor planters on small farms in Bangladesh; and initiate research on and testing of appropriate 4-wheel tractor-based CA (strip) planters.