<i>A model for ensuring farmers' right to service</i>
ActionAid Bangladesh officials evaluating progress of the FoSHoL project at a coutyard meeting with beneficiaries at Doba village in Ghatbhog union in Rupsha upazila yesterday.Photo: STAR
Marginal farmers are set to benefit in a large way with the introduction of a pilot project to make available all the livestock services at their 'door steps.' ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB), a global NGO has initiated the 'Food Security for Sustainable Household Livelihood (FoSHoL) Project' in joint collaboration with government livestock resources office and Union Parisad (UP). The project is being funded by the European Commission while local NGOs are engaged in implementing the project At the initial stage, the project envisages creation of livestock service centers in UP complexes of 18 unions in Khulna, Kurigram, Noakhali, Sunamganj, Patuakhali and Satkhira districts. The objective of the FoSHoL Union Livestock Service Centre, a model of union-based “One Stop Livestock Service Center”, is to provide livestock services to rural people to enable livestock dependent people/ farmers to rear domestic animals and poultry birds smoothly and increase their household income. FoSHoL-ActionAid Livestock Component coordinated by Kabir Mallik, Associate Coordinator (Livestock), FoSHoL-ActionAid is going to pilot those service centers in collaboration with GoB Livestock Department, Union Parishad and Communities concerned to strategies model of sustainable livestock services for the poor farming communities of the country which intend to advocate to Government and other relevant organizations to up-scale in near future. Two service centers opened in Rupsa and Koira upazilas in Khulna district recently. Rupsa upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Md Shakhawat Hossain inaugurated the FoSHoL Union Livestock Service Center as chief guest at a simple function held at Noihati UP Complex. Noihati UP chairman Mollah Saifur Rahman chaired the function while it was attended by Rupsa upazila livestock officer (ULO) Dr Achinto Kumar Saha and The Daily Star journalist Z A M Khairuzzaman as special guests. Associate coordinator- Marketing FoSHoL Project Amirul Islam narrated briefly the project activities while associate coordinator- Organisation Development FoSHoL Project Lutfun Nahar gave a short description of the service facilities available at the center. FoSHoL-ActionAid has provided a refrigerators and other logistics as a farmer's assets and valuable medicine for the first time to create a capital for continuing the centers operational in close supervision of GoB livestock departments, Union Parishads and FoSHoL-AAB PNGOs personnel under this collaboration, disclosed Lutfun Nahar. Koira UNO M M Arif Pasha opened another center at Bagali union. Upazila agriculture officer Krishibid Nurul Islam presided while Joint Forces Commander Lt Commander Emran Khan BN and upazila youth development officer Md Monaem Khan were present as special guests.
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