ENRICH Environment

ENRICH emphasizes on raising awareness regarding the climate change and its impacts. A manual titled ‘Samrriddhi: Ekti Shohoj Path’ translated as ‘ENRICH: An Easy Guide’ has been published by the PKSF in Bangla and widely distributed for the purpose. In addition, other methods such as group discussions and interactions with households are used to this end. Some adaptation activities such as raising the plinths of houses and planting trees and bushes for protection of houses from strong winds and water surges. Some mitigation activities such as installation of solar home systems and improved cooking stoves are encouraged and facilitated.

  • Distribution of Solar Panels and Stoves: Distribution of health and environment-friendly improved cooking stoves, commonly known as Bandhu Chula, is another distinctive initiative under ENRICH. Households are encouraged and facilitated to replace conventional earthen ovens with Bandhu Chulas. It substantially reduces the risk of smoke-related health hazards and exposure to fire for the women who cook for their families. Under this initiative, cooking stoves are supplied to the households at substantially reduced prices. As of April 2022, a total of 50,108 Bandhu Chulas have been distributed in various ENRICH unions. Solar lanterns are being distributed to ENRICH households, particularly for children to use them while studying at night. Solar home systems are being installed at households in those areas of the ENRICH Unions where grid power supply is not available. This reduces the risk of smoke-related health hazards and fire-related accidents and facilitates access of households to light at night. Under this initiative, the POs collect solar home systems from different manufacturers and distribute them to households at reduced prices.

An ENRICH participant is using a health & environment-friendly cooking stove

A child is studying using a Solar Lantern, provided under the ENRICH. Her household does not have electricity supply from the national grid

  • Promoting Vegetable and Basak Cultivation: ENRICH encourages and helps small and marginal farmers in all ENRICH Unions to cultivate vegetables of various kinds in accordance with the local cropping patterns and cropping seasons around the year on their homesteads and elsewhere, subject to availability of land. Until April 2022, more than 120 tonnes of Bashok leaves worth BDT 41.50 lakh were produced and sold. Vegetables are cultivated on a small scale mainly for household consumption. Sometimes, the surplus production are sold to increase the incomes of households. Also, larger-scale market-oriented production is encouraged and facilitated. Medicinal plant cultivation is one of the innovative actions under ENRICH. A household can earn up to BDT 2,500 (US$32) per month by cultivating about 1,200 Basak plants on 10 decimals of land. The life span of the plant can be up to 20 years. An initiative has been taken to promote the cultivation of medicinal plants, primarily basak, in the yards of the ENRICH households as well as on any fallow land they have access to. The initiative is aimed at increasing the income of the poor households. It has been found that the local pharmaceutical companies import a huge amount of basak leaves every year. If domestic production of basak leaves meets the domestic demand for it, foreign exchange spent in importing it will be saved.

Chairman PKSF is observing the use of a sex pheromone trap in cultivation of chemical free vegetables

 

 Basak (adulsa) cultivation on previously unused fallow land and roadsides