APFED Booklet on Good Practices and Innovative Activities 2005 ...

Bangladesh
2008
Showcase
Appropriate Technology Park for Climate Change
Adaptation and Environment-friendly Coping Strategy
Project Site Location
South West (Jessore) and North West (Dinajpur) regions of
Bangladesh
Background - Problems Addressed and Policy Responses
Historical data and future projections have indicated a broad
range of climate change impacts on the food and energy
security of Bangladesh. Being a developing country, its
purchasing power and access to various climate friendly
technologies are poor, which necessitates penetration of lowcost
technologies for the rural poor in Bangladesh.
Biosand filter being constructed
2009
2006 2007 2008
Project Outline - Objectives and Activities
The primary objective of the “Seeing is Believing” project - via establisihment of a technology park-is to
demonstrate low-cost technologies for coping with changes in climactic and environmental conditions to
rural communities, and urge their adoption. The project involves showcasing appropriate technologies,
including a bio-sand filter, solar water purifier, solar desaliniser, rainwater harvesting, efficient stove, solar
drier, and biogas plant, and providing usage instructions and supply chain information therefor.
2005
Impacts and Achievements
The project has implemented two approaches; a cluster-based Technology Park and diffusion based
on a visit system, which have resulted in 256 adoptions of the various technologies within a year – the
most popular being biogas slurry and biogas plants, followed by urea super-granules and composting.
The project has raised the awareness among various stakeholders of the importance of these low cost
technologies, facilitated private sector penetration into rural areas, and helped shape government policies
by promoting greater investment in low-cost technology development and diffusion.
Future Challenges
Designing mobile and diffusion-based systems as against fixed technology park need to be considered.
The robustness of the low-cost options needs to be improved, with more research and development by
government and private agencies, hands-on training for rural artisans, greater incentives by government
to promote private sector participation, and instituting a mechanism that continuously identifies local
innovations and introduces them into formal research and development schemes.
General Information
Name of the Implementing Organisation: ChangeMaker: Society for Social and Economic Development
Type of Organisation: NGO/CBO
Contact: Syed Tamjid Ur Rahman, CEO
ChangeMaker: Society for Social and Economic Development
House # 8, Road # 13 (New), Suite # F-3, Dhanmondi, Dhaka - 1209, Bangladesh
Tel: +(880-2) 8159970, 9126784 Fax: +(880-2) 8110254 E-mail: tamjid@changemaker-bd.org
Website: http://www.changemaker-bd.org/index.php
Project Reviewer (NetRes / Collaborators) that monitors the project:
S.V.R.K. Prabhakar, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) E-mail: sivapuram.prabhakar@gmail.com
Area
Climate Change 3R Biodiversity & Ecosystem Water Capacity Development etc. Others
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