1. Pumpkin Plus is an agribusiness company in Bangladesh that promotes riverbed farming to combat food insecurity, poverty, and the effects of climate change. 2. The innovation utilizes transitional lands in river systems to grow high-value crops like pumpkins across multiple seasons. 3. Over 15,000 extreme poor households have benefited from increased incomes, food security, and asset generation through Pumpkin Plus' model of agricultural development and women's economic empowerment.

1. Living with Disasters & Coping with Technologies
Hope for Millions Living on the Edge of The Mighty Rivers in Bangladesh
Nazmul Chowdhury
Founder, Pumpkin Plus
nichowdhury1966@gmail.com
www.pumpkinplud.com
A climate smart innovation to Combat Food Insecurity, Hunger & Extreme
Poverty Through Agribusiness Development Led by The Women & Youths

2. Challenges

3. Challenges Rural Urban Migration
Food Insecurity and Hunger
Social trauma
Poor voice &
choice
Low job
opportunity
Lack of
income
Gender
inequality
CC
Effects
Displacement
Migration
Asset losses
Landlessness
Extreme Poverty
Lack of shelter and Basic
Services and Facilities
Social and Gender Inequality ,
Marginalization and Migration
Poor Job, Low Wage, Poor
Choice & Alternatives
Progresses
Journey over
The
Decades
2004 to 2021

4. The broader challenges
Raising Poverty & Fear of Hunger
Around 20m extreme poor in Bangladesh & Globally 800m
are at risk of hunger. FAO,2019.
COVOD19 and The Global Shocks??
200m Children will die due to famine. WFP, 2020

5. The Story of Change:
Pumpkin Plus
An Agribusiness company has born in 2017, following its operations in 2019
Testing as DRR Model
with over 15000
Extreme Poor
Innovation &
Riverbed
farming pilots
Scale and exports
2004-2008 2009-2016 2014-2017 2017- On ward
Testing business model
“How to help them, help themselves" E.F. Schumacher, Founder of Practical Action.
With the objectives “Some thing is better than nothing”
Vision:
Since December 24, 2004
Ideas…..Incubation…… Innovation and way forward

6. Company aims:
Transformation of traditional Agriculture to an Agribusiness System
Transitional
Lands and
Water
Commercial
integration &
Scale
Economic
opportunity
for bigger
change

7. Graduation Model Proposed By Practical Action
Stage
Graduation Stage II
Sustainability &
Growth
Increase Income
Market facilitation
Asset Generation
Community led service
Off Farm
Farm
Capacity Building,
Access to Resources
Y1 Y2
Time
Diversification of Job
Permanent Skill-
Self employment
Graduation Stage I
Production
Food Security
Value Appreciation
& Asset Protection
Institutional
support
Social
Protection
Physical
Protection
Y3
The proven approaches

8. 20m of extreme poor in Bangladesh, who have no resource, among
them over 10m HHs are living in fragile environment and on flood
protection embankment.
1
We have 2709 Sq.Km transitional land in the mighty river system
in dry season in NW part of the country
2
The innovation has merits to knock 10 of 17 SDG Goals, by addressing
the needs of million of poor , consumers & Stakeholders in the process
of food production, processing and marketing.
3
Value Propositions
The innovation is already a National Policy in Agriculture-2018
has approved by the Honorable Prime Minister, as a new Agriculture Technology in Bangladesh

9. The change model
Three step operational approach
Land access
• Locally identify and negotiate transitional riverbed land
• Policy support for land definition in large scale
• Farmer Association
Economic
opportunity
• Pumpkin & other high value vegetable farming in the sandbar
• Livestock, small trade skill and enhancement of export
• Agribusiness model testing, bank finance model, supply chain improvement by
establishing Village Based Market System.
Commercial
integration &
scale
• Broader partnership, export, and scale at home and aboard
• Collaboration and networking for wider dissemination to benefit people are in need

10. Why is needed?
To achieve transformative changes in four major dimensions i.e. land & water, food & nutrition,
CC adaptation and economic growth & graduation

11. Scaling up through Pumpkin Farmers Associations
1
Scale up through NGOs and commercial finance institutions
2
Scale up through Government institutions i.e. Ag. Extension
3
How can we move? The Channels for wider scaling
Scale up through private sector
4
Scale up through donors programs in CC affected zones
5
Scale up through interested institutions (beyond boundaries)
6

12. Resource & opportunity

13. Technology Transfer

14. 0- day
150 day
Production cycle

15. Storage

16. Village based marketing

17. A total no of beneficiaries = 22131
Total production (since 2005-2018) = 158000 MT
Total sell recorded (80% of the product) = 142400 MT
worth £ 10.4 m (based on local sell @ 8 Tk/kg)
Urban market value = £ 37.8 m (2009-2017)
Pumpkin Plus:
2019-2020 = 26K MT worth 3.1 m million USD (local sell @ 10 Tk./Kg) = $ 6.2m at urban Markets
2020-2021 = 35 K MT worth $4.2 m at Farm Gate sell (@ 10Tk/Kg)
Approximate urban market value (@ 20 Tk/Kg.)= $8.4
Product distribution

18. Potentials of scaling in Bangladesh
In the BMG River System
A total of 2709 Sq. Km (0.27m Hectares) transitional
sandbar raised in winter for 5 months + 0.3 m ha settled
Charland
Additionally, 1m ha of Saline affected lands in South
coastlines

19. Impacts of the Innovation
and
Interventions
Over a decade

20. Views from the space

21. Cost benefit status: 2005-2016
0
100000000
200000000
300000000
400000000
500000000
600000000
700000000
800000000
Total investment (Tk.) Total gross income (Tk.)
Cost benefit
No of Beneficiaries 22131
No of Spot 474
Total Area in ha. 3004.2
Total Production (MT) 92000.176
Total investment (Tk.) 153716999
Total gross income (Tk.) 717507204
Cost benefit ratio 1 : 4.67

22. Food Security
Family Nutrition
Reduce burden of
safety net
Lean season
management
Asset generation
How only pumpkin can contribute?
HH Income and
Employment
And
Combating Food insecurity, Hunger, CC shocks and
Socio-economic depressions

23. How the innovation is
Contributing to the
SDG Goals

24. R & D for crop diversification

25. Contd…….R&D

26. R
&
D

27. Flower production VS Policy implication

28. Fodder for livestock and risk management

29. “Asia-pacific gold
award 2017"
Cannes Media
Award 2011
DW Global Ideas 3000 1st FAO WSD-2018 1st UNIDO Agribusiness-2019 Award on Ag. Innovation Award-19
St. Andrews Prize-2013
Global Recognitions
1st FAO – Switzerland Collaboration

30. 2021

31. Exploring opportunity for regional sharing
SAARC Delegations’ from 8 countries to the Carnival

32. Dream for the next
Replication in the regions to benefit million

33. Dream for the next
Replication in Bangladesh to benefit million
‘The five-year National Agriculture Policy-2018 has been updated and incorporated This new technology “As
Riverbed Farming System and Charland Development "to increase productions by ensuring food security and socio-
economic development through productivity, boosting productions and diversifying crops, producing safe foods and
developing marketing system and making agriculture profitable

34. Regional Symposium on Organic Agriculture and Youth Entrepreneurship
Development in Himalaya Hindukush Regions. December 2019
Honorable Minister of Agriculture & Forest with Secretary of Agriculture and
Director General of ICIMOD with international delegation from 13 countries
Honorable Secretary of
Agriculture of Nepal

35. Impacts-2020: Role of the Pumpkin Plus Producers in
Combating Covid19
A total of 130,000 Families were under Food Safety-net Support by the Govt. Admin and
Bangladesh Army In NW -Bangladesh

36. Recent Development in 2020-2021 Season
Honorable Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture visiting at Kaunia in December 10, 2020

37. What is urgent for it?
Just A
Collective vision and
join hands together
to
make it happen
Lets work ………

38. An appropriate Regional POLICY
can make
A big DIFFERENCE
of the fate of millions

39. Lifeline 2021

40. Journey 20/21 : Performance November – December 2020
Two Districts- 3 Upazila- 09 Unions- 1050 Farmers – 750 ha
Update January 02, 2021 to date

41. Pumpkin Plus R&D 2021

42. Our Run for 2021 with a
target of 25,000 MT by 150
Days in March
R&D Contd…….

43. Farm2Kitchen
Online Supply Chain

44. Pumpkin Plus: Successful Trail & Harvest 2021: The New Product for Commercial Integration

45. Our Run for 2021 with a
target of 25,000 MT by 150
Days in March

46. Small Is Beautiful: E.F. Schumacher
THANK YOU
Acknowledgements for their initial contribution over the periods since 2004 till 2016

47. Website Links for further details:
A life changing innovation for millions in Bangladesh. 2 minutes DRONE Video- 2015
https://youtu.be/xhBj93pN2-s
Big Ideas: “How to grow food in land people think is useless”, With Nazmul Islam Chowdhury.
https://medium.com/authority-magazine/big-ideas-how-to-grow-food-in-land-people-think-is-useless-with-nazmul-islam-chowdhury-ce7340a7c396
WE4F Innovators Links- https://we4f.org/innovators/pumpkin-plus
A Grand Challenge of USAID led Consoortium (Sida, NL,GIZ and EU)- www.WE4F.org
BTV Broadcast in March 2021
https://www.facebook.com/nazmul.chowdhury.509/videos/4283219961689433
Transforming Lands, transforming lives: Hope for millions… Nazmul Chowdhury
https://peoplefoodandnature.org/blog/transforming-lands-transforming-lives-hope-for-millions-living-on-the-edge-of-mighty-rivers-in-bangladesh/
Living with disasters, coping with technologies An Innovation for millions through transforming Agriculture to an Agribusiness System for Food Security and
Nutrition for Poor in Bangladesh. Journal of Food Processing & Technology. September 23, 2020
https://www.longdom.org/abstract/living-with-disasters-coping-with-technologiesrnan-innovation-for-millions-through-transforming-agriculture-to-an-rnagri-
57768.html
Bumper pumpkin output helps char people tackling coronavirus situation. March 12, 2021
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2021/04/12/bumper-pumpkin-output-helps-char-people-tackling-coronavirus-situation