Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and around 84% of the population live in poverty. United Purpose has worked in Bangladesh since 1994 and supports around 1.2 million people each year.

Sonia lives in Amtoli Para with her husband, their two-year-old son and their extended family. Although she belongs to a very conservative family, Sonia and her grandmother have established themselves as leaders in their community thanks to the support of the European Union funded, Leadership to Ensure Adequate Nutrition (LEAN) project. Now, Sonia is an agricultural business expert and leader and trades vegetables in nearby Thanchi Bazar.

Sonia has benefited hugely from training for specific production techniques for selected winter and summer vegetables, including broccoli, spinach, cucumbers, bitter gourd, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and pumpkins. This training, facilitated in conjunction with the Department of Agricultural Extension, has taught Sonia innovative agricultural practices designed to support local knowledge and increase environmental sustainability of artisanal and subsistence agriculture.

Sonia’s community has expressed a great deal of interest in these new practices and Sonia has established demonstration plots for improved production techniques, helping women like her to support themselves and their families. By recruiting other farmers in her community, Sonia has formed four producer groups where over half the members are female. She has organised technical sessions, demonstrations, one-to-one support and consultation to create linkages with local suppliers and markets and acquired a trade license so that she can create new enterprise opportunities.

Sonia isn’t stopping there. Her plans for next year include increasing the number of producer groups to further expand her services and business and engaging with the private sector to develop new technologies and highly marketable and profitable demonstration plots.