While the Sundarbans’ ecological attributes are globally acknowledged, it still is one of the most challenging places to live in as the area is characterized by severe poverty, making the region’s population vulnerable to growing natural hazards. This calls for developing sustainable livelihood programs that provide gainful employment on the one hand and help preserve the ecology on the other.

In order to initiate the project, a scoping study was conducted in the Sundarbans to gauge the problems faced in agriculture and livelihood activities. The main aim of this study was to design an agriculture development program, including specific interventions , that lead to climate-resilient sustainable agriculture development, augmenting farmers’ incomes. Our team of experts had focused discussions with the target community, exchanged ideas with institutions engaged in developing agriculture in the Sundarbans, and solicited expert consultation. What emerged from these discussions were that, an increase in soil salinity because of frequent cyclones and floods was triggering climate change, causing hindrance in the agricultural practices. The farmers of the Sundarban do not have access to good agriculture inputs, including quality seeds , mechanization and are unaware of different agricultural schemes of the government due to low awareness. Impact360 is approaching this situation through a micro initiative – creating a consortium of experts, researchers, practitioners, and market advisors who will be able to disseminate knowledge to the farmers on the application of climate-resilient agricultural practices. Interventions designed by Impact360 under this project address these critical issues that can change their lives through increased income, introduction of technology, improved agriculture product quality and access to markets not previously approached.