Bangladesh is ranked 11th in the world for climate disaster risk; in Jamalpur, women are ranked first in their households - for the first time
Wednesday, 22 April 2026
Key Facts:- Australian-funded programme in Bangladesh's Jamalpur district demonstrates that women with composting skills, crop knowledge and household decision-making authority are key to effective climate adaptation
- Programme reaches 55,795 people across 318 villages, with 12,518 producer group members marketing 36,039 metric tonnes of produce and 90% of women entrepreneurs achieving financial goals
- Climate-smart practices, including water-saving irrigation techniques, have been implemented to help farmers cope with worsening floods and drought
- 500 Imams have been trained to advocate against child marriage and promote nutrition and gender equality, whilst MenCare sessions engage men on shared household responsibilities
- Evidence from Monash University study confirms women's transition from social exclusion to leading natural farming systems through various crises, driven by training and peer networks rather than technology
For queries and media requests, please contact:
Domi Gonzales at [email protected] or 0413 788 380.
Oliver White at [email protected] or 0406 328 641
The most effective climate adaptation in the world’s most exposed communities doesn’t need much technological sophistication: it’s women with composting techniques, crop knowledge, and decision-making authority at home. New evidence from a 25,000-household Australian-funded program across Bangladesh’s Jamalpur district is showing what actually works in places ranked among the most climate-vulnerable on earth.
Released on Earth Day, the findings from the Gender-Inclusive Market Systems for Improved Nutrition (GESMIN) project, which is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program, come as the country sits 11th in the world for climate disaster risk, reaching 55,795 people, 81 per cent of them women and girls, across 318 villages in four sub-districts of Jamalpur: Islampur, Melandah, Dewanganj, and Jamalpur Sadar.
Since starting commercial farming under the program, 12,518 producer group members have marketed 36,039 metric tonnes of produce. 84 per cent report better prices from collective selling. 90 per cent of women entrepreneurs in the program have achieved their financial goals. Climate-smart practices including alternative wetting and drying (a water-saving rice irrigation technique) have been introduced to help farmers make the most of available water in a region facing worsening floods and drought.
“This flips a narrative we hear constantly about climate adaptation: that it’s a technology problem waiting on a technology solution,” said Grant Bayldon, CEO of World Vision Australia. “In the communities most exposed to climate shocks, the most durable adaptation we’re seeing is women with farm know-how and decision-making power at home, which most have never held before. That’s what’s actually working. And it’s what Australian aid dollars are doing in Jamalpur right now.”
The program’s reach extends beyond farm productivity. Through a partnership with the Islamic Foundation, 500 Imams have been trained to speak against child marriage and advocate for nutrition and gender equality in their sermons. MenCare sessions engage men on shared household responsibility and positive masculinities. Smart Kishori Clubs, which are networks of adolescent girls, will grow to 840 members who will be trained in app-based digital farming, child rights, and adolescent nutrition.
Individual stories from the program underscore the shift. In Delirpar, 50-year-old Anisa Begum, who was once a housewife unable to run her own enterprise in a male-dominated market, now owns 30 decimals of land registered in her own name, along with a power tiller, commercial irrigation pump, and thresher. In Jamalpur Sadar, 42-year-old Bulbuli Begum was recognised with the Adommo Nari Award on Begum Rokeya Day in December 2025 for her work as a Community Market Agent and her advocacy against child marriage and domestic violence. In Sadhipati, 16-year-old Nargis Akter has become known locally as the “Block Supervisor”, the name villagers give her for teaching farmers to use agricultural apps on their phones.
A separate 2026 Monash University and World Vision South Asia & Pacific study, drawing on farmer-led “River of Life” participatory research across Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, reinforces the evidence base: women moved from social stigma and exclusion to leading natural farming systems through cyclone, pandemic, and pest outbreaks – driven not by technology but by training, decision-making authority, and peer networks.
The evidence lands at a pivotal moment. The Women Deliver 2026 Conference opens in Melbourne on 27 April, convening more than 6,500 feminist, First Nations, and Pacific leaders under the theme Change calls us here, the first time the conference has been regionally hosted by the Oceanic Pacific.
“The people living closest to climate risk, including women, children and young people already have answers,” said World Vision South Asia and the Pacific COO Sarah Bearup. “Our job – and Australia’s – is to back the work they’re already doing, and to keep backing it.”
World Vision Australia supports community-led climate resilience, food security, and gender equality programs across South Asia and the Pacific. To support this work, visit worldvision.com.au.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
- The GESMIN (Gender-Inclusive Market Systems for Improved Nutrition) project runs July 2023 to June 2028, reaching 55,795 people (81 per cent women and girls; 1.3 per cent people with disability) across 318 villages in four sub-districts of Jamalpur district: Islampur, Melandah, Dewanganj, and Jamalpur Sadar. Implemented by World Vision Bangladesh and Unnayan Sangha. Supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
- The program uses an inclusive market systems development (iMSD) approach combined with nutritional behaviour change, MenCare sessions on gender equality, and Citizen Voice and Action (CVA) to improve local government agricultural services.
- Bangladesh’s ranking as 11th in the world for climate disaster risk is drawn from the 2025 World Risk Index.
- Building Gender Empowerment and Climate Resilience Through Natural Farming Systems (2026) is a joint Monash University and World Vision South Asia & Pacific study. Lead author: Associate Professor Jagjit Plahe, Monash Business School. It involved 113 farmers across Bangladesh and Sri Lanka using the participatory "River of Life" methodology.
- Women Deliver 2026 takes place 27–30 April in Narrm/Melbourne, Victoria. Theme: "Change calls us here." Hosted regionally by the Oceanic Pacific for the first time.
About us:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian and development organisation dedicated to working with children, families and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision and their partners are working in communities to improve families’ economic prospects, strengthen violence prevention and child protection services, and improve education systems. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.
Contact details:
Domi Gonzales at [email protected] or 0413 788 380.
Oliver White at [email protected] or 0406 328 641