Abstract

Climate change intensifies livelihood insecurity for households exposed to recurrent flooding, riverbank erosion and waterlogging in northern Bangladesh. This practice-based case study examines community uptake of locally appropriate climate-smart agriculture and livelihood measures promoted through the Socio-Economic Empowerment with Dignity and Sustainability (SEEDS) Project of the Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) in Ulipur, Chilmari and Rajarhat upazilas of Kurigram District. The analysis draws on project monitoring records and case documentation and interprets the experience through the emerging framework of locally led adaptation (LLA). The SEEDS portfolio includes sack-bag cultivation, keyhole gardens, floating vegetable gardens and seedbeds, vermicomposting, and raised-platform goat rearing. Project records report that approximately 3,000 households practiced sack-bag cultivation; in 2025, around 50,000 sacks produced approximately 22 tonnes of ginger valued at about BDT 3 million. By 2026, community practice had expanded to about 80,000 ginger sacks and 20,000 chilli sacks. The project also supported 205 vermicompost entrepreneurs. These findings suggest that low-cost, movable, resource-efficient and income-generating practices can facilitate a transition from project-supported experimentation toward wider community replication. However, the evidence base does not yet demonstrate all dimensions of LLA, particularly devolved finance and formal community authority over adaptation decisions. The paper therefore positions the SEEDS experience as a pathway toward locally led climate action and identifies priorities for stronger local governance, community climate finance, longitudinal monitoring and rigorous evaluation.

Keywords

locally led adaptation, community-driven climate action, climate-smart agriculture, flood resilience, resilient livelihoods