Women are vulnerable due to limited access to economic opportunities, capital, land and skills in rural Bangladesh. In 2005, Kazi Shahid Foundation (KSF), an independent welfare organization has promoted an innovative “Specialized Dairy Farming Model” linking with the commercial organic tea plantation, organic produces and biogas production to improve the rural community, particularly women, in the northern part of Bangladesh.

The typical dairy farming models involve exchanging of cash, limit the potential for sustainable development, whereas, KSF Dairy Model provides milking cows and calves to its women members and repayment is based on milk and cow dung, implementing “no cash” microfinance repayment system, also ensures risk minimization through cow insurance and veterinary care.

Learning and Innovation Fund to Test New Ideas (LIFT)"- a Program of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) has been proposed to back inventive exercises that incite diminishment of dejection. KSF has been executing a contractual dairy program with a plan to help in expanding earnings and reasonable occupations of the focused on landless and smallholdings through supporting sustainable agricultural processes.

KSF’s continuous efforts towards enhancing community based dairy farming, which has now become one of the income generating activities for poor and marginal households. The model has developed sustainable farming systems to deliver economic value, environmental benefit and knowledge sharing with the community. In the course of innovation and outreach development for entrepreneurial opportunity through demonstration, commercialization, adopting scientific farming practices a significant increase in quality milk production and animal performance have occurred. It can relief poverty and improve the economy of an entire community.

Kazi Shahid Foundation (KSF) and Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF)