by Friendship News Desk,
26 October, 2025
On 25 October, a consultation workshop titled “Exploring the Potential of People and Landscape in the Deltaic Polder Region of Bangladesh” was held at Hotel Sheraton, Dhaka. The event was based on the scoping study “Landscape Restoration through Locally Led Approaches in Coastal Bangladesh”, jointly conducted by Khulna University and Friendship.
The workshop focused on the pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges faced by communities living within Polders 19, 20, and 21 of Paikgacha, caused by poor maintenance and inadequate drainage systems. Participants discussed how these issues have severely affected local livelihoods, agricultural productivity, and ecosystem health.
The primary objective of the workshop was to identify pathways for restoring landscapes and improving livelihoods through locally led, scalable, and replicable interventions. Representatives from key government bodies — including the Bangladesh Water Development Board, Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Department of Forest, and Department of Fisheries — joined the discussions. Academics, UNDP officials, and local government representatives also contributed valuable insights.
The Friendship International team from the Netherlands and representatives from AFAS, the donor organisation, praised the study’s inclusive process and its potential to inform future initiatives. Friendship founder Runa Khan was also in attendance.
