1. Introduction

The Environmental and social safeguard management in NATP-2 is considered as a major integral part of the project activities. Environmental and social safeguard are not viewed in isolation, but are integrated with the overall project activities as cross cutting issue. For addressing environmental and social safeguard management, “Environmental Management Framework (EMF) along with Pest Management Plan (PMP)” and “Social Management Framework (SMF)” were developed with an aim to provide inputs into the design of NATP-2 in accordance with the World Bank Operational Guidelines through identification of key environmental and social issues arising out of the proposed project activities and mainstreaming the environmental and social safeguard management measures in all stages of the project cycle (project preparation, project implementation and project operation). The EMF along with PMP and SMF were prepared to ensure that:

1. Environmental and social considerations are fully mainstreamed in project planning, implementation, operation and monitoring;
2. Pest Management Plan developed and disclosed are complied with; and
3. The potential adverse impacts, if any, are adequately mitigated and potential benefits of the project are further enhanced to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the project.

The EMF and SMF reports of the NATP-2 project indicated that the project shall have no major adverse environmental and social impact. The environmental and social safeguards are to be applied to all the research sub-projects in different stages of the project cycle.

1.1 Environmental safeguard management

The environmental safeguard policies of the World Bank triggered in NATP-2 are Environmental Assessment (OP 4.01) and Pest Management (OP 4.09). NATP-2 has been classified as a Category B project under OP/BP 4.01 with a partial assessment as the environmental impacts are likely to be small-scale, site specific and with no irreversible impacts. Mitigation measures can be designed readily. In tune with the requirements of the OP 4.01, an Environmental Management Framework (EMF) has been prepared. In tune with the requirements of the OP 4.09, a Pest Management Plan (PMP) has been prepared and disclosed to public prior to Project Appraisal of NATP-2. Key environmental issues that will need to be addressed under NATP-2 include: (i) potential soil degradation; (ii) potential pollution of the eco-system with agro-chemicals, particularly in ponds and water bodies; (iii) potential pesticide-related health and safety issues; (iv) food safety issues; (v) possible depletion of groundwater due to irrigation; (vi) saline water intrusion in groundwater and surface water in selected sites. The EMF provides details on potential environmental risks in AIF sub-projects and other project activities, and outlines procedures to mitigate any potentially adverse environmental impacts; the EMF also provides further guidance for setting up a mechanism for environmental monitoring as well as for capacity enhancement. The EMF included relevant environmental codes of practices to avert negative impacts and strengthen positive outcomes expected to be generated from project interventions. The PMP focuses to address pest infestation and pesticides related issues in NATP-2 and also focuses on the promotion of IPM technologies, judicious use of nationally approved pesticides, environmental code of practices for nutrient and pest management, and creation of awareness about soil and nutrient management.

1.2 Social safeguard management

Following the social assessment undertaken for the preparation of SMF, OP 4.12 (Involuntary Resettlement) was not triggered. No land will be acquired under NATP-2. Potential issues related to resettlement in AIF sub-projects are not expected; should any arise during implementation, they will be addresses adequately, based on the provisions and guidelines incorporated in the SMF. However, OP 4.10 (Indigenous Peoples) has been triggered because the geographic coverage of the current project NATP- 2 has been extended, it is expected that the project also operates in areas where small ethnic and vulnerable communities live. The Social Management Framework (SMF) of NATP-2 included a Gender and Inclusion Framework (GIF) focused on participatory processes, social inclusion and accountability. So all sub-projects should follow the guidelines provided in the GIF and maintain the requisite consultation processes and documentation. NATP-2 has provision to design strategies under the GIF to enhance voice, participation and inclusion of women and vulnerable groups through information dissemination, and an on-going strategy for consultation and communication. The mobilization, consultation and communication strategy focused on the above. The project actively seeks the participation of marginal, small-scale, women (including female-only households), and near-landless farmers, and specifically address their agricultural technology needs for raising productivity and incomes. The SMF of NATP-2 also included a Tribal Peoples Development Framework (TPDF) and a screening template to determine if NATP-2 project activities (in particular areas where AIF sub projects will be implemented) include small ethnic and vulnerable communities - in which case the sub-project will be required to prepare and implement a Small Ethnic and Vulnerable Communities Management Framework in compliance with the SEVC Development Framework included in the SMF. The project should ensure consultation and communication with small ethnic and vulnerable communities in an inclusive and culturally appropriate manner and seek to enhance their participation and voice in the design and implementation of AIF sub-projects that impact them. The SMF has also included a Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy for NATP-2 at the sub-project and the overall project level along with roles and responsibilities stated clearly. Third party monitoring and social accountability elements are to be highlighted and specific M&E indicators and criteria for social assessment performance have to be identified. An accessible and usable grievance redress mechanism is to be devised in close consultation with communities. The SMF has contained implementation arrangements, reporting and budget indication.

2 Performed safeguard management activities under PIU-BARC

Environmental and social safeguard management activities are being implemented as crosscutting issue by the Project Implementation Unit of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (PIU-BARC). PIU-BARC has been implementing environmental and social safeguard activities through selection processes of CRG & PBRG sub-projects, workshops, monitoring, trainings, field days, etc. The Competitive Research Grant (CRG) and the Program Based Research Grant (PBRG) sub-projects were selected considering the national research visions and themes across agriculture sub-sectors. During the reporting year (2017-2018), a number of environmental and social safeguard activities have been undertaken by the component as follows:

2.1 Environmental and social safeguard management activities performed under CRG program

The CRG program that promotes demand driven, basic, strategic, applied and adaptive research with better research-extension-farmer linkages. Better linkages make new technology more relevant and speed up dissemination. The CRG critically targets to mobilize research capacity, stimulate creativity and promote efficiencies in the research system. CRGs are open to all research providers- National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) and non-NARI research providers (Public Universities, NGOs and Private Organizations). In the CRG system, research providers are selected on competitive basis using calls for research proposals and subjected them to rigorous review by the peer reviewers before the final selection.

Total of 190 Competitive Research Grant (CRG) proposals (sub-projects) were awarded since the inception of NATP-2 covering different aspects of crop, livestock and fisheries production and being implemented by 27 different NARIs and non-NARIs institutions/organizations/universities of which institute wise distribution of sub-projects were 13 NARIs had 96 (51%), 11 public universities had 90 (47%) and other organizations had 4 (2%). These sub-projects were reviewed & verified and showed satisfactory compliance with safeguard measures based on exclusion criteria and environmental screening matrix. All the CRG sub-projects addressed environmental and social safeguard issues directly or indirectly to improve environmental and social development through sub-project interventions. The results of most of the CRG sub-projects showed positive impacts on environmental and social development.    

Eighteen CRG sub-projects addressed environmental issues such as biodiversity, mangrove ecosystems, agro-forestry, and water management. Twenty-nine CRG sub-projects addressed climate change impacts on land use system in coastal and other areas, various aspects of fish production, farming in haor/beel region, development of salt & submergence tolerant rice varieties and heat tolerant of sunflower varieties, methane emission in dairy farming system and its mitigation options and low carbon farming technique. Similarly, seven CRG sub-projects were on varietal adaptation trials trying to identify varieties suitable for coastal, hill, haor/beel, barind tract, modhupur tract and monga regions. Seven CRG sub-projects focused on environment friendly farming techniques and water conservation. In addition to these, some sub-projects were related to increase productivity and production, improvement of livelihoods of farmers, soil health and water use efficiency; and strengthening of IPM approach leading to reduce the load of agrochemical uses at farm as well as at national level. Hence, most of the projects under CRG are not only environment friendly but also improving the environment of the project areas. All the information generated through the research component and disseminate to extension components will enhance crop, livestock and fisheries production in the country through promoting environment friendly technologies. The major positive and effective activities to ensure environmental and social safeguard management measures through some CRG sub-projects which are illustrated in Table 1.

Table 1: Positive and effective activities to ensure environmental and social safeguard management measures through some CRG sub-projects

2.2 Environmental and social safeguard management activities performed under PBRG program

The PBRG program is a long-term (up to 4 years) coordinated research program following inter-disciplinary or inter-institutional approach to promote demand led, strategic, and cross cutting research issues to conduce team building holistic research culture for achieving desired output for commodities and production practices. Most importantly, coordinated PBRG program amongst NARIs will widen scopes in integrating multiple organizations for jointly combating national agricultural problems and strengthening their research and research management capability apart from effective and proper resource uses in national perspectives. PBRG programs are being coordinated involving at least two research providers: coordination can be inter-institutional or it can be interdisciplinary within the institute. NARIs, Public University and Private Research Providers were considered for PBRG program. Non-NARI research providers must have adequate technical manpower and physical facilities for conducting the proposed research.

Total of 39 Program Based Research Grant (PBRG) proposals were awarded since the inception of NATP-2 covering different aspects of crop, livestock and fisheries. Thirty-nine PBRG sub-projects are implementing by 27 institutes/organizations under five coordinating institutes/organizations such as BARC (26), BARI (5), BRRI (5), BFRI (Fisheries, 2) and BINA (1) to generate technologies related to crops, fisheries and livestock production along with their supply chain and marketing, etc over 9 division/discipline covering crops, fisheries, livestock, agricultural economics and rural sociology, planning and evaluation, soil, forest, agricultural economics and nutrition. Like CRG sub-projects, PBRG sub-projects were also reviewed & verified; and showed satisfactory compliance with safeguard measures based on exclusion criteria and environmental screening matrix. Similar to CRG sub-projects, all the PBRG sub-projects also addressed environmental and social safeguard issues directly or indirectly to improve environmental and social development through the sub-project interventions. The results of most of the PBRG sub-projects showed positive impacts on environmental and social development.

Five PBRG sub-projects addressed environmental issues such as biodiversity and agro-forestry. Seven PBRG sub-projects addressed various aspects of fish production in haor/beel/plain region and four sub-projects focused on various aspects of livestock production. Similarly, three PBRG sub-projects focused on  environment friendly integrated farming systems. Three sub-projects dealt with the improvement of charland and coastal ecosystems. Similarly, one sub-project dealt for use of solar pump for surface water irrigation, one for the improvement of soil quality & soil heath and nine sub-projects on food safety issues. In addition to these, other 10 sub-projects were related to improvement of livelihoods of farmers and strengthening of IPM approach leading to reduce the load of agrochemical uses at farm as well as at national level. Hence, most of the projects under PBRG are not only environment friendly but will improve the environment of the country. All the information generated through the research component followed by dissemination to extension components will enhance crop, livestock and fisheries production in the country through promoting environment friendly technologies. The major positive and effective activities to ensure environmental and social safeguard management measures through some PBRG sub-projects which are illustrated in Table 2.

Table 2 : Positive and effective activities to ensure environmental and social safeguard management measures through some PBRG sub-projects

2.3 Implementation, coordination and institutionalization

Implementation, coordination and institutionalization are the key factors for success and sustainability of any project activity. In view of this, following activities undertaken during reporting year. PIU-BARC organized a series of workshops on selection process, annual research progress, annual monitoring progress, etc. of CRG and PBRG sub-projects. In the inception workshops of CRG & PBRG sub-projects, all the PIs and Co-PIs were being advised to follow the environmental and social safeguard implementation guidelines in the sub-projects. The workshops and proceedings sensitized the stakeholders and participants. Environmental and social safeguard management issues have been institutionalized through the focal persons of the research proponent institutes/organizations where research proponents were acted as focal persons.

2.4 Women participation, empowerment and mainstreaming

PIU-BARC always encourages women participation in all the activities undertaken in the unit as equal opportunity basis. Women are working as PIs (22) or Co-PIs in many research sub-projects and took part in the project activities. Besides, some other women including female farmers in the project areas are also involved in project activities particularly training programs, workshops, field days, etc. CRG and PBRG research programs have created ample opportunities for economic development; identify special requirements for enhancement of women activities, power sharing and leadership opportunity through women participation in the project. Women friendly technologies are also developed through these programs. No problem faced by women in the project. Hence, mainstreaming of women is progressing through project activities.

2.5 Environmental and social safeguard compliances

Reviewed and verification of all 229 CRG and PBRG sub-projects covering different aspects of crop, livestock and fisheries showed satisfactory compliance with safeguard measures based on exclusion criteria and environmental screening matrix. PIU-BARC advertised for invitation of Concept Notes on CRG and PBRG proposals through different media for wider circulation and open competition. After rigorous reviews by distinguished reviewers in the country, CRG and PBRG sub-projects were selected following the guidelines described in AIF-1 and Project Implementation Manual (PIM). All the project activities were performed in transparent way. Moreover, observations reveal that any PIU-BARC activity under CRG & PBRG subprojects covering crops, livestock, fisheries and supply chain does not involved in land acquisition, involuntary resettlement, encroachment of reserve forests, and use of prohibited pesticides, etc. No complain has been received from any one either from female or male working under the subprojects and any other stakeholder of the project due to any activity of the component. Finally, all PIs/Co-PIs are aware of environmental and social safeguard management than before. The above information reveals that all the project activities of PIU-BARC implemented in the reporting year are met with total compliances to environmental and social safeguards.