Marginal Sized Farmers Agricultural Productivity Improvement and Diversification Financing Project (SMAP): Consultancy Services for Project Management in Two Step Loan (TSL) Financing, Monitoring, Evaluation and Capacity Enhancement

The objective of the Project is to increase agricultural productivity and diversity of the small and marginal sized farmers of Bangladesh by financing agricultural loans and providing agricultural training services to farmers through Microfinance Institutions, thereby contributing to the sound development of agricultural finance and the agricultural sector of Bangladesh.

Activities and services provided include:

  • Increase the project management capacity of BB.
  • Guide and support the BB Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in all aspects of effective project management.
  • Assist the PIU in fund management and in financial monitoring and accounting control, and in reporting of funds maintained by the BB PIU and the participating microfinance institutions (PMFIs).
  • Enhance PMFI knowledge in loan management and in the provision of required technical assistance to participating farmers through workshops and training.
  • Develop a standard guideline manual on technical assistance services for PMFIs, specifying services which PMFIs are to provide to participating farmers.
  • Monitoring and quality control of agriculture and livestock technical assistance/training services conducted by PMFIs.
  • Assist the PIU to establish a monitoring and evaluation system, and to set indicators for the project impact assessment; provide assistance to develop the capacity of BB PIU staff for project implementation, monitoring and impact assessment through workshops, study-visit, on-the-job training and/or other means either in-country or abroad.
  • Conduct studies on new financial products for agriculture development, including livestock and weather index-based crop insurance.
  • Assist the PIU in coordinating with concerned government agencies and other stakeholders, as well as in project promotion campaigns.