Char Development and Settlement Project (Bridging)

The Netherlands has supported the development of newly accreted land and the settlement of these lands since 1994 through the successive phases of the Char Development and Settlement Project (CDSP phases I to IV). The aim of this project is to provide secure land titles to poor and vulnerable households and support agricultural production. The most recent phase of this project (CDSP IV) was funded by IFAD, GoB and a grant from the Netherlands. This phase of the project is the bridging phase between CDSP IV and V. CDSP has since its start in the 1990s aimed to reach the poor and disadvantaged segments of the population in the project areas. Before the start of its activities in a project area the living standards of the vast majority of the population in the project area were below the poverty line, and most households are landless, or small and marginal farmers. CDSP applies specific criteria for selecting beneficiaries of land settlement and land titling, social forestry and agricultural development to ensure it benefits the most disadvantaged and vulnerable households. Gender is an important dimension all Project activities.