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LightCastle Partners has partnered with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), under the CGIAR system, to implement “Scaling Inclusive Rice Transplanting Mechanization Services in Bangladesh: Financial Literacy and Access to Finance (A2F),” a four month capacity building initiative designed to strengthen the financial resilience of rice transplanter operators and seedling providers across three climate vulnerable zones of the country.
Through this assignment, LightCastle Partners will design and deliver seven capacity building sessions across the Jessore, Dinajpur, and Cox’s Bazar zones, reaching 210 rice transplanter and seedling service providers, with a minimum 30% participation from women and youth. Jessore and Dinajpur, both facing extreme heat and drought, will each host three sessions; Cox’s Bazar, exposed to cyclones and storm surges, will host one.
Each session, facilitated by LightCastle Partners, covers four core modules: financial literacy and bookkeeping using tools such as HishabPati, BakiNir, and Cashbook; cashflow management for planning around seasonal income swings; access to finance, covering CMSME bank and MFI loan literacy, eligibility, and referral pathways; and digital financial services, offering hands on experience with MFS platforms and e-banking.
Implementation follows a four phase framework: program design and planning (kickoff, scope validation, participant targeting); session plan and module development (Bangla training materials, validated and signed off by CIMMYT); participant onboarding and training delivery across all three zones, supported by pre and post training assessments; and A2F linkage, monitoring, and reporting, including zone level progress reports and documented success stories.
The program is expected to strengthen financial decision making and cash flow resilience among the 210 trained service providers, better equipping them to withstand seasonal and climate related business disruptions. A central target is enhanced financial inclusion, with LightCastle Partners working to facilitate loan and savings scheme linkages for approximately 10% of trained participants through formal financial institutions, on a best effort basis, alongside greater adoption of digital financial services for more efficient and transparent business transactions.
Training performance data, participant feedback, and learning assessments collected throughout implementation will feed into zone level and final program reports, generating an evidence base to inform future capacity building and inclusive finance initiatives for Bangladesh’s agri-mechanization sector.
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