The results soon demonstrated what locally adapted agricultural support can achieve. After reserving part of the harvest for household consumption, the farmers harvested 36 bags of rice from 55 feddans (approximately 23.1 hectares) of land, each weighing 100 kilogrammes. The surplus was sold as seed to newly enrolled Smallholder Agriculture Marketing Support (SAMS) beneficiaries. Other flood-affected households are preparing to begin rice production themselves. 

At 600,000 SSP (approximately USD 105) per bag, the sale generated SSP 21,600,000 (approximately USD 3,784) for the group. Lead farmers, who had committed additional land, labour and leadership to the initiative, received SSP 1,800,000 (approximately USD 315) each, while other participating members received SSP 600,000 (approximately USD 105) each. For households whose livelihoods had been severely disrupted by flooding, the proceeds provided an opportunity to begin rebuilding assets, meeting family needs and investing in the future. 

“I bought a goat, paid my children’s school fees, and still have enough to save,” says Gong Dhel, a father of six. “My children now call me ‘Farmer Gong’not ‘Victim Dhel,’”testified Gong Dhel, farmer and father of six. 

The strongest indication of progress is that the first group of farmers is no longer receiving support. They are now helping other flood-affected families to begin the same journey. 

The sale and handover of rice seed to newly enrolled beneficiaries creates a multiplier effect. Knowledge, experience and locally produced seed are moving from one group of farmers to another. What began as an intervention to help one community adapt to flooding is becoming the foundations for a more locally sustained agricultural system. 

At the official seed handover, the leader of the Lithok Rice Farm reflected on how far the group had come: