Government agencies are eager to join and partner with organizations like Practical Action Bangladesh, whose agricultural innovation helps address many vital societal issues. Using "transitional land" like sandbars to grow crops will help balance the food supply with the country's growing population, and helps address malnutrition in farming communities.

The Practical Action communities export their crop to five countries in Southeast Asia, mostly to Malaysia. It is no wonder, then, that several neighboring countries are taking notice. "Government representatives from Bhutan, India, [and] Nepal have come to our sites in Bangladesh to assess the potential...to use this innovation and intervention in their countries," Nazmul says. Bangladesh has also recognized what a valuable tool this approach is to sustainably address a myriad of societal issues. In July of 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina incorporated sandbar cropping into the country's agricultural policies. As a government policy, Bangladesh must now include the technique in their agricultural planning.

"This is a low-cost solution with wide-reaching benefits," says Nazmul Islam Chowdhury, Head of Inclusive Agriculture at Practical Action.