UNDP - United Nations Development Programme Bangladesh

09/30/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/30/2025 06:57

Fighting Climate Change with Youth-Led Green Enterprises in Coastal Bangladesh

In Bangladesh's coastal belt, climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is a daily reality. Rising sea levels, salinity intrusion, and recurring cyclones are eroding farmlands, destroying crops, and disrupting livelihoods. Yet amid these challenges, young people are turning crisis into opportunity through green innovation.

Like Md. Alvi Sheikh from Shyamnagar is pioneering spirulina farming to provide nutrition and income for his community. "Starting spirulina farming was not easy, the culture was expensive, and support was limited. But I knew this could change lives in my community," Alvi explained, standing by the ponds where his project "Coastal Greens" is taking shape.

In Batiaghata, Khulna, Aisha Akter Asha voiced her concern over persistent waterlogging that left many women without stable income sources. To address this, they envisioned a micro-business cultivating mushrooms and small green vegetables such as chia seeds and corn within their homes. "We wanted to turn their homes into spaces of growth and resilience," Asha explained. "But without sufficient funding and seeds, our idea has remained a dream instead of a livelihood."

In Morrelganj, Bagerhat, Md. Shah Ali is cultivating saline-resistant rice varieties and expanding into poultry farming despite limited resources. "Climate change left our land nearly barren, but resilience comes from trying again, not giving up," he said. "Our cooperative proved that even small farmers can fight climate challenges if we stand united."

These stories echo the urge for adaptation, innovation and resilience of youth across the coastal districts of Bangladesh. However, barriers remain, access to finance, training, and markets is still out of reach for many aspiring entrepreneurs. Without formal registration or collateral, youth organizations cannot access loans or secure funding, leaving banks and microfinance institutions out of reach.

To overcome these challenges, they proposed ensuring low-interest credit creating a centralized app for resources, allocating dedicated budgets for youth-led enterprises, and simplifying loan systems to enhance financial access. Integrating green skills into school curricula, eco-clubs, solar campuses, and community gardens, with forward-looking ideas like climate resilience internships, AI for mitigation, and better rural infrastructure were also recommended by them.

That's where the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) comes in. Through the Local Government Initiatives on climate change (LoGIC) project, UNDP is working to strengthen local capacities, enhance climate finance access, and promote climate-resilient livelihoods nationwide. In parallel, the regional Governance of Climate Change Finance (GCCF) and Climate Finance Network (CFN) programmes have been jointly working in partnership with the SME Foundation to find pathways for climate finance solutions, green skills, and scale up micro-enterprises. The aim is clear: to embed climate-smart, youth-led enterprises into national policies and make young innovators central to Bangladesh's climate resilience.

This commitment was highlighted at the Khulna Divisional Youth Consultation on 19 September 2025, co-organized by UNDP and partners. The event brought together young leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, and local stakeholders under the theme "Curriculum for Climate Resilience: Green Skills and Micro-Enterprises." It offered a platform to share solutions, confront barriers, and co-create strategies for a more climate-resilient future. The findings from this event will be carried forward to the National and Global SDG Youth Summit 2025 to inform policy reform initiatives for young entrepreneurs particularly those residing in climate stressed regions.

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