Working Procedure of Comilla Model

Comilla Model a rural development approach that originated and developed into a training-cum-research institution called the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) located on the outskirts of Comilla district town.

Several steps were involved in the evolution of the Comilla Model.

 The first step was to use the existing training-cum-research institution, i.e. BARD.

The second step was the affiliation of a laboratory area, a whole thana, to this institution. The purpose of the laboratory area was to carry out surveys/research and organize action research or pilot projects.

The third step was a thorough study of the laboratory area and intensive consultation with the villagers on their problems and their views about the solution to those problems.

 The fourth step was close collaboration with the national planning commission, which made and evaluated policies and prescribed priorities in respect of plans and projects.

The fifth step was continuous evaluation and documentation of the pilot projects, not only to determine their progress but also to discover their weakness and revise them wherever necessary. The sixth step was to assist the government agencies in multiplying the model.

The arguments and assumptions which lie behind the development of the Comilla Model seem to have been:

(i) that the problems of rural development should be approached from the villagers' point of view because they have the best understanding of the problems of rural life and the rural situation;

 (ii) that the villagers are capable of bringing about changes in their conditions having been provided with the means for development;

(iii) that agricultural development should be made an essential step in initiating a broader rural development process;

(iv) that the village should be considered as a basic development unit, and recognized as the starting point of the process of modernization;

 (v) that training, research, and demonstration are essential in promoting rural development, and these should have a symbiotic relationship with the life of the rural community.

The most important element of the Comilla approach to rural development was the creation of an institutional base in rural society, and then integration around it with certain basic development programs.

 The first major component of the base was a two-tier agricultural cooperative consisting of 'primary cooperatives' at the village level (viz Krishak Samabay Samiti) and a 'central federation of primary cooperatives' at the thana level (ie, Thana Central Cooperative Association). These cooperatives were voluntary economic organizations of farmers. The functions of these cooperatives were to encourage farmers to generate capital by thrift deposits, help them to get supervised credit, to spread improved methods of agriculture among farmers, to encourage farmers to adopt the technological innovations jointly, and train them through their trained representatives.

The second component was what was called the Rural Works Programme (RWP) with two-fold objectives: to build the infrastructure of link roads, drainage, and irrigation; and to generate employment by using labor-intensive techniques of work. The planning and execution of RWP was the primary function of the local government institution.

The Thana Training and Development Centre (TTDC) was the third component aimed at bringing together all officials of nation-building departments at the thana level and the representatives of the thana people into a single framework for coordinated rural development efforts. The TTDC also provided physical facilities such as office space for the officials, classrooms for training, workshops, etc, and was designed to become a symbol of development administration.

The fourth component was called the Thana Irrigation Programme which was designed to provide irrigation facilities to farmers through their participation in the planning and implementation of irrigation schemes.