Kazi Shahid Foundation Organic Farming | Teatulia Organic Teas

Kazi Shahid Foundation Organic Farming | Teatulia Organic Teas http://www.teatulia.com/ks-foundation.htm The Teatulia Cooperative, or Kazi Shahid Foundation (KSF), was started as a dairy cooperative to support Bangladesh’s first and only organic tea garden, Kazi & Kazi Tea Estate Ltd., otherwise known as the Teatulia Tea Garden. Located in the very northern tip of Bangladesh, the garden was founded in 2000 by Kazi Shahid Ahmed, Chairman of the Gemcon Group with the express goal of improving lives in this remote and neglected region through enterprise. Today, KSF provides innovative education, health, and cattle-lending programs that provide a bright future for thousands of Bangladeshi families. The KSF cattle-lending program is based on an innovative approach— lending its co-op members cows instead of cash. Co-op members are lent a dairy cow that can be paid back by selling its milk and dung. Members are required to sell one liter of milk plus 20 to 40 pounds of dung per day, while keeping the rest for their personal use. This easy "barter" form of payment takes the pressure off of cash payments, making the co-op a practical alternative to other micro-loan programs. Most members manage to pay off their cow within two to three years. Best of all, they can keep any calves the cow bears during the re-payment period. The cattle-lending program has made a significant impact on the local economy since its inception in 2000. As of 2014, more than 1,700 co-op members take part in the program. Almost $500,000 in cattle loans has been distributed to the community. Dairy farming has increased employment by 450% and individual co-op members’ incomes by 300%. The program has also increased monthly milk production by 450% and cow dung for soil fertility by 828%. Teatulia Organic Teas teatulia.com Facebook: facebook.com/teatulia Twitter: @teatulia Instagram: @teatuliateas Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Teatulia/