We executed an action program to protect riverbanks from erosion for two years in a village in Bangladesh under the JSRDE (Joint Study on Rural Development Experiment) project funded by JICA. This paper describes the physical damage of riverbank erosion and its impact on the villagers, and discusses protection methods derived from existing local technology. We constructed palisades, in the river to protect the riverbank. On the advice of the villagers and other relevant individuals, the palisades were four-sided fences constructed out of bamboo tied vertically and horizontally in a checker pattern and iron boards made from stretched out oil drums. The program of using palisades for two years was successful because palisades were effective not only in protecting the riverbank from erosion but they also accelerated soil sedimentation along the riverside. Moreover, planting vegetation on the riverside to protect from erosion, which is a local technique, was also confirmed to be effective. We emphasize the importance of learning about and positively evaluating existing local technology for rural development programs in developing countries like Bangladesh.

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A village committee was established to look after rural development activities that were initiated by joint efforts of villagers and staff members of the Joint Study on Rural Development Experiment (JSRDE) project team sponsored by JICA in Bangladesh. The committee was formed of the so-called traditional village leaders, or matabbors, some of whom proved to be active in enhancing villagers' unity and devotion to village public affairs. At the same time, a village coordination meeting of local government officers was formed to coordinate the activities of the government concerning rural development. The Thana (local administrative office) officer played pivotal roles in organizing the meeting. An effort was made to "link" the organizations of local governments and the village committee, so that the governments' rural development services were channeled into the village through a public, formal "door" of the village. Various trials implemented in the village indicated that successful linkage hinges upon the single facet of "openness" or "transparency" in information dissemination, which had been rather lacking in rural Bangladesh. The important processes of formulating the village committee and the village coordination meeting of local governments and clues for successful communication and dissemination of related information are documented in this paper. Moreover, analysis of an economic aspect of rural infrastructure reveals that bridge construction in the village was efficient in generating income for the poor.Discipline: Agricultural economics Additional key words: administrative service delivery, information transparency, people's participation, rural infrastructure, village committee JARQ 42 (3), 145 -150 (2008)

The authors propose a "rural hydrology" approach for investigating and planning of rural infrastructure build-up in the floodplain zone of Bangladesh. The rural hydrology approach, a form of "alternative engineering", requires the following minimal set of items; a motorcycle or bicycle, feet to walk around, an eye to see the real environmental conditions, an ear to listen to those who are informed of the local conditions, and a flexible mind to share with local people, in order to identify land and water conditions, constraints to development, and the real needs of the locality and local people. Here, a case study is documented. The dynamic hydrological environment of the Tangail district floodplain was analyzed at the level of the union and the results were proposed to be applied to formulate plans for building rural infrastructures. Based on the rural hydrological viewpoint, it is possible to understand a correct dynamic hydrology of the union level. It should be possible to make plans for soil mounded feeder roads, culverts and bridges, which do not disturb the hydrological balance and stability of crop production, using only reasonable labor instead of a great deal of labor and investment. "Rural hydrology" can be a practical proposition for rural development in less developed countries.