The majority of rural people grow vegetables for their own consumption and rely on this as their main source of food. However, with no training and the low availability of information, many are unaware of crop production technology or of the nutritional benefits of different vegetables. Without the technical knowledge, they are unable to make the best use of their land, and consequently often produce far less then the land's potential, sometimes yielding just one crop a year. In some cases, land has been so poorly utilized that it has been rendered unusable, further reducing villagers' ability to grow crops. Moreover, a lack of nutritional understanding leaves many rural people malnourished and vulnerable to disease, particularly women and children. The result is poor nutrition and low body weight, contributing to frequent ill health, high maternal mortality, and deficiency in children's physical and mental development.

BRIF established the Participatory Agri-Product Diversification Project to help people in nine local villages overcome these problems. PADP provides rural people with training in modern agriculture techniques so that local families are now able to produce fruit and vegetables year-round, providing them not only with sufficient food for their own consumption but with a surplus which can be sold at market to generate income, create jobs, and reduce poverty. The PADP team is working to reduce the fallow land from 15% to 5%, and have been training and supporting local people to improve soil fertility, produce pesticides and fertilizers, and make better use of their resources. The project also provides information about the importance of fruit and vegetables to health, supplies dietary advice to reduce malnutrition, and runs cooking demonstrations to show the villagers how to preserve nutrients.

PADP is directly helping 516 beneficiaries, with 3989 people benefiting indirectly.

SHABGE focuses on similar areas as PADP, but particularly targets women. Funded by the Department for International Development (DfID), the project is one of BRIF's longest running, established in July 1999. Like PADP, the project's goal is to train local poor people about the technical aspects of vegetable production so that they are able to cultivate their land much more effectively, and also provide education about nutrition and its impact on health. Vulnerable women (especially widows, destitute and divorced women) are the target beneficiaries, as it is women who are largely responsible for child health care and nutrition, and they who are often able to take responsibility for managing the homestead resources. In addition to the impact it has on their income, the project helps to empower women by providing them with skills, responsibility, and increased status within the family and community.

SHABGE works with 6451 beneficiaries, of whom 92% are women.

The LEAF project was set up in January 2004 with support from Inter-Cooperation SDC, and focuses on empowering and developing the capacity of local farmers. It works with Farmers' Organisations to create access in the marketplace, contact with service-providing institutions, and acceptability in society. The project also provides technical training, financial support and marketing facilities to nursery farmers, helping local people to establish a successful and sustainable livelihood. In addition, the LEAF team also raises awareness about the skills and benefits of fish cultivation. BRIF trains local people to farm fish - an essential source of protein - in the many but previously underutilised ponds, paddy fields and shallows, and then helps them to sell the surplus for a fair price to help generate additional income.

LEAF works in 154 villages, with 7645 beneficiaries (78% of whom are women).