Poverty in Southwest Bangladesh is higher than in the rest of the country. At the onset of the project, 26.7% of people in the Barisal division were considered extremely poor and 14.7% of the population was undernourished.

Furthermore, the region is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change and natural disasters due to its geographic location, low deltaic floodplain and erratic monsoon rainfall. Bangladesh ranks seventh in the world on the Long-Term Climate Risk Index and by 2050, more than 35 million people in coastal districts could be displaced.

Given this precarious situation, the Coastal Climate Resilient Infrastructure Project (CCRIP) sought to shore up the resilience of the food system by simultaneously investing in flood-resilient roads and infrastructure, community markets, and climate preparedness capacity. A core focus to achieve these aims was women empowerment and inclusion through community.