Fresh off a recent Grand Prix win at Mad Stars, we take a deeper dive into the campaign by Shopnodhora Asset Development and POP5 that turns unused land into urban farms.
According to Shopnodhora Asset Development’s Plot Farming campaign, created with POP5, Bangladesh is one of the fastest-urbanizing nations, yet per capita land availability remains among the lowest.
Vast fertile lands lie idle as real estate investments, while more than six million landless farmers struggle for survival.
Shopnodhora launched Plot Farming to address this imbalance—transforming unused urban plots into productive farmland.
By securing landowner permissions, reviving the centuries-old Borga Chashi (sharecropping) model, and supervising farming, Shopnodhora paired idle land with landless farmers.
Landowners shared in the harvest, while farmers gained stable livelihoods. Over 9,000 plots were cultivated, generating 1,036,000 kg of produce and sustainable incomes for 5,163 farmers.
The initiative redefined real estate as not just building cities, but nourishing communities—proving that urbanization and agriculture can coexist as part of a long-term, scalable platform for change.
In Bangladesh, land is the preferred form of investment. Many buyers own multiple plots and leave them idle for decades. At the same time, millions of landless farmers lack access to cultivable land.
This imbalance revealed an opportunity: reconnect idle assets with idle labor through a model rooted in cultural tradition.
Initially, it was about offering farmers access to land. But creatively, it evolved into a system that redefined real estate itself—transforming passive plots into productive assets.
9,207 idle plots converted into farmland with 5,163 landless farmers gaining stable livelihoods.
By reframing “property” as “potential farmland” and reviving Borga Chashi (local sharecropping system) in an urban context, the initiative became a new model for the industry.
The biggest challenge was building trust—convincing landowners that allowing farmers onto their land wouldn’t threaten ownership. Formal agreements, careful supervision, and transparent harvest-sharing were introduced to overcome skepticism.
On the farming side, coordination was complex—matching the right farmers with the right plots and ensuring consistent output under Shopnodhora’s oversight.
All images via POP5
Chief Executive Officer: Masud Parvez
Chief Creative Officer: Mohammad Akrum Hossain
Group Creative Director: Md. Abdullah Al-Rana
Group Creative Director: Md. Tauhidul Azam
Creative Manager-Copy: Mohammad Waleed
Creative Manager-Copy: S.M. Sohanur Rahman
Copywriter: Nabila Kabir
Business Executive: Zopari Lushai
Senior Art Director: Esty Azizul Haque
Lead Animator: Khairul Hassan
Senior Visualiser: Md. Ibrahim Hossain
Graphic Designer: Mozammal Haque
Strategic Planning Director: Shahed Muhib
Brand Service Director: Shihab Islam Mithun
Senior Manager-Client Service: Mashrur Majdi
Visualiser (Motion Graphic): Khairul Islam
Associate Art Director: Tahidul Islam
Visualiser: Shahabuddin Shihab
Management Trainee: Sanzida Moon
Admin & HRM: Fariha Sultana
