Jahanara tackles <i>monga</i> through her vegetable garden

Tista nodir pare… bazan dotara nodir pare bosi moishalre… (A river- song of Bangladesh)
It was a sunny day of Falgun last week. I reached the village Garnarpar of Gongachora upazilla in Rangpur District, which is besides the double-dealing river Tista. My assignment was to observe how Jahanara Begum (36) tackled Monga last year through homestead food production. It was amazing to learn that she overcame the food crisis successfully without collecting any relief. Not only that, she bought 22 decimal of land and extended her vegetables garden to that plot.
A portion of the money came from the income of surplus produce. Now, Jahanara is the role model of her community and a successful example of women's empowerment.
Gongachora is a Monga-prone area. Jahanara was a victim of that and she used to live in poverty. She had three children and had to live from hand to mouth, and even sometimes half-fed. Flood and river erosion made them penniless and indebted.
It was then that Jahanara got motivation on homestead food production, training for improved agricultural practices, inputs vegetables seeds and poultry, and technical assistance from Helen Keller International (HKI).
As HKI's founder Helen Keller said: "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." This was reflected in the life of Jahanara and her family in real sense after she started her homestead gardening.
There were about 25 varieties of vegetables at her garden. Jahanara works in her garden a few hours daily, and her husband, children and a granddaughter help her in selling the vegetables in the market. "Family feuds occurred regularly when we were living in want of food and money, but now our family is very peaceful as there is no food crisis due to the increased income from the garden and poultry raising," said Jahanara. "Even my husband is more supportive to me and we jointly decide for the well-being of our family. So the poor women of our country like me should be included in this type of helpful program," she added.
Jahanara's husband Azizul said: "My wife is my asset. I have seen the face of happiness because of her hard labour in homestead gardening. Now we eat more nutritious food which we could not afford in the past," he added.
In a recent visit to Gongachora, Rangpur, Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed also laid special emphasis on the cultivation of diversified crops, undertaking income-generating projects to offset the Monga.
Life in the chars in Bangladesh
A bulletin of the Nutrition Surveillance Project (NSP) of Helen Keller International and Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN) states that over five million people live in char areas in Bangladesh.
These are highly vulnerable to sudden and forceful flooding as well as erosion. Living in the chars is both hazardous and insecure. Many char dwellers struggle to produce or buy enough food to eat. Malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are more common in chars than elsewhere in the country.
Solutions to these problems require approaches that help poor households make best use of their available resources and cope better with the difficult environment.
Helen Keller International's homestead food production program provides support to fragile livelihoods in the chars. It improves the well being of the entire household by promoting specially adapted low cost technologies for gardening and livestock-raising.
It also improves food security and dietary practices, and creates employment opportunities for women and a source of income for the household.
NSP data show that char households are about 13 times more likely to have been affected by disasters than households in rural Bangladesh. The prevalence of maternal night blindness, an early sign of vitamin A deficiency, in the chars was more than double than the prevalence in rural Bangladesh.
There are limited opportunities for employment in char areas. That is why, for the sake of the best utilisation of the available resources, the vulnerable char dwellers need support from both the government and non-government organisations (NGOs), especially in the areas of technical training, agricultural supplies and market access.
Malnutrition and homestead food production in Bangladesh
Home gardening is an ancient method of food production that is commonly practiced throughout the world. Growing vegetables in the homestead is a traditional practice in Bangladesh and has the potential to reduce the prevalence of micronutrient deficiency among children and women.
Integrating poultry production with home gardening managed by females enhances production and consumption of nutritious foods, generates income, and empowers women in decision-making.
At Gongachora, like in other char areas of Bangladesh, Helen Keller International in collaboration with Debi Chowdhurani Palli Unnayan Kendra (DCPUK) has been implementing the homestead food production program that integrates animal husbandry with home gardening.
The program aims to improve household food security and livelihood by increasing production and consumption of plant and animal foods. "Such a program should expand to at least two more upazillas; Kaunia and Pirgachha to reach many vulnerable households," Md. Nurul Islam Dulu, Executive Director of DCPUK said. "The poor and hardcore poor people are badly affected by Monga in those upazillas also," Dulu added.
Homestead food production and nutrition programs also contribute to improved food security, better social and gender equity, poverty reduction, established support services systems, and micro-enterprise development.
Micronutrient malnutrition affects more than 20 million children and women in Bangladesh. The diets of more than 85 percent of women and children in Bangladesh are inadequate in essential micronutrients such as vitamin A.
Since 1990, Helen Keller International Bangladesh has been implementing food based interventions to provide micronutrient-rich food at the household and community level. Nutrition education and women empowerment are key components to achieve increased utilisation and integration of key food production and marketing practices.
The neighbouring households also benefit from the program. Within about two decades the homestead food production program (HFPP) has reached over five million beneficiaries in Bangladesh.
Women's participation in homestead food production
Women in rural Bangladesh have traditionally managed homestead gardening, from sowing to harvesting, and storing of seed. The involvement of women in this program creates new employment opportunities for underprivileged women.
In addition, women are generally the nutrition gatekeepers, i.e., the principal decision makers in producing and preparing food for their children. So, if women are trained there is a greater likelihood that the vegetables will be consumed, particularly by children.
On average, women represent 70 per cent of the targeted households. It may be noted here that gender equality and the improvement of children's nutritional status are related, and mentioned in the first and third Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
A study of Helen Keller International conducted by the NSP recommended interventions to improve living conditions in the chars, helping the char dwellers make best use of their available resources. Homestead food production programs should be included in strategies to improve household food security, nutrition and livelihoods in the chars.
Programs like homestead food production offer greater opportunity for women to be involved in the income generating activity as well as in the decision making process at the family level. "Providing women opportunity for self -development such as the homestead food production program of Helen Keller International, embraces the ideology -- you build a woman you build a nation. Helen Keller International is proud of its contribution to women empowerment through its programs," Ms Chantell Witten, Country Director of Helen Keller International Bangladesh, said.

Parvez Babul is the Information and Advocacy Officer and Rejwanul Karim Anik is the Program Manager, HFPP of Helen Keller International, Bangladesh.