Vegetable farming changes life of char women

A woman tends vegetable plants at a garden in her house yard at Gobordhan, a char village in the Teesta basin, in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat. Photo: Star

Vegetable gardening on house yards has changed life of thousands of poor landless women living in remote char (landmass emerging from riverbed) villages of the Teesta and Dharla River basin areas in the district during the last four years, thanks to the initiative under Char Livelihoods Programme.

During this correspondent's recent visit to different char areas of the district, a number of the programme beneficiaries said they are now supporting their families with earnings from cultivation of vegetables including pumpkin, sweet gourd, bitter gourd, cucumber, brinjal, cauliflower, chilly, green amaranth, red amaranth, chichinga, borboti, patol, kakrol, and jhinga on small patches of land on the house yards.

“Vegetable farming in the erosion-prone sandy char areas on the Teesta basin has made a difference to our life. Now we are sending our children to school and dreaming of a better life,” said Rashida Begum, 48, at Char Gobordhan of Mohishkhocha union in Aditmari upazila.

“I have cultivated pumpkin on a small yard.  After meeting family requirement, I sold vegetables worth Tk 3,000 in last one month and hope to earn more Tk 6,000 from selling vegetables,” said Aklima Begum, 52, at Char Sholmari in Kaliganj upazila.

Over 20,000 families living in char areas of Lalmonirhat Sadar, Aditmari, Kaliganj, Hatibandha and Patgram upazilas in the district have been able to overcome their poverty through vegetable farming, mostly with the help of Char Livelihoods Programme jointly run by the government's agriculture department and NGO Own Village Advancement.

Huge quantities of vegetables are being produced in over 65 char villages in the Teesta basin areas in five upazilas of Lalmonirhat, said Ahsanul Kabir Bulu, project manager of Char Health and Education Project under the NGO.

"The poor char people are improving their livelihood through vegetable cultivation on house yards and plinths, animal husbandry and other income generating activities, said Safayet Hossain, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension in Lalmonirhat.