Many of the grassroots farmers have become successful along with boosting their level of confidence through safe vegetable farming in the region, including its vast Barind tract.
As the demand of vegetables is gradually increasing the farmers both male and female, are becoming habituated to its farming on open fields and homesteads.
Banera Khatun, 38, wife of Sabdul Mian in Darusha village, said, “We have been producing chemical-free vegetables, using vermi-compost. We are also selling those in the local markets after meeting the family’s demand.”
Anwar Hossain, 40, a farmer at Alipur village in Durgapur upazila, said chemical-free vegetables are in high demand at the village, and locals are purchasing the vegetables at higher prices.
Belly Begum, 35, has become economically solvent through farming of safe vegetables as its demand is increasing gradually everywhere in the society.
A resident of Dighipara village under Paba Upazila in the district, Begum is earning cash money through selling varieties of vegetables, including red amaranth, spinach, bottle gourd and Indian spinach (puishak), at present.
With full-length support from her husband and children, she is growing the chemical-free safe vegetables.
“I’ve learnt about the importance of bio-fertilizer, seed conservation and seed exchange,” she said, while talking to BSS at her house on Wednesday.
She has also learnt about proper and sustainable use of land to protect its productivity.
She continued that her vegetables are chemical free and most of those are sold from her house regularly. That’s why she does not often need to take those vegetables to market for sale.
In a choked voice, she stated that her previous life wasn’t pleasant and she struggled to enhance her family income.
To get rid of poverty, she started growing vegetables in her homestead side by side with rearing poultry birds and goats.
Currently, she can fulfill the nutrition demand of her family members through consuming the chemical free vegetable and milk and meat from domestic animals.
Being inspired from Begum’s success, many other neighbours have been growing vegetables in their respective homesteads applying organic methods for the last couple of years.
“I cultivated bottle gourd, cucumber and coriander on 16 decimals of land beside our homestead by using organic fertilizer this year, and I got expected production,” Ali Hossain, a farmer of Baroipara village, said.
Muhammad Mohiuddin, a resident of Damkura village under Paba Upazila, said he has set up a vegetable and fruit garden on around two decimals of fallen land around their house and get fruits and vegetables all the year.
After meeting the family demands, he has sold vegetables and fruits, including papaya, banana, kulboroi (plum), kamranga (star fruit), and earned around Taka 8,000 during the last one year.
He said the garden has become the main source of meeting their nutrition demands with earning.
Piarul Islam, 46, another farmer of Phulbari village under Godagari Upazila, said he has got the way of changing his fortune through homestead gardening of dalim (pomegranate) , bean, bottle gourd, tomato, radish, red amaranth, spinach, batishak, cabbage, garden pea, bush bean, brinjal, chili, onion and garlic.
“We are very much happy with the encouraging yield of homestead gardening,” said Shaheda Begum, a farmer of Ishwaripur village, adding that it is helpful in improving the living and livelihood conditions of the villagers.
Mahmudul Faruque, Additional Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said farmers have started growing chemical-free vegetables, using organic manure like vermin-compost.
Gardening around homesteads in the current season through using organic fertilizer has started gaining ground with production of different fruits and vegetables in safe and hygienic ways, he said.
