Greens on barren sandy lands

Pumpkins grown on a sandy shoal of Teesta river. PHOTO: STAR

The 46-year old farmer of Kurerbata village in Sreepur union under Sunderganj Upazila earned Tk 81,690 this year by growing pumpkin and other vegetables.

He has done a great job with painstaking efforts and opened up good prospects for others who earlier thought crops cannot be grown on the sandy river basin. He took advice from government's agriculture extension department officials and was assisted by a local NGO.

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A few year ago, Aminul Islam was a destitute as the river devoured his cultivable lands and homestead. His family had to pass hard days and work was also not always available. He had nothing to sell other than his labour to earn bread for his family. He moved from place to place.

Last year, a local NGOEkota--came to his help with assistance from Parctical Action, Bangladesh (PAB) an international NGO. Its men trained and encouraged him to cultivate pumpkin and some other drought resistant vegetables on the sandy soil.

The PAB Action (Bangladesh), under its 'sandbar cropping programme', has developed a system of cultivating vegetables in barren and sandy shoals. It created several demonstration ploys for erosion victims in four upazilas along Teesta and Brahmaputra basins.

The NGOs are working for generating income for shoal people under their joint 'river erosion project'.

They gave short training to 177 erosion-affected people in different shoals in cultivation of pumpkin and other vegetables.

Talking to this correspondent, Nirmal Chandra Bepari, Senior Project Officer (Agriculture) of Practical Action Gaibandha, said the system is very easy and within reach of the poor people.

They are to make small potholes in the sandy soil at equal distances, called pits. Three to four pumpkin plants kept in gunny bags filled with alluvial soil and a small quantity of compost fertiliser. It cost only Tk 50 per bigha. "We supply seeds and give financial support to all the trainees".

"It is really a miracle for me. This new technique gave me beyond my expectation", said Aminul Islam while talking to this correspondent.

Witnessing their success, more people are coming up now to grow vegetables on sandy shoals, Nirmal Chandra said. They also grow gourd, onion, garlic, ginger etc.

"Now we can prepare quick compost from our own resources for cultivation on sandy lands", said another poor farmer Amjad.

"I prepared 230 pits for pumpkin cultivation. I produced 2990 pumpkin and sold 1110 of them for Tk 26,640. I kept the rest for consumption and for distribution among relatives", said Amjad.

Manager of Practical Action in Gaibandha, Ataur Rahmanj, said they are working with five local NGOs -- Ekota, Gano Unnayan Kendro, Palli Badhu Kallan Samity, Samaj Kallan Sangstha and SSUS.