Homestead gardening boosts rural economy

Homestead gardening contributes to the rural economy in Rajshahi region, inspiring people to cultivate vegetables on the fallow land near their abodes.

Scores of grassroots people are seen cultivating vegetables, spices and fruits on homesteads and other bare lands around the year and changing their fortunes.

Belly Begum, 35, has become economically solvent through farming of vegetables on homesteads as its demand has been increasing gradually in society.

A resident of Dighipara village under Paba upazila in the district, Begum is earning cash 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 chemical-free safe vegetables.

She has learnt about the importance of bio-fertilizer, seed conservation and seed exchange besides getting knowledge 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 the market for sale.

In a choked voice, she stated that her previous life wasn’t pleasant and she struggled a lot 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 fulfil the nutrition demand of her family members by consuming the chemical-free vegetable, milk and meat from domestic animals.

Being inspired by Begum’s success, many other neighbours have been growing vegetables in their respective homesteads applying organic methods for the last couple of years.

Ali Hossain, another farmer of Baroipara village, cultivated bottle gourd, cucumber and coriander on 16 decimals of land on his homestead by using organic fertilizer this year, and I got the expected production.

On behalf of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the farmers are being imparted training on vegetable farming.

Various inputs and other logistic supports, including seed, vermicompost and saplings of fruit trees, are being provided to the trained farmers for encouraging them in farming.

The DAE has been promoting homestead gardening under its project titled ‘Establishment of Family Nutrition Gardens in Uncultivated Fallen Lands and Backyards’ so that the farmers can recoup the losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ultimate goal of the project is to contribute to the economic recovery and resilience of the villagers, including the marginalised communities badly affected by the adverse impact of the pandemic.

Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer Atanu Sarker opined that homestead gardening fosters the self-sufficiency of people.