Marginalized families use hydroponic technology in vegetable farming, Due to the current technology’s suitability for producing vegetables, several marginalized households, notably those belonging to ethnic minorities, have begun employing hydroponic technology in the area for the first time. The technique is currently being used by Shyamoli Murmu, 23, the wife of Ramesh Murmu, Sabina Marandi, 27, the wife of Pijush Marandi, and Minoti Kisku, 28, the wife of Mikhail Kisku, to cultivate tomato, capsicum, coriander, spinach, and lettuce.
In Jhikra village, Nachole upazila, Chapainawabganj district, a group of ten women, among them the three, received training based on their needs in addition to various forms of financial and technological assistance for vegetable farming using the most effective contemporary techniques.
Marginalized families use hydroponic technology in vegetable farming
The intervention of a project called “Resilience to Economic Volatility of Indigenous and Vulnerable Populations through Empowerment (REVIVE)” resulted in the provision of promotional support. Dr. Muhammad Asaduzzaman, Senior Scientific Officer of the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, explained hydroponics as a technique for growing plants in water or on soilless substrates by providing an essential plant nutrient solution in his remarks on Saturday.
“We are promoting the women-run hydroponic and safe vegetable production for improving living and livelihood conditions of the landless marginalized families through the venture,” he added. Portraying salient features of the technology and its benefits Dr Asad, who conducted the training as resource person, said it provides a suitable balance of oxygen, water, and inorganic nutrients for optimum plant growth.
Nutrient and water can be saved through this technology. It has no soil diseases and pest problems and thus saves money. Vegetables can be produced in soilless substrates, infertile soil, or even in roofs. Nutrients and water can be saved through this technology. Dr Asad attributed that the managed culture technique is being used for growing high-value vegetables throughout the year in drought-prone areas as the hydroponic cultivation technology is especially suitable for growing vegetables.
The REVIVE project is being implemented in six unions of Nachole and Gomostapur upazilas in Chapainawabganj and nine unions in Manda, Dhamuirhat and Niamatpur upazilas of Naogaon districts. DASH Foundation has been implementing the project in cooperation with HEKS/EPER supported by Switzerland since July, 2021 for contributing to the holistic development of disadvantaged communities, particularly the ethnic minorities.
Around 4,600 marginalized families, most of them are ethnic minorities, have started improving their living and livelihood conditions through various need-based income-generating activities with intervention of the project. The beneficiaries were given humanitarian support, including monetary and income-generating training and assets as emergency response.
Each of the households was brought under cash incentives worth Taka 4,000. They were imparted training on various income-generating activities, including agriculture, vegetable farming, homestead gardening, fisheries, livestock, vermin-compost and horticulture as per their interest and choice.
Apart from this, the beneficiaries were given post-training materials and logistic support so that they can engage themselves in the income-generating activities for uplifting their living and livelihood conditions after the best use of their knowledge acquired from the training.
According to the project’s coordinator Narayan Chandra, market links are also being formed between the beneficiaries and the line departments to create market chains and value chains for the farm products. As an opportunity for the beneficiaries to generate revenue using their limited land or on land they have jointly rented or leased, the REVIVE initiative has started a trial program for hydroponic vegetable cultivation. Upon its success, Narayan Chandra continued, the finest practices and learning opportunities will be repeated for other individuals in all the project-affected regions.