Floating Garden & Duck Raring

Since last one decade, the nature of disaster, environmental hazards, and weather in Bangladesh abruptly has been changed. The coastal districts of the country continuously have been attacked by unusual storms several times. Sidr and Aila storm with flood demolish in the coastal region including mangrove forest Sundarbons. Now, many agricultural lands go under saline water and salinity. Water logging has been increased severely! Most of the time in the year, the water stay in many agricultural lands of the different districts of Khulna division. In these case, farmers as a climate change adaptation farmers practice cultivation in floating garden, however; rearing ducks as an alternative agriculture for livelihood.

Transcript:

– Farmer ‘Shomshar Ali ‘is showing his water logged land with a boat 

“This is the agricultural land except water is staying here for last 3 years! Water is not moving! We cannot cultivate anything! If we cannot cultivate, what will we eat? We have to provide food for cattle even! If we cannot grow food for us, what will we give to cattle? We have very limited option to income and livelihood! To save life we have started duck rearing and cultivation in floating garden!

– Duck rearing sound and testimony of Kulsum Begaum

“We are rearing ducks since 2003 widely. Before we did it also but not much! After taking care of duck-links, ducks start to produce eggs from 5-6 months age. They produce eggs continuously for 2 months approximately! By selling eggs to rural buyers and restaurant, we earn some money and maintain our family cost!”

– Testimony of framer Abdur Rahim on cultivation in floating garden

During returning to home, once in my way I had got to meet a Samadan NGO’s member and my Ismail uncle were making together carpet with water hyacinth in the bank of embankment! I was surprised when they said, they will do cultivation in the carpet of hyacinth on water! So, they are making carpet in floating garden (dap)! I was surprised and said, how is it possible? I criticized them, you become mad.

Curiously, I was observing their works! After making carpet with mud and water hyacinth’s root, they have made boll, and inside the boll they put first-time seeds of ladyfinger. Two to three days later, I was surprised to see their powerful buds! Then, I was impressed to see good crop and I also have got involved with them!

During making, the water level was low, when the water level was getting up, I saw hyacinth-carpets also get up and were floating, but the crops were saved! Which was very interesting! The cropping also was much than the main land! My uncles gave training to all farmers and families with support of experts from Gopalgong! Such way we had started the cultivation in floating garden!

After the first experiences, we have cultivated many types of vegetables like Oll kochu, Pumpkin, Poushak, Pinnate etc.

Advantage of cultivation in floating garden, we do not need to input any fertilizer! The floating garden is very fertile with organic materials from hyacinths and plants! Cultivation on floating garden was started on 2003 in this area (when the water logging becomes serious)! We did not know about it before!
In this area, most of the houses are rearing ducks!

– Farmer ‘Shomshar Ali