Before the Kainmara canal at Dumuria in Khulna was re-dug, the fields around it flooded every monsoon and farmers struggled to raise a single crop. Now they grow three or four a year, catch fish, and produce paddy and vegetables worth lakhs of taka, Dinajpur TV reported.
Solidaridad Network Asia is carrying out the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) project with funding from the government of the Netherlands. So far 92 canals have been re-excavated in Khulna, Bagerhat, Narail, Jashore and Satkhira, benefiting more than 90,000 people. The aim is to increase the use of fresh water in farming and encourage climate-resilient and regenerative agriculture.
Local people are directly involved in digging and managing the canals. Farmers clean and look after them through their own committees, and each pays a set contribution according to distance, which goes into a fund for maintenance.
Besides easier drainage and irrigation, training has moved farmers towards more sustainable practices. Paddy yields have risen from 18-20 maunds a bigha to 30-35 maunds. Training in organic fertiliser and vermicompost is protecting soil fertility, and chemical fertiliser use has fallen markedly.
Farmers have been introduced to improved, stress-tolerant varieties such as BRRI dhan100, BRRI dhan51, BRRI dhan52, BINA dhan15 and BINA dhan7, along with early, mid and late vegetable varieties. Sales points on canal-side roads let farmers learn market prices and sell directly, saving money once lost to middlemen.
The Dutch ambassador believes the government's canal digging programme has created a large economic opportunity for rural people. The experience in the southwest, the report concludes, shows that planning that adapts to the climate can transform rural areas.
Photo: Ashikul Islam Anik / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Source: Dinajpur TV
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