Just 18 katha of land, yet it grows 26 kinds of native and seasonal vegetables. Hard-working farmer Abul Kalam of Gangni upazila in Meherpur has set this unusual example. Through planned, diversified vegetable growing on limited land, he has secured his own finances and become a model for farmers in the area.

Abul Kalam has farmed for about 18 years. He began with hybrid vegetables, but over time ran into many problems. Excessive sun, erratic rain, disease and bad weather damaged his crops again and again, raising production costs and cutting profits. After these experiences, on the advice of agriculture officials, he turned to native vegetable varieties about five years ago.

His 18 katha now grow cauliflower, cabbage, banana, bottle gourd, pumpkin, bitter gourd, yardlong beans, garlic, onion, aubergine, tomato, cucumber, spinach, Malabar spinach, ridge gourd, snake gourd, sweet pumpkin, chillies and many other native vegetables at the same time. He has also grown beetroot, a foreign vegetable, on a trial basis. By making full use of every part of the plot, this row-based, layered system lets him produce many crops on the same land.

The biggest advantage of the system is lower risk. He said that if one crop is lost to a natural disaster or disease, the loss is easily made up by the others. His total production cost this season was about Tk 20,000, against which he has so far earned about Tk 1 lakh 20 thousand from selling vegetables. He expects the income to rise further by the end of the season.

He said many people laughed at his method at first, some saying there was no profit in growing so many vegetables on so little land. But their attitude changed as they saw the results. Now they come to him to ask how he farms, what seeds he uses and how he looks after the crops.

Local farmer Nasir Uddin said: "Seeing so many vegetables together on Abul Kalam's land encourages us a lot. We used to think a good profit was impossible without more land. Now we understand that with the right planning you can succeed on a little land. We want to farm this way too."

Abul Kalam also credited his family's support. His wife, Saleh Khatun, said the method has brought not only financial gain but a year-round supply of fresh, poison-free vegetables for the family. "We eat the vegetables we grow, and selling them has also brought prosperity. Family costs have fallen and income has risen."

Sanjay Midha, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said: "Abul Kalam's initiative is an effective model for marginal farmers. He is a real example of how income can be raised through diversified vegetable farming on limited land. The DAE is working to spread this model so that other farmers are inspired and can make positive changes in their livelihoods."

He added: "With farmland shrinking, such diversified and planned farming is very important for farmers. It ensures food security on one hand and raises farmers' incomes on the other. Abul Kalam's success proves that with the right decisions, hard work and modern thinking about farming, great success is possible even on a small plot."

Reported by Asif Iqbal.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.