She once planted a few trees on the roof of her house as a hobby. That small step has become a remarkable example of a successful entrepreneur's life. Sharmin Akter, a resident of Binodpur in Rajshahi and a former student of the 2001-02 session of the Department of Management Studies at Rajshahi University, now earns about Tk 12 lakh a year selling saplings and pots from the rooftop garden she built with her own hands.

Beyond financial success, in recognition of this environment-friendly venture she won first place in the "rooftop garden created at individual and institutional level" category of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's National Award for Tree Plantation 2025.

Her garden, spread across the ground floor and roof of a three-storey house in Binodpur, is known locally as "Krishibari", though its real name is "Nature's Touch". Sharmin Akter's husband is an officer at a private bank. Despite managing the household, children and family responsibilities, she gives the garden regular time, and after office her husband also helps with various tasks. Through their joint effort their dream has gradually taken shape.

The whole roof is a world of green. With native and foreign species, colourful flowers and ornamental leaves, the garden is a piece of nature in the middle of the city, every corner decorated in red, blue, purple, yellow and green.

Sharmin Akter started a small garden on her own roof in 2022. Today she has built a modern three-tier rooftop garden covering about 2,600 square feet, with more than 3,500 plants of about 110 native and foreign species. She sells saplings of various species and pots online and offline, earning on average about Tk 1 lakh a month and about Tk 12 lakh a year. Three workers are employed regularly, and she says she plans to create jobs for more than 50 people in Rajshahi in future.

Her garden holds indoor and outdoor plants, flowers, fruit, vegetables, medicinal plants and a range of rare and endangered species. Indoor plants include adenium, aglaonema, anthurium, peace lily, snake plant, succulents, euphorbia, pothos, ZZ plant, ferns, cactus and money plant.

Medicinal plants include lemongrass, stevia, kalmegh, insulin plant, neem, rosemary, oregano, pathorkuchi and ulatkambal. She is also conserving rare trees such as parijat, sweet tamarind, white jamun, fiddle-leaf fig and cycas.

Sharmin is also working to conserve threatened native trees such as camphor, ashoka, hijal, palash, mahua and banyan. She also grows fruit trees including mango, jamun, jackfruit, lychee, strawberry, rambutan, avocado and apple, and vegetables such as chilli, tomato, bottle gourd, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, aubergine, bitter gourd and drumstick.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman handed her the award at the opening of the National Tree Fair at the China-Bangladesh Friendship Conference Centre in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital.

Sharmin's neighbour Abdul Hakim said her rooftop garden is not just a garden but the pride of the neighbourhood. "We never imagined a commercial garden could be made on a roof like this. Seeing her success, many people are now keen to plant trees on their own roofs," he said, adding that people are looking for future sources of income.

Sharmin Akter told Jagonews: "Rooftop gardening is not just a hobby; it is a promising sector for protecting the environment, producing safe food and creating jobs. I want more people to take an interest in rooftop gardening and turn it into a source of income."

"I finished my studies in business studies, but since childhood I dreamed of working in agriculture. Even though my family objected, I did not give up farming. My husband has always been by my side on this journey and gives time to part of the garden. In future I want to bring a revolution in agriculture and create job opportunities in Rajshahi," she said.

She said she had to hear many hurtful remarks at first. "When I started the garden, many people looked down on it and said unkind things. Now that the garden has grown and won a national award, everyone praises it, and they ask for advice on how to earn from a garden. So you must never look back."

Asked how it felt to win the national award, she told Jagonews: "This was a long-held wish, and I thank the Creator that it has come true. Had I not received the award from our prime minister, I would never have known how much of a nature lover and farmer-friendly person he is. He gave me various pieces of advice and asked me to encourage everyone to take up rooftop gardening. With my husband's support I turned a childhood hobby into a national award, and I am overjoyed."

On women becoming self-reliant, Sharmin said: "Everyone should be self-reliant. After finishing housework, instead of watching television or using Facebook, give time to some work. One day that work will become your source of income. You will face setbacks at first, but if you keep going without being discouraged, good things will come in future, inshallah."

Her husband, Moha. Jahangir Alam, said: "My wife has had a soft spot for plants since childhood. I work at Baneshwar in Rajshahi. Most of the care and supervision of our rooftop garden is done by my wife; I only collect saplings from different places. Now that the garden has become commercial, buyers from different parts of the country place orders, and I help my wife by sending the saplings to them by courier. My wife worked very hard for the national award, and I am delighted by her success."

Papia Rahman Mouri, additional deputy director (horticulture) of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rajshahi, said many people in Rajshahi are now doing rooftop gardening, and the agriculture department provides technical support and advice. Temperatures in Rajshahi are considerably higher than in other regions, and rooftop gardens are helping to lower them, she said.

Congratulating Sharmin Akter, the official said she had won first place nationally in the rooftop garden category from Rajshahi. "This is certainly a matter of pride and joy for us. This trend must be kept up," she said.

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