In Sirajganj, 1,158 men and women are becoming self-reliant by growing vegetable gardens in their yards. Under a government project, they have filled fallow homestead land with soil and grow vegetables on it, becoming financially independent.

Wives and children look after the gardens regularly alongside the husbands, out of interest. The gardens meet the family's needs and supply neighbours and relatives too. These enterprising farmers grow about 20 kinds of vegetables.

This year, with the help of the Kamarkhanda upazila agriculture office, the Family Nutrition Garden project set up 54 demonstrations on uncultivated fallow land and homestead yards. Project director Dr Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury inspected them throughout the day on 25 December.

Kamarkhanda agriculture extension officer Tahsin Tabassum told Jago News: "We are helping farmers all the time to grow toxin-free vegetables in their yards."

Asadullah, son of Sonaullah Sekh of Bhadraghat Mugbelai village in Kamarkhanda upazila, has built a toxin-free vegetable garden in his yard, with various fruits and spice crops as well. His vegetables include cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, papaya, red amaranth, Malabar spinach, aubergine, spinach, yardlong beans and okra.

In the upazila, 54 families including Asadullah and Lily Khatun have made homestead vegetable gardens.

According to the district agriculture extension office, the government will set up yard vegetable gardens for 1,158 people across the district this year, compared with only 336 last year.

Bamboo and posts are provided free of charge, along with seeds of various vegetables and fertiliser. Agriculture officers and sub-assistant agriculture officers supervise regularly.

Asadullah told Jago News: "I have been keen on growing vegetables since childhood and used to plant fruit and flower trees beside the house. Now, with the government's help, I have made a vegetable garden. There are about 20 kinds of vegetables, spices and flowers."

Agriculturist Kamrul Hasan told Jago News: "Under the Department of Agricultural Extension, through Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's initiative, not even an inch of fallow land will remain uncultivated."

Agriculturist Bablu Kumar Sutradhar, deputy director of the DAE in Sirajganj, told Jago News: "Homestead vegetable gardens are growing in the district under the Family Nutrition Garden project. In phases, gardens will be set up in other yards under the project too."

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