The times demand attention to soil health. There is no alternative to saving the life of the soil if crop production is to rise, and one of the main ways is to return organic matter to it. Over the past decade and a half, working across the country, the programme has seen many farmers begin to cut back on chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Women play a notable role in producing vermicompost (worm compost). Through this work they grow toxin-free crops, meet their families' nutritional needs and become self-reliant.

Tania Parvin, a housewife from Shobharampur in Faridpur Sadar, is a shining example. Married very young into an ordinary family, her life revolved around running the household. For years she faced poverty and want and felt the shortage of money. To survive, she chose farming and began producing vermicompost.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Krishi Dibanishi. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.