DHAKA, Jan 14, 2024 (BSS) - Women in disaster-prone coastal areas of Bangladesh have set their strength of resilience on joint cultivation of paddy and sunflower and poultry farming to sustain their lives and livelihoods.

Swapna Sana lives in Khulna, one of the country’s most vulnerable regions to natural calamities, is showing utmost capacity to change her fate like others by giving priority on agriculture and agro-farming.

Swapna, a self-reliant woman owns a duck farm at Garkhali Satyapir village in Tildanga union under Dacope Upazila of Khulna. Natural calamities including cyclones and floods struck her duck farm every year causing huge financial loss.

Swapna's husband Dibos Sana, a day labourer, said their house become affected every year due to the erosion of the Shibsha River. Braving all adverse situations, Swapna became a successful woman with the support of the government. 

"We become affected every year due to natural calamities. Saline water enters our agricultural land and duck farm. Every year many ducks on my farm die due to saline water. Many times, we have lost capital. But we never give up hope and try to stand following every calamity,“ Swapna said. 

“Every year we fight and we become successful. Now we are financially solvent.  And we maintaining our family happily,” she said.

Many women in Dacope Upazila are cultivating paddy under a 'joint cultivation system'. Most of them got success in paddy cultivation and became self-reliant. Honufa Begum is one of the joint paddy farmers. She said at the beginning, she didn't think that joint paddy cultivation would financial bring for her. But her thinking was wrong. Within three years Honufa earned handful money from joint paddy cultivation.

"My husband and I along with our two children work in our paddy field. Joint paddy farming is an excellent system as some women work jointly and earn together. All of our joint partners are now earning enough to maintain livelihood, thanks to the Department of Agricultural Extension," Hanufa said.

Another paddy farmer Chitrali Das said she cultivates paddy under joint management and earns enough to run her family. Her husband Rakhal Das also helps her in work. Flood and cyclone often affect their paddy field but subsequent support of the government helped her to recover the losses. Chitrali Das claimed that paddy farming has changed the fates of hundreds of women in the upazila.       

Sunflower cultivation has become popular among the women in Dacope. Good profitability has encouraged many women for sunflower cultivation. Cultivating sunflower Moli Begum of Garkhali Satyapir village established herself as a successful farmer. The widow runs her four-member family by cultivating sunflowers.

Moli said, "I have lost my husband 11 years ago. My three children are students. They also help me cultivating sunflowers. I have no more desire about life as I have been maintaining a happy life without seeking help from others. All credit goes to sunflower cultivation." 

Dacope Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Joy Deb Chakrabarty said, it is very good news that women in the upazila have engaged themselves in various economic activities. All kinds of cooperation from the administration are being provided to them. Upazila agriculture office has been asked to give necessary cooperation to women farmers. I hope Docope Upazila will be an example of successful rural women overcoming various natural calamities."