DHAKA, Jan 9, 2025 (BSS) - Forty-nine-year-old Masuma Akther was exposed to serious economic hardship after her husband's death in a road accident few years ago. She then had to go through a stiff struggle with her six family members. The situation was so dire for her that she even could not arrange meals for her three children for three times.

Masuma Akther lives at Haluaghat village of Raipura upazila in Narsingdi district with her family. Her husband Ramzan was the only wage earner as the full family became helpless after his death.

After the death of her husband, Masuma had to face serious constraints to maintain her family as she was the only woman who were able to income. Even she was forced to stop the schooling of her three children due to poverty.

But now, Masuma has no financial constraint as the sweet potato cultivation has changed her fate.

Masuma said, "I cultivated sweet potato on 150 decimals of land. I planted thousands saplings of the local sweet potato five years ago".

After getting good returns, she cultivated different varieties of vegetables along with sweet potato in 2017.
 
Like Masuma, thousands of extremely poor people living at 12 remote char unions of Sadar and Raipura upazilas of the district have successfully defeated poverty by various income-generating activities.
 
Rahela, another woman of the area, said that she had cultivated potato in 100 decimals of land after being inspired by Masuma. And now, "I'm earning Taka five to six lakh every year through cultivation of various vegetables," she said.
 
Locals said most of the people here have achieved success through farming groundnut, sweet potato and vegetables on vast tracts of sandy barren char land in Meghna and Arial khan river basins.
 
Besides, a number of poor people living in the char villages of the district have also achieved self-reliance through rearing livestock on char land, fish farming and duck rearing in the rivers, they said.
 
The local Agricultural Extension Department provided training to the farmers of char villages on cultivation of groundnut, sweet potato and various vegetables. The DAE also gave them seeds and pesticides free of cost.

Currently, the people of char villages of the district are leading a completely changed life with achieving hygienic sanitation and access to pure drinking water, reducing malnutrition of their children, women and pregnant women.
 
Their children are now going schools regularly.
 
DAE Deputy Director Lotafat Hossain said farmers could bring revolutionary changes in their life after getting trainings as well as assistance from the DAE.