Landless farmers harvest vegetables on floating farms (video)

These farmers do not have lands. But they have ideas that have made them owners of virtual farmland.

Landless and marginal farmers in Lalmonirhat are planting vegetables on floating farms made on water hyacinth beds in the water bodies in the region.

In around 25 villages in the Teesta and Dharla river basin areas of three upazilas of Lalmonirhat sadar, Aditmari and Hatibandha, more than 400 such farmers are cultivating enough vegetables for their families and also for sale.

So how does it work?

“We prepare the floating farms by gathering and tightening together with bamboo large amounts of water hyacinth,” explains 55-year old Ahatullah Miah, a landless farmers of Char Gobordhan village by the Teesta river.

The farmers need not to worry about the water supply as these farms are located on abandoned water bodies.

And this bed, in different seasons, amazingly grows aubergine, coriander, okra, green chillies, tomato, spinach, bottle gourd, mint, mustard, red spinach.

Vegetable cultivation on a 100 square feet floating garden costs only Tk 360 to 400 and only regular care and physical labour is needed for getting expected output from there, he said.

Landless farmer Nurjahan Begum, 48, of the same village said, the money earned by selling vegetables from floating beds helped bear schooling costs of her children, in addition to meeting their domestic requirement.

Landless farmer Afzal Hossain, 45, of Char Kutirpar at Aditmari upazila said, they are landless but are getting benefit from farming vegetables on floating beds.

Mirza Miah, a local also consumer at Char Balapara village at Aditmari upazila said, such vegetables cultivated without any insecticides, have already gained popularity among local consumers and so, they are buying it for prices higher than that of other vegetables in the market.

Another consumer at same village Delwar Hossain said, he and all other consumers prefer the vegetables grown on floating gardens as they are free from insecticides.