Substantial and sustainable promotion of homestead gardening has become indispensable for getting regular cash crops together with meeting up the nutritional demands. Besides, both urban and rural poverty could be reduced together with eradicating the nutritional deficiency to a greater extent through boosting vegetables, fruits and crops production by making the best use of the homestead natural resources. To this end, the field level agricultural officials including Sub- Assistant Agriculture Officers (SAAOs) should perform their duties with utmost sincerity and honesty so that the people both in rural and urban areas could be habituated in homestead gardening successfully. Agricultural extension officials and horticulturists stated this while addressing the closing session of a two-day SAAOs training titled “Homestead Vegetable Farming and Fruit Gardening” held in the office conference hall of Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in the city yesterday. Second Crop Diversification Project supported the programme. A total of 50 SAAOs took part in the training in two batches. Deputy Director of Horticulture Development and Training Center Dr Saifur Rahman and its Training Officer Jahurul Islam conducted the training as resource persons and also addressed the concluding session. With Ahmed Shafi, Deputy Director-in-Charge of DAE, in the chair, Additional Deputy Director Monjurul Islam and Upazila Agriculture Officers Mozdar Hossain and Monjure Mowla also spoke. Horticulturist Dr Saifur Rahman said the people in general should come forward for cultivating vegetables, fruits and crops on the fallow lands surrounding their dwelling houses and rooftops, which can ensure availability of fresh and pollution-free fruits and vegetables. He said that use of vacant spaces for producing fruits and vegetables has been adjudged as potential means for gradual development in the life of poverty-stricken communities coupled with the low and middle income groups. Currently, they said that most of the commercial growers are seen using harmful insecticides and pesticides on the vegetables and orchards for gaining extra benefits resulting in massive health hazards. However, the problems could easily be solved if all the family members consume self-produced vegetables and fruits. “Consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits are helpful in flourishing physical and mental power of the babies”, said Dr Rahman. In terms of food and nutritive values green vegetables are vital as these are enriched with enormous vitamin A, B, C, calcium and iron which are essential for human body irrespective of age and sex.
