S.A Shofiee, Sylhet :Vegetable gardening on house yards has changed life of thousands of poor landless people living in Biswanath upazilla of the Basia River basin areas in the district during the last four years.During this correspondent’s recent visit to different areas of the district, a number of the programme beneficiaries said they are now supporting their families with earnings from cultivation of vegetables including pumpkin, sweet gourd, bitter gourd, cucumber, brinjal, cauliflower, chilly, green amaranth, red amaranth, chichinga, borboti, patol, kakrol, and jhinga on small patches of land on the house yards.’Vegetable farming in the erosion-prone sandy char areas on the Teesta basin has made a difference to our life. Now we are sending our children to school and dreaming of a better life,’ said Somoj Ali, at Horipur village in upazila.’I have cultivated pumpkin on a small yard. After meeting family requirement, I sold vegetables worth Tk 3,000 in last one month and hope to earn more Tk 6,000 from selling vegetables,’ said Lokman Miah at Rohimpur village in upazila.”The poor people are improving their livelihood through vegetable cultivation on house yards and plinths, animal husbandry and other income generating activities, said Assitant Agriculture officer Biswnath Emrul Kaes.
