Speakers at a function held on 22 May, 2014 said seed bank could play a significant role in facing seed crisis by the char people. “Formation of char land is changed every year due to flash flood and river erosion causing the crops which have been produced successfully this year, may not be produced well the next year,” they said.
They made the comments while inaugurating a seed bank for the char dwellers on the premises of Chinirpatal Madrasa at Kalasonarchar under Ureya union of Fulchhari upazila in the district. Bangladesh Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK), a Research Based Development Organization, and Kalasonarchar Farmers’ Organization jointly arranged the function under Peoples Led Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation project funded by Misereor German.
Upazila Parishad Chairman Habibur Rahman addressed the function as the chief guest and UNO Mostafizur Rahman was present as the special guest. With freedom fighter Abul Hossain in the chair, the function was also addressed, among others, by BARCIK Coordinator Towhidul Alam, agriculture researcher Amrita Sarker, chairperson of farmers’ organization M. Shafi Alam and farmers Solaiman Ali and Azgar Ali.
The speakers said storing seed of different varieties is urgent needed for cultivation on changed char land in a bid to get a desired output from there to change their socio- economic condition gradually. Many of the char dwellers could not store seed of different varieties themselves due to their incapacity during the emergencies, they said. In that case, the seed bank could help significantly providing required seed to the char dwellers to keep their farming on the char land, they added. A large number of local farmers including 50 ones coming from 13 districts of the country took part in the function and exchanged their views on the importance of seed bank establishment in the char.
(This news was published in national dailies such as Daily Bhurer Kagoj, Daily Jugantor, Daily Noyadiganta, daily Ajkaler Khabor and some other local dailies and weeklies).
