Asadul Islam, Assasuni, Satkhira
In south-western coastal regions of Bangladesh, the exposure of disaster varies on its surroundings and resilience of the people and apparently. Poor are confronting at great risk for their natural resource based fragile economic settings. Like many other women of this area, Ashalata of Assasuni Sadar Upazila under Shyamnagar district has been struggling to survive as Sidr (2007), Aila (2009), Bulbul (2019) and Amphan (2020), the natural disaster hit the area in recent times, forced to change her livelihoods life. It becomes more difficult for her to maintain her livelihoods after these natural disaster hit the area. Her life and livelihood is now still uncertain, not sustainable and unsatisfactory.
Asalata’s husband, Gobinda Das, a rickshaw puller only could manage a very small amount of money for living and that was just insufficient in regards to meet their basic needs. Shrimp farming that requires less labour and spoils salinity severely squeezed local job opportunity and aggravated her miseries.
Asalata’s life began to change in 2021 when she attended a capacity building training on climate resilient Agriculture organized by NETZ’s partner BARCIK in her village, where she learned about agro-ecological farming and several techniques such as bio-pesticides preparation, seed preservation and elementary knowledge to start a small enterprises as well as livestock rearing and management. She found the idea of pig rearing quite appealing. But she was initially apprehensive as she didn’t know how it to start it, since she didn’t hands-on experience.
Clarifying her doubts, BARCIK’s project staff informed her about the ways to do pig rearing and as she is one of the project participants she was provided pig and two goats as support for livelihoods improvement. It was very moving for her because she never thought herself capable to have by her own effort. She received a pig cost at BDT 4000/- and by taking intensive care and immense attention, sold it by BDT 20,000 after 6 months. Ashalota spent the money for repairing her house, pig shed and rest of the money she invested by purchasing two piglets.
In the meantime, one of her goats gives birth of two baby goats. Now, Ashalata wants to turn around by engaging in various income-generating activities. Livestock rearing especially pig rearing contributes in many ways to improve the livelihood of poor and climate vulnerable marginal people in south-west of Bangladesh. Ashalata has transformed her life through sheer hard work and a little support and now grew from poverty to self reliant.
Translated by
ABM Touhidul Alam
