Amreto Sorkar from Rajshahi
The farmers in the Barind tract located in the northern part of Bangladesh have been searching for appropriate means to combat the rapid changes in climate. They have been making effort to farm those crops which require less water as well as can be cultivated with other crops in the same lands and same times. They believe that the practice of mix cropping can help them minimize risks and loss in agriculture because if one crop gets damaged they can minimize loss through the other crops. Besides, farming different crops in the same lands and same time reduces cost and maintenance cost as well.
However, it has been seen in that mustard and black gram have been cultivated simultaneously in one bigha land of Md. Alauddin (45) of Dubail village in Tanore upazila of Rajshahi. The same has been seen in the lands of Md. Muzaharul Islam (48) who cultivated mustard and lentil together on 1.5 bighas of his land. Mustard has been sown in rows around the land and lentils have been sown in platform manaer. In this regard, Md. Muzaharul Islam said, ‘If crops are cultivated in this way at once, the profit is more. It can be seen that insect attack is much less in both the crops. Besides, two crops are available in one irrigation.’
It is to mention that water is a major problem in crop cultivation in the Barind region. Tanore Upazila is one of the areas which faces immense water crisis during the dry season. The Bandhair Union of this upazila has been declared as the most water crisis zone. After rain-fed Aman cultivation in this region becomes difficult due to lack of water resulting in the numbers of lands remain fallow after the rain-fed Aman rice. The crisis of water for cultivation has driven the farmers to find alternative ways to minimize the crisis situation where BARCIK has extended helping hands to the farmers encouraging and motivating them farming Robi crops instead of water intensive Boro rice during the dry season. It has been seen that the success of some farmers has paved ways for other farmers to become interested in farming Robi crops and practice mix cropping in the region during the dry season.
Nonetheless, as the result of success of some farmers it has been seen that in Jumar Para, Telopara, Mandumala areas of Bandhair Union, farmers have become more interested in cultivating Robi crops and practice of mix cropping to minimize risks and loss. Farmers are now seen to farm barley and gram with mustard or gram with mustard. In some lands of the region it has been seen that farmers cultivated lentils, gram and barley together. One such farmer in Telopara village is Md. Mohiuddin (48). He has cultivated barley, gram and lentils together. He said, ‘By cultivating in this way, we are able to cultivate three crops using the same irrigation water.’ He went on saying, ‘In one hand the cost is less and on the other, pressure on ground water is comparatively less if compared to the cultivation of Boro rice.’
These are some instances adopted by the farmers to minimize risks and loss due to climate change as well as the very active method to release pressure on underground water of the region.
Translated by Silvanus Lamin
