Shahinur Rahman from Manikganj in Singhai
Morantali is a village in Hatipara Union of Manikganj Sadar Upazila. Swapan Kumar Roy is an ideal farmer of this village. His house is next to the main road of the village which is about one and a half acres of land. One’s could be surely dazzled seeing the beautiful house surrounded by greenery. The house of Swapan is known as ‘Shatobari’ (Nutrition bank) in that area. The Shatabari of this farmer played an important role in providing foods and nutrition to his family members during the Covid-19 pandemic. His family members consume the diverse vegetable and crops produced in this nutrition bank and he exchanges with his neighbors during the Covid-19 crisis. He also exchanged seeds with other famers during that letting them not to fall in crisis of seeds. This Shotobari has come to be known as an ideal house in the village.
Swapan Roy has 5 cows, a farm of 200 poultry. There are many kinds of fishes in a large pond located just close to his house. He farms different types of vegetables in the courtyard of the homestead. This house is also surrounded by mango, jam, jackfruit, litchi, safeda, bell, coconut, banana, papaya, lemon, guava, cool trees etc. Thus, milk, poultry eggs, fish and vegetables and fruits are always available all year round in his house.
Vegetables and seasonal fruits grown in the homestead garden are Swapan Roy’s source of safe food. It fulfills the daily nutritional needs of his family members. Swapan Roy said that apart from his own village, the people of neighboring villages buy his milk, poultry eggs and poultry, fish from the pond and vegetables and fruits produced in the homestead yard. Moreover, he also sells homestead agricultural products in the local market. His livelihood is based on the income from this.
Swapan Roy said, ‘to stay healthy, it is necessary to eat protein-rich food. Protein contains important nutrients. Protein is essential for growth and repair of the human body. Protein needs are especially high for infants and growing children.’ However, for the same reason, pregnant women need a lot of protein in their daily diet for the proper growth and development of the baby in the womb and for the production of breast milk. Again, the role of vegetables and fruits is important in terms of nutrition. The animal protein needs of Swapan Roy’s family are met by producing and eating cow’s milk, duck eggs and pond fish at home. So he exchanges these between people to meet the protein needs of rural people. He said, ‘I am very happy to exchange. Besides, there are many types of native plants around my house. We collect safe food from it ourselves and our neighbors meet their nutritional needs.’
Besides the pond, there is an engine driven tube-well and a tube-well in Swapan’s house for irrigation of these vegetables and fruit gardens. He said that his well water is free of arsenic. Besides irrigating the garden, he uses clean and safe water from tube wells for all household purposes. Swapan Kumar Roy said, ‘everyone in my family uses sanitary toilets.’ Swapan Roy and his wife Anjana Roy said that instead of scattering the daily household waste, they dig a hole in a shaded area near the cowshed and behind the house to decompose the organic matter in the ideal manner. Fertilizer is made and used in fruit and vegetable gardens. As a result, the environment of his homestead is clean and very pleasant.
Swapan Roy also said that Bangladesh is the country of villages. All the villages of this country have homesteads. According to him, as homestead land is generally elevated and permanent, it is a suitable site for conversion to agricultural farms. Therefore, with the efforts of all women, men and children, every homestead in the country can be planned and made a beautiful ‘Nutrition House’ and can easily meet the daily nutritional needs and gain financial solvency which will help to contribute positively to the development of the country’s nutritional status and rural poverty alleviation.
Translated by Silvanus Lamin
