Puja Rani Mondol, Runa Akter and Zahangir Alam from Dhaka
Ramjan Ali (52). He lives at Pioneer housing, chaduddan under Mohammadpur Thana of Dhaka. Before coming in touch of BARCIK he never thinks regarding making his yard and house roof green by farming vegetable. However, interacting with BARCIK Mr. Ali learns lot of things including farming vegetable in his house yard and roof which could provide him nutritional foods as well as give him cooling shade during scorching heat of summer and congenial warm during the bitter cold in winter. Mr. Ali received some seeds and technical supports from BARCIK and farm different piper edible vegetable accordingly.
Farming vegetable helps him reduce dependence on market vegetable as well as helps him to save some cash that could be used to buy vegetable. He also experienced that last year his family members did not face bitter cold in the winter and scorching heat in summer as these green vegetable has wrapped his house roof with green shape. Thus, still today he farms different types of seasonal vegetable all the year round. Presently number of spinach saplings are growing under his fence and make his house roof green. He shared his success with BARCIK and showed tendency to expand this greening initiative to other families and communities in the slum areas. Getting benefit from farming seasonal vegetable using his yard and house roof Mr. Ali shared his experience with other slum dwellers at the area he lives as well. Witnessing his success, the other slum dwellers also show interest to farm vegetable. Thus, Mr. Ramjan Ali decided to distribute seeds and samplings to other slum dwellers who showed interest to green their surrounding including their house roof.
Based on his decision, consulting with BARCIK on 3rd March Ramajan Ali distributed spinach saplings and seeds to the slum communities at Chaduddan, Mohammadpur, Dhaka. In that day Ramjan Ali distributed 25 spinach and 20 bean samplings and 20 packets of seeds to 30 neighbors’ families where BARCIK staffs Zahangir Alam was present. Ramjan Ali also advised the communities on how they could farm those vegetable and BARCIK official Zahangir Alam provided them technical supports. Ramjan Ali being able to share his experience and materials with his neighbors said, “I am really happy to see that people in our area are showing interest to farm vegetable maximizing their small lands and house roof. This will helps them getting fresh vegetable and sunny shed during the summer.’ BARCIK official Zahangir Alam said, “Farming those vegetables does not only ensure nutritional foods but also it contributes to make our environment healthy.’
BARCIK two facilitators Puja rani Mondol and Runa Akther also facilitated and participated in the program. The female neighbors who have received the saplings told that we are happy to get the saplings and seeds and we could cultivate the vegetable this year.
It is to mention that urban agriculture or urban greening is important to make city environment friendly and livable city. Due to the climate crisis, the migration of rural people to the urban areas has increased day by day where they take harbor in the congested slum areas. This also resulted in the rapid growth of unplanned urbanization that is responsible in destroying urban green shape and water bodies. On the other hand, the urban building materials are not environment friendly which make the cities warmer day by day. Therefore, the city corporation has requested the urban dwellers to increase urban green in every house so that it contributes in cooling city and makes it livable for all. From this backdrop, BARCIK has been working to increase urban slum greening by encouraging the slum communities farming green vegetable and spinaches and planting fruit trees. Since 2019 some slum communities have been farming vegetable in their yard and rooftop. The urban agriculture helps the community to reduce dependence on market vegetables in one hand and on the other hand, it also provides them cooling shape in the winter and warmness in the summer. The vegetable that they are farming is done in an organic way which also one of their efforts to heal the polluted environment of the urban slum areas.
Re-writing: Silvanus Lamin
