Md. Ohidur Rahman from Netrokona
Mosharraf Hossain, a farmer and researcher, is a hero of Tarati village on the banks of Singramuhi beel in Tarakandar upazila of Mymensingh district. He has been involved in agriculture since his childhood learning lot of techniques and gaining vast experiences in farming. He accumulated vast experiences of life and livelihood consuming rice from their native lands located near the river and fish of Singramuhi beel. He spent his childhood collecting water lilies from the canals beels and rivers and listening to Baul, Jari, Palagan songs which still impact his way of living to some extent. However, farmer Musharraf was born in 1960 in the village of Tarati and did not get opportunity to study. But he has enriched himself by learning from nature, loving nature by farming, herding cattle, cultivating paddy and vegetables. He loves agriculture, which leads him to have soft corner for the nature as well.
Innovative farmer Mosharraf Hossain participated in the ‘Biodiversity Fair’ in 2014 at the Janunnayan Kendra in Sadhupara village of Kamaria Union arranged by BARCIK which somehow inspired him love to care for nature as well as to conserve biodiversity. During this time he visited various activities of BARCIK. During the visit, he was encouraged to see the action research of the farmers to find out area specific and climate adaptable rice and other crops. The initiatives of the Sadhupara farmers’ organization, the seed house and the participatory varietals selections plot of rice and other activities of the farmers’ organization attracted him the most. He expressed interest in building an organization in his village. Thus, with the help of the farmers of the village, ‘Singramuhi Krishak Sangathan’ was formed in the name of the favorite bill of the village. With the members of the organization, he has been working as a soil man to protect life and nature, including safe diversified food production, bee farming, organic farming practices, seedling construction, action research and participatory varietal selection replicating the learning he gained from visiting BARCIK’s working areas.
He has built his house as a nutrition home to produce safe food. He cultivates seasonal vegetables throughout the year. He sells in the market by fulfilling his own needs. Farmer Musharraf said the price of his vegetables was different from other vegetables in the market. There is a lot of demand in the market for this non-toxic vegetable. Many people buy it from home.
The eagerness and inspiration he gathered from the exposure visit Musharraf Hossein uses his own vermin compost instead of chemical fertilizers to produce safe food. He is making and using vermin compost at home. So far, he has helped 27 like-minded farmers with earthworms and helped them building houses to prepare vermin compost that could help them farming well and producing safe foods.
Farmer Mosharraf Hossein conserves all seeds of the crops he farmed that leads him not to buy seeds from the market. He has a seed house where he collects seeds during the cultivation time and provides seeds to farmers who are in need of seeds. So far, he conserved 29 varieties of seeds in his seed house. The crops seeds that are available in his seed house include: data, spinach, gourd, sweetmeat, bean, onion, garlic, coriander, beans, lentils, chilli, eggplant, chukai, papaya, kachu, mukhi, lentil, masakalai, sesame, melon, ginger, turmeric, cabbage, rice, betel, Neem, kidney bean, Guamri, Mustard etc. These seeds are conserved and he provided to other farmers with free of cost.
Mosharraf Hossein organized the farmers of the village and the surrounding areas and formed the ‘Singramuhi Farmers’ Organization’. The members of the organization are working to solve the problems of agriculture and farmers in the villages, to practice organic farming, seed conservation and reduce market dependence. Mosharraf Hossain, a farmer leader of the land and people, is cooperating in all of these works.
Due to his interest, he received a training on beekeeping from BIA in 2011 in Kishoregonj. From then on he started beekeeping on his own initiative at home. Now he has four boxes of bees in his house where he produces honey. He sells pure honey at the rate of Taka one thousand per kg. People come from far and wide to collect pure honey from him today. He has trained five more people in the village on beekeeping so that they could also improve their livelihood status.
He has created a new variety by crossing two rice paddies to get a new variety, which he has been cultivating for the last five years. New ideas, interests, initiatives attracted farmer Mosharraf Hossein the most. When he finds something new, he runs to find out, to collect and to learn.
Farmer Mosharraf Hossein has been working with farmers of 19 villages and people of various professions in Tarakanda Upazila to expand the working process of farmers and engage them in work. He is leading the expansion of people-led development activities. He is a man of the soil, a friend of the farmer.
Translated by Silvanus Lamin
