Shahidul Islam from Rajshahi
Bangladesh is an agrarian country where the food warrior farmers produce foods to make the country food sufficient. They have kept the foundation of food and agriculture alive. They have also made huge contribution to ensure food security of the nations by coping with various climate change induced adverse conditions, and disasters! They have conserved and protected thousands of varieties of crops in the country. Bangladesh Prime Minister acknowledging the contribution of the farmers recently urged all to respect the farmers.
Farmers are not only just food producers, they have been contributing to preserve and practice the indigenous knowledge related culture and social relations through their agriculture activities. However, we have seen that during the ongoing Covid-19 everything was shut down, but the agricultural work and food production did not get stopped. It is the famers who have saved us during the pandemic by ensuring food for all. On the other hand, farmers are constantly contributing to the production of food for the country by practicing indigenous knowledge based agriculture methods which help them adapting to rapid climate change. They develop climate adaptable and locally suitable seeds using their indigenous knowledge and conserve seeds, as well as exchange seeds other farmers to protect those seeds from extinction. Farmers are self-educated and they can explain the life cycle of crops and can predict the weather condition which they derived from their ancestors’ indigenous knowledge. They also learn from their experiment and research from time to time which enriches their knowledge and experience. This is how farmers become self-educated agronomist from their young age. They invent new varieties, agricultural technology including the seeds exchange to meet the needs of the country. They work silently for the welfare of the country by improving the varieties different crop varieties.
However, considering the contribution made these farmers the state should come forward to give special importance to the farmers and prioritize their invention. They need recognition, security and special incentives as well. The farmers have spent their whole lives inventing new varieties and developing agriculture. Yusuf Ali Mollah of Dubail village in Rajshahi, for instance, is protecting the seeds of more than two hundred local varieties of crops. Nur Mohammad, an agronomist from Tanore in the same district, has so far successfully bred many varieties of paddy with the aim of producing better and more disaster tolerant productive varieties. He has taken the drought and water scarcity of the Barind region into consideration in inventing new varieties. In the same time, Nuruzzaman Sadhu of Gaibandha’s Sadullapur Upazila, Raihan Kabir Ranju, Haripad Kapali of Jhenaidah all are working for the development of agriculture by inventing area suitable and climate adaptable varieties. We cannot deny their contribution.
We need to protect and recognize the species that they invented in the midst of various ups and downs. At the same time, these agricultural researchers are losing a lot due to their works are not recognized and given importance by the state policy-makers. We have recently come to know about the extinction of 72 rice varieties of Nur Mohammad of Tanore Upazila due to being vandalized by influential person. These incidents happen due to lack of awareness among the people. Therefore, we have to take initiative emphasize on the importance of farmers invention as well as recognize their contributions. We need to raise awareness among the people.
Recently, a dialogue was held in Rajshahi on the importance, recognition and security of the farmers. Rahim Uddin Sarkar, a two-time state and national agriculture medalist of Paba upazila of Rajshahi, presided over the dialogue. The dialogue was escorted by Nur Mohammad, an agronomist from Tanore Upazila, Zaidur Rahman, President of Tanore Upazila Krishak League, Raihan Kabir Ranju Akand, an agronomist of BARCIK, Dulal Mia, an old farmer, and Nurul Islam, a farmer leader, National Award-winning women farmer leader Rahima Khatun, successful vermin compost farmer and researcher Abdul Hamid, general secretary of youth organization Yaser Atik, Savitri Heram of Adivasi Chhatra Parishad, Srat Raihan of Social Welfare Organization and other prominent personalities.
In that dialogue while expressing his concerns Nur Mohammad said, ‘I have been conducting research on 200 local varieties of rice for more than 14 years, but some people have unknowingly destroyed 72 of my varieties.’
In the dialogue, farmers demanded that self-educated agronomists should be given importance in the country. At the same time they have to recognize the invented varieties of farmers and introduce a pension scheme for the elderly farmers.
