By Biswajit Mandal and Bidhan Madhu from Shyamnagar, Satkhira
Joynagar Krishi Nari Sangathan of Kashimari Union of Shyamnagar Upazila with the facilitation support from BARCIK recently organized an exhibition fair of uncultivated food plant diversity available during the monsoon in the coastal area at Gobindapur village.
Farmers, students, teachers, businessmen, civil society representatives, volunteer, CDO representatives and BARCIK officials participated in the fair and shared their views as well as learned about the importance of these uncultivated plants.
Farmers Rozina Begum and Suma Parveen of Joynagar village and Sova Rani Mandal of Gobindpur village displayed more than 140 varieties of natural food plants they picked from their surrounding nature during the monsoon. The farmers through this exhibition, let others know regarding the availability different types of uncultivated food plants such as vegetable, spinaches and flowers in the coastal areas only during the monsoon. They also described where these plants could be found, how these plants survive and grow, why these plants are getting declined as well as how they collected and conserved these plants to ensure foods and medicines for their families.
Participants at the fair said, ‘We are the people of the coastal area. We have high levels of salinity and frequent natural disasters. Due to this salinity and disasters, the natural resources of our area are getting declined day by day. We have still conserve and nourish some uncultivated plants so that we could collect foods and medicines for us. In order to save these plants from getting declined we need to be more aware and create awareness among others as well. Thus, this fair is a platform where we can share and describe the importance of these uncultivated plants our survival and environment.’ This fair will play a very important role in giving our next generation an idea about the use, introduction and qualities of these plant varieties’-they asserts. ‘
The participants went on saying, ‘Through this fair, we came to learn regarding the availability of plant diversity in our coastal area during the monsoon. We also learn that most of the uncultivated plants can be consumed as foods and used as medicines. They are the very sources of nutrition as well. Therefore, we have to conserve and use these plants regularly to meet the food and nutrition needs of our family.’ ‘Today we can see a variety of plants used only as food and medicine. There exist many uncultivated plants in the nature which could be used as foods, medicines and sources of nutrition. We now realize that every natural resource is important for our survival’-they added.
Translated by Silvanus Lamin