Bangladesh – Farmers adopt ‘soilless agriculture’ to tackle receding agriculture swathes in urban areas

Location: Mymensingh & Dhaka, Bangladesh

Language: Bengali

Sound: Natural

Duration: 00:5:57

Source: A24 Agency

Restrictions: A24 Subscribers

Dateline: 14.02.2022

Storyline

Farmers in Bangladesh have adopted the “Aquaponics” method that allows for the farming of fish and vegetables using only one infrastructure in a small space area, as the new farming method gained popularity across the country for its eco-friendly nature. Aquaponics requires no soil to grow vegetables. It is a technique for growing plants and vegetables in water without soil. In this way, the fish would produce waste (ammonia); then, the bacteria would convert it into nitrate. The fish is carried to the tree tray utilizing a pump. The tree purifies the water by taking nitrogen from the water and the clean water returns to the fish tank, which is considered safe water for the fish. However, the success of Aquaponics can only be achieved by tackling several challenges. It requires regular maintenance and inspection of equipment. It also requires feeding the fish properly and marketing fish and vegetables in the fastest time.

Shotlist

– (Soundbite) Dr Md. Abdus Salam, Professor, Department of AquaCulture, Department of Fisheries, Mymensingh Agricultural University

“As you see I am cultivating both fish and vegetables together on the roof garden. It is a cultivation process that is a soilless eco-friendly technique that requires less water and no fertilizers. In this process, we are getting completely organic fish and vegetables as there is no use of fertilizer and insecticides. Water is recycled here and fish waste is converted as food by the bacteria for the vegetables. So, vegetables are getting food naturally and water is getting cleaned, which is healthy for the fish. We can adopt this approach in any environment. We can give this set up in any place like drought-prone areas, salty soil and on roof-tops, terrace or in the garden, too.”

– Soundbite: Urmi Akhter, Student of Acua-Cultural Department, Mymensingh Agricultural University

“You know our population is growing rapidly and land plots are decreasing. We are transforming to urbanization. If we look at Dhaka, we would see there is no land for farming. Global warming is on the rise due to climate change and greening is not possible to keep the balance of the environment. So, if we practice Aquaponics on roof-tops, we would be able to do it nicely and in an eco-friendly way.”

– Soundbite: Mr. Mahbubur Rahman, Chief purser, Biman Bangladesh Airlines in Mirpur, Dhaka

– The vegetables I produced from this Aqua-phonics system not only met the need of my family, but I had pleasure-giving family members, neighbors and mates. This small area allows me to produce almost 80-100 KG of green beans, and I would not need to buy green beans from the market. I even gave some to family members in my village in Teknaf. The production process and quality of the crops are pure and organic. It would not have been possible for me to obtain such good vegetables from the market.

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