Coping with a changing environment

By Biswajit Mondal, Shyamnagar, Satkhira

“We live in the coastal belt, where disasters never end. One crisis fades, another arrives. Drought, salinity, river erosion, waterlogging, and heavy rain are constant challenges. We cannot grow crops exactly as we wish, yet we adapt with our skills and experience to produce food year-round,” said 46-year-old farmer Sorma Rani of Mathurapur village, Munshiganj union.

Her household has three members: her ailing husband Bimal Mondal, who works as a temple caretaker, and herself, who manages the farming and household work. She owns 66 decimals of land, cultivating rice on 46 decimals and mixed crops on the rest. Additionally, she leases two bighas annually for rice production.

Her homestead overflows with vegetables such as bottle gourd, pumpkin, beans, eggplant, okra, spinach, cucumber, yam, drumstick, bitter gourd, taro, and various chili, ginger, turmeric, and spices. Seasonal crops are also grown. Fruit trees like mango, coconut, lemon, papaya, banana, and pomegranate surround her house. Wild greens such as helencha, kalmi, and shushni grow naturally, while timber trees like mahogany and bamboo add to diversity. Her pond supports fish including tilapia, koi, magur, carp, shrimp, and crabs. She also raises ducks, chickens, and pigeons.

To cope with climate change, she uses innovative methods such as tower, sack, basket, trellis, and crate farming, as well as growing crops in buckets, jars, and bottles. She prepares natural pesticides from neem, mahogany fruit, garlic, ash, and tobacco. She also preserves dry food for emergencies.

Since 2018, BARCIK has supported her work, recognizing her farm as a “biodiversity-rich homestead.” Over time, she expanded her efforts into a Shotobari model and later into an Agroecology Learning Center (ALC). Now, her home attracts visitors, and she herself trains others in seed conservation, natural pesticide making, and organic farming. She even established a small seed bank and formed a women’s group.

Her journey is a story of resilience. “When I married, we had only one bigha of land. To keep the family running, I worked as a laborer, cultivated the homestead, leased land, and eventually bought more land. I educated my four children and arranged marriages for my daughters. All this came from persistence and hard work,” she said.

Sorma Rani’s practices serve as a learning model for disaster-prone coastal areas. Recognizing and promoting the efforts of women like her is essential for building resilience in the face of climate change.