By Mukter Hossain, from Horirampur, Manikganj
A community fair on uncultivated plants was held at Rajbanshi Para, Gazi Nabagram village under Nabagram Union of Manikganj Sadar recently. The event, organized by Madhabilata Women’s Organization with support from BARCIK, displayed 30 stalls with 30 different uncultivated plants collected by rural women. Children, youth, students, elders, and people from various professions participated in the event.
Presided over by Prija Rajbanshi, president of Madhabilata Women’s Organization, the fair exhibited up to 140 types of wild and uncultivated plants. These included Kalmi shak, Kolocasia varieties, Basak, Durba grass, Shapla, Pothorkuchi, Bishkatali, wild spinach, and many others. Such plants grow naturally along homesteads, fields, and roadsides without fertilizers or pesticides, making them safe, eco-friendly foods with rich nutritional and medicinal value.
Speakers in the event emphasized that uncultivated plants play an important role in food security, nutrition, herbal medicine, and environmental protection. They urged everyone to be more conscious about conserving these plants and preventing their extinction. They also mentioned that these uncultivated plants should be introduced to the younger generation to share the importance these plants so that knowledge and practice of using uncultivated plants continues in the future.
