By Touhidul Islam from Poba, Rajshahi

The International Women’s Day was recently celebrated at the Bilnepalpara Agroecology Learning Center in Darshanpara Union, Paba Upazila. The event, organized by local community organizations with the support of BARCIK, was centered on the theme, “Rights, Equality, Empowerment: Development of Women and Girls.”

The day was marked by an exchange of experiences, sharing of information, seed exchange, and discussions focusing on the successful activities of women farmers in Poba Upazila. These women are contributing to food security and safe food production by cultivating safe crops, preserving local seeds, producing vermicompost, and creating and using organic pesticides. Farmers, both men and women, Union Parishad members, students, local community organization members, youth, and elderly individuals participated in the event.

Mosammat Shukila Begum, a female councilor of Darshanpara Union, participated in the discussion and stated, “Women are no longer left behind as they used to be. They are now actively participating in all kinds of work. Women are cultivating vegetables in their homesteads, meeting the nutritional needs of their families, and selling the surplus in local markets. The demand for vegetables grown using organic fertilizers is high. Women are managing this cultivation alongside their household chores and playing a supportive role in producing safe food.”

Farmer Shilpi Begum shared, “I have cultivated various types of vegetables on unused land around my house. These areas were previously left abandoned. Now, I grow vegetables there, which not only meet my family’s food needs but also allow me to sell the surplus in the market, reducing household expenses.” She added, “This season, I have also earned income by raising ducks, chickens, and pigeons, which helps me buy clothes and support my children’s education.”

Other participants in the discussion included Mahaiminul, a member of the Bilnepalpara Torun Swapnajatra organization, farmer Ayesha Begum from Dighipara village, BARCIK’s Associate Program Officer Md. Touhidul Islam, and Community Facilitator Sultana Khatun.