Farmers of selected areas of eight northern districts including Gaibandha under Rangpur division are experiencing four crops in a land annually through systematic cultivation.
According to sources change in climate and season is being felt and noticed in recent years in the country due to temperature fluctuation, devastating floods, water logging, cyclones, river erosion, severe drought and cold wave and excessive and untimely rainfall creating a deep concern for agriculture, food, soil, environment and bio-diversity.
As the agri sector of the country is under threat due to the climate related disasters and for reasons, the crops production is being hampered seriously every year, an importance was given on proper cropping pattern with effective farming, strategies and technologies.
RDRS Bangladesh, a reputed organisation, has been implementing the programme in eight Northern districts under Rangpur division for two years under the project of Crops Intensification in Northern region of Bangladesh funded by Krishi Gobeshana Foundation and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agriculture University (BSMRAU).
The objective of the crop pattern change to keep the agro production increasing anyhow avoiding highly cost and environmental hazard Boro farming by coping with the changed climatic condition to meet the growing demand of food side by with ensuring food security of the country, said Professor Moynul Haque, department of agronomy of BSMRAU.
Besides, to create working opportunities among the poor particularly the farm day labors all the year round including the lean period of Ashwin and Kartik months of Bangla year is another objective of the crop pattern change, he also said.
Under the crops farming pattern, two crops (Aman and Boro paddy) land are being turned into four crops one through cultivating short duration Aman paddy-mustard, potato-mung bean-parija paddy following the suggestions of field level agri officials, he added.
A total of 1,750 bighas of land owned by the same figure of farmers of the division have been brought under the programme this year and high quality seed, fertiliser, and other agro inputs were distributed to the enthusiastic farmers of the project command areas to make the programme a grand success, said Saiful Islam, assistant agriculture officer of RDRS Bangladesh.
Ranju Miah, a farmer of Dhanghara area under Sadar upazila, said, like the previous year and other farmers he cultivated mustard on a bigha of land this year after harvesting short duration Aman paddy and is expecting desired yield from the crop.
Hamidul Haque, a farmer of Char Gukunda under Lalmonirhat district, said after harvesting high yield variety of mustard, they would go to mung bean and Parija paddy farming in the same land and thus, they would get four crops from a land in a year.
Talking to the BSS agriculture coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said after completion of successful experiment last year, the organisation had taken up an initiative to expand the cropping pattern in the division in the days ahead. -BSS, Gaibandha
