In 2013, Abdul and some other farmers from his village received training from the USAID Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition (AIN) project. He states, “After joining the group, I have learned about improved farming technology from the 8 training sessions and 4 refreshers trainings on good aquaculture practices.”
By AWM Anisuzzaman and Shahreen Haq
Abdul Hannan is a shrimp farmer from Baradanga Village of Dumuria Upazilla in Khulna of Southern Bangladesh. He is involved in Gher farming which is a traditional agriculture system in Bangladesh. Gher farming requires a pond to be dug into a rice field to be used for fish farming; the dug out soil is used to create dykes around the pond for growing vegetables. Abdul has found success as a gher farmer; a scenario that is far from his struggling days as a rickshaw puller in Khulna.
“I came here with my wife eight years ago. We were empty handed with no house or a single penny on us. Back then I was pulling a rickshaw in Khulna city to provide for my family. With the money I was earning I would be able to buy the cheapest fish from the market once a week. I can now afford to buy some of the fish from my own gher at least twice a week. I have set up a moderate life for myself and my family over the last year. I’ve bought five decimals of land to build my own house and within it I have set up a television and some solar panels using my own money. I have attained all of this with the help of aquaculture and the blessings of the Almighty,” says Abdul.
Abdul Hannan currently lives in the embankment of his hired ghers with his wife, daughter and son. He added, “Initially, I was a rickshaw puller but I had come from a shrimp farming zone with some experience. One of the successful commercial farmers from Khulna hired me as a labor for his gher in 2007. While I was working in his gher, I dreamed that one day I would own one such a gher myself. Back then, I did not have the means.” He had started his shrimp-farming career in 2011, buying 100 decimals of land. Abdul produced 100 kilograms of shrimp and 120 kilograms of prawns in his first year. However, due to the virus outbreak in 2012 his production dwindled, “I was forced to harvest the shrimp early and my total production was only 60 kilograms.”
Using only traditional methods at the time, Abdul elaborates, “I was unaware of the virus and had little idea about proper feed management, water quality and water depth,”
In 2013, Abdul and some other farmers from his village received training from the USAID Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition (AIN) project. He states, “After joining the group, I have learned about improved farming technology from the 8 training sessions and 4 refreshers trainings on good aquaculture practices.” The program was geared towards teaching the farmers the use of nursery ponds, maintaining proper stocking density, water quality, increased water depth, timely feeding, timely checking of shrimp and prawn health and dike cropping. Following the program, Abdul explains, “I have increased my water depth from 2 feet to 4 feet, used a nursery and also followed other practices that I learned from the training. I have sold 200 kilograms of shrimp and 300 kilograms of prawn in 2013. The following year, these numbers increased to 225 kilograms and 325 kilograms respectively.”
In 2015, another virus inflicted his gher. Abdul details, “Last year, when I found another virus, I put some yeast, rice polish and molasses mixer in my gher. I learned from the training that this mixer helps to grow zooplankton which is the favorite feed for shrimps.” It helped protect his shrimp and prawns from the virus outbreak. He adds, “This year, I sold approximately 60 kilograms of shrimp from my gher and still we have around 100 kilograms to harvest. In addition, I also have around 400 kilograms of prawn.”
Abdul’s wife, Lovely Begum, was a worker in local processing plant from 2005 to 2013 but now helps her husband with his gher farming. She explains, “When he was pulling a rickshaw, it was very difficult for us to bear family expenses. Due to this I joined a processing factory and had to live far away from my family.”Lovely quit her job in 2013, when their shrimp farm was bringing in more revenue. She has also received training from the same project and has been helping her husband with the farming ever since. “The knowledge I received from the training not only helped us in aquaculture, it has also brought us together”.
Abdul went on to exclaim, “When I was a rickshaw puller, I was a nobody. Now if you ask any person in the village and its surroundings, they will recognize me. I can even help neighboring farmers with their aquaculture activities thanks to my training.” He equates the knowledge and the technological methods that he had learned with not only increased production but also a more dignified life. “I can afford fresh fish, chicken or vegetable anytime which seemed unimaginable just five years back.”
Though his grandfather was a teacher and his father was a clerk, due to impoverished circumstance Abdul had to leave school after class three. He concludes with the hopes for a more prosperous future, “My son is now studying in class seven; I have the aspiration that he can have a proper education and lead a successful life. I hope with the blessings of the Almighty, aquaculture will help me fulfill my dreams.”
This article was published with permission from WorldFish.