Photo: BSS

KHULNA, Oct 19, 2025 (BSS)   - Women belonging to poor family have changed their fate through various income-generating activities in this disaster-prone area of the Khulna region. 

Sonia Begum witnessed success and became self-reliant by rearing ducks and poultry.

She has a duck and poultry farm at nalian village in Sutarkhali union under Dakope upazila of Khulna.

Sonia's fisherman husband Nantu Gazi said their house is affected every year due to the erosion of the Shibsha River. Despite this adverse situation, Soniya has become successful in cooperation with the government, he added.

Expressing her satisfaction, Soniya said, "We are affected every year due to natural calamities. Saline water enters our agricultural land, poultry, and duck farm.

Every year, many ducks on my farm die due to the intrusion of saline water. Many times, we lose capital. But we don't give up hope and become successful. We are financially solvent now. We are maintaining our family happily".

Like Sonia, Many women in Sutarkhali, Kailashganj, Tildanga, and elsewhere in the Dakope upazila are cultivating paddy, vegetables, robi crops, and fish under a 'joint cultivation system'. Most of them got success in paddy, vegetables, and fish cultivation and became self-reliant.

Sheuly Khatun is one of the joint paddy and fish farmers. She said at the beginning, she didn't think that the joint paddy, fish cultivation system would change her financial condition.

But her thinking seems to be wrong as she earns a handsome amount of money by cultivating paddy and fish jointly within two years, she said,
"My husband and I, along with three children, work in our paddy field and shrimp enclosure. Joint paddy and shrimp farming is an excellent system, as some of the women work jointly and earn together. Not only me, have all of my stakeholders have earned enough to maintain a decent livelihood thanks to the Department of Agricultural Extension," Sheuly said.

Another paddy and fish farmer Parveen Akter said she cultivates paddy and fish under joint management and earns enough to run her family, as her husband, Solaiman Mia, also helps her in work.

Flood and cyclone often affect their paddy field and fish enclosure, but the government assistance after the disaster helped her to recover the loss, she added.
Parveen said paddy and fish farming have changed the fate of hundreds of women in the upazila.

Rock melon cultivation, locally known as ‘Sammam,’ has become popular among the women farmers in Dakope upazila. Many women are choosing ‘Sammam’ cultivation as it is very profitable.

Mukta Begum of Botbunia village under Tildanga union cultivates ‘Sammam’ and established herself as a successful farmer.

The widow runs her six-member family by cultivating ‘Sammam’ in her two bighas of land.

Mukta said, "I lost my husband 15 years ago. My four children are still students. They also help me cultivate ‘Sammam. I have no allegation about life, as I have been maintaining a happy life without seeking help from anyone. All credit goes to ‘Sammam’ cultivation."

Dakope Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Joy Asmot Hossain said it is very good news that women in the upazila have engaged themselves in various economic activities.

All kinds of cooperation from the administration are being provided to these women entrepreneurs as the upazila agriculture office has been asked to give necessary cooperation to the women farmers, he said.

"I hope Dacope upazila to be a place of successful rural women overcoming various natural calamities," the UNO added.

Talking to BSS, Bankim Chandra Halder, Live Stock Officer of Dakope Upazila, said hundreds of women of the upazila change their fortune by poultry, duck, goat and cow farming.

Md Shafiqul Islam, Agriculture Officer of Dakope, said joint venture paddy, vegetables and fruits specially watermelon and sammam cultivation, change the rural economy of the country’s saline-prone coastal belt.

“A few years ago, only male farmers worked for their livelihood. But nowadays, women farmers are contributing to their families side by side with male counterpart, which makes them very happy,” he added.