Floating seedbeds a win for farmers in Bangladesh
Sometimes the best technology comes from the past. Floating seedbeds are a traditional agricultural method used in parts of Barisal for many generations. Recently the farming system has been introduced to Kishoreganj. There, farmers in the haor wetland areas are struggling to cope with unusually high water levels resulting from this year's flooding. Floating seedbeds are proving invaluable in helping farmers to adapt.
"I have prepared two floating seedbeds," says Mollick Mia, a farmer from Sekepara village in Kotiadi upazila. "It cost around Tk 1,000 to carry the mud for the beds. I have planted vegetables and so far the seedlings are healthier than the ones grown in the usual way."
Landless farmer Fayez Uddin from Chang Sholaki village in Kishoreganj Sadar upazila has also adopted the system. "I started with a floating vegetable garden this year," he says, "and the vegetables are growing really well."
World Bank