Dakope freeing its agri lands from unplanned shrimp farming
The farmers in Dakope upazila of Khulna district have started freeing their agricultural lands from the perennial salinity menace caused by unplanned shrimp cultivation, thanks to the joint endeavour by conscious people.
After forming a “Reflect Circle” in 2003, a group of locals started raising voice against unplanned shrimp cultivation by influential people.
Consequently, people of Harintana, Kailashganj, Dhopadi, Ramnagor, Kamarkhola, Sutorkhali, Tildanga and Koira villages under Kailashganj union joined the “Reflect Circle”.
Later Kailashganj Union Unnayan Kendra (Lokokendra) was formed to save their agricultural land from the shrimp farmers as well as to solve their other problems.
“As influential people were taking saline water to their land by using our agricultural land we could not produce any crop due to the salinity,” said Lovely Roy, chairperson of Kailashganj Union Unnayan Kendra.
"In the wake of continuous protests, influential people had to stop shrimp cultivation on agricultural land in 2008 and farmers are getting crops from their land this season," she said.
“It became possible only because we have worked together. ActionAid Bangladesh helps us a lot by giving necessary support,” Lovely said.
She said members of the Lokokendra are now trying to create awareness among local people on various social issues.
At a Reflect Convention held in Savar recently, Lovely described the success story of Kailashganj Union Unnayan Kendra.
Reflect is a participatory approach to adult learning, empowerment and social change that fuses the philosophy of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire with the methodology of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA).
The approach could play an important role for social mobilisation in a country like Bangladesh, ActionAid Bangladesh Country Director Farah Kabir said at the Reflect Convention held in Savar.
The ActionAid will continue this type of support in future, she added.
“We could free the society from illiteracy through social mobilisation,” said Rezaul Quader, director general of Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE).
Normally there are 25 participants in a “Reflect Circle” and they continue their literacy and other activities for two years. Afterwards, several circles form a Lokokendra. This year more than 35,000 poor and marginalized people are involved in 800 Reflect Circles and 87 Lokokendras in 38 districts of Bangladesh.
ActionAid Bangladesh provides financial and technical support for first five years of the Reflect Circle and Lokokendras (two years for Reflect Circle and three years for Lokokendra). It continues technical support according to the demand of circle and Lokokedra.
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