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Climate Resilience Technology for Year Round Vegetable Production in Northeastern Bangladesh

M.A. Kuddus
World Fish, Bangladesh and South Asia Office, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.

M.J. Alam
World Fish, Bangladesh and South Asia Office, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.

G.C. Datta
World Fish, Bangladesh and South Asia Office, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.

M.A. Miah
World Fish, Bangladesh and South Asia Office, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.

A.K. Sarker
World Fish, Bangladesh and South Asia Office, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.

M.A.R. Sunny
World Fish, Bangladesh and South Asia Office, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

A study was carried out to investigate climate resilience vegetable production prospects using tower gardening technology during the period of July 2017 to December 2017 in low-lying areas of northeastern Bangladesh (Sylhet and Moulvibazar). A total of 24 participants of the DFID and EU-funded Suchana program (January-December’2017) were involved in the study. Two sizes of the tower (a) medium size (4.5 feet diameter and 5.0 feet height) (b) small size (3.0 feet diameter and 4.0 feet height) and two types of growing media protecting material (i.e. plastic bag & bamboo mat) were used separately to perform the study. To prepare the growing media (50%) soil, (40%) cow dung/compost, and (10%) decomposed water hyacinth were used. Mainly two types of vegetables, climbers (i.e. bottle gourd and bitter gourd) and herbaceous (i.e. kangkong, Indian spinach, red amaranth and okra) were planted to conduct the study. The vegetable production was significantly influenced by tower size & growing media protecting materials and the highest vegetable production (84.35 kg tower^-1 and 42.17 t ha^-1) was recorded in the medium-size tower with plastic bag whose sold value was BDT 1968.50 tower^-1 and BDT 98.43 Lac ha^-1, respectively. In addition, the lowest vegetable production (42.08 kg tower^-1 and 21.04 t ha^-1) was recorded in a small tower with a bamboo mat that’s sold value was BDT 955.92 tower^-1 and BDT 45.99 Lac ha^-1, respectively. The cost-benefit ratio (2.85) was recorded in medium towers and 1.73 in small towers. In the disposal pattern of vegetables, the major portion was used for family consumption (80% and 90%), distribution (15% and 10%) and sold (5% and 0%) in medium and small tower gardens, respectively. From the result, it may say that both sizes of tower garden was technically feasible to grow vegetables in the inundated situations but medium size towers made of plastic bags performed better than bamboo mats due to less nutrient loss through leaching. The study found tower gardening on medium size towers with plastic bags could be a potential and effective option for year-round vegetable production in climate-vulnerable communities of Bangladesh.

Keywords: Tower gardening, Vegetable Production, Climate resilience, Disposal pattern, Low-lying area.

Location: Bishawnath, Osmaninagar & Sylhet Sadar under Sylhet and Moulvibazar Sadar, Kamalgonj, Kulaura and Barlekha Upazila under Moulvibazar district, Bangladesh

Start Date: 00-07-2017

End Date: 00-12-2017

Program Area: Knowledge Management

Non-commodity: Adoption and mitigation technology

Objectives:

Two major objectives: (a) to develop year-round vegetables production technology for low-lying areas of Bangladesh, (b) to select an ideal climate-smart technology (tower gardening) for vulnerable climate-prone communities in Bangladesh.

Methodology:

The study was carried out in Sylhet and Moulvibazar district during the Kharif season in 2017. Total 24 program participants were engaged for the study at Bishawnath, Osmaninagar & Sylhet Sadar under Sylhet and Moulvibazar Sadar, Kamalgonj, Kulaura and Barlekha Upazila under Moulvibazar district, respectively. The study plots were selected in low and inundated land and pond dyke of homestead. Each plot of every program participant occupied a 20 sq. meter area with trellis and tower structure. This was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Treatment: Tower gardening is a cylindrical-like structure that makes with bamboo, brick chips, water hyacinth, soil, compost, or organic fertilizer and a special exhibition of the vertical garden to produce vegetables round the year. Two factors had been considered for this study. Factor A: Tower size: To grow vegetables there were two types of tower structures. i) Medium size tower (T₁): This was medium size tower. The diameter of the structure was 4.5 ft with 5 ft height. ii) Small size tower (T₂): This was comparatively smaller than the medium one with 3 ft diameter and 4 ft height. Factor B: Growing media protecting materials of tower garden: Though the study area was in a low-lying area, so two types of media protecting materials were used to protect wash out of the medium. i) Plastic Bag (S₁): It was a simple plastic bag that is usually used in the poultry and fish feed industry. ii) Bamboo mat (S₂): Another protecting material made with bamboo. Growing media: For uniform growth of vegetables a common media was prepared to mix with soil (50%), rotten water hyacinth (10%) and cow dung/compost (40%). A little amount of chemical fertilizer (i.e. TSP 250 g and MoP 125 g) was mixed thoroughly to prepare the growing media but 200 g urea was also used in two splits at 30-35 days and 45-50 days after transplanting. Vegetable Types: Climbers vegetables (i.e. bottle gourd and bitter gourd) and herbaceous vegetables (i.e. kangkong, Indian spinach, red amaranth and okra) were used to conduct the study. Sowing/transplanting: Usually all cucurbits are seeded directly in a favorable environment, hence the initiatives were to grow vegetables in adverse climatic conditions specifically during the period of heavy rainfall. To minimize the situation, 10-15 days old seedlings of the climber’s vegetables were used through growing seedlings in 10 x 4 sq. cm nursery poly bags mixing of normal topsoil and sand mixture. The seedlings were transplanted on top of the tower in the afternoon followed by watering. Total six and eight cucurbits seedlings were transplanted on small and medium towers respectively. A few amounts of red amaranth & okra seeds also sow on top of the towers. Indian spinach & kangkong seedlings were transplanted around the tower. Irrigation was done based on rainfall and plant requirements. The seedlings transplanting was done on 15^th August 2017 and harvesting started from October 2017 and was completed on the 3^rd week of December 2017. Sex pheromone trap and detergent solution were used to control fruits flies and other pests. All the yield data were recorded using a predefined record book and analyzed statistically by using Statistical Tool for Agricultural Research (STAR) software. Mean separation was done following Turkey’s Honest Significant Difference (HSD) test at 0.05 level of probability.

Source of Information: Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 11(1): 29-36, June 2021

Article Link (Online Journal): https://doi.org/10.3329/ijarit.v11i1.54464

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Climatic shocks adversely affect Suchana communities as well as Sylhet where irregular and uncertain heavy rainfalls occur frequently. The people living in haor region exhausted with inundation in every year. Tower gardening technology could be an effective and better option to produce vegetables during the monsoon; eventually, it is a good system of vegetable production in winter also. This also could be treated as women-friendly technology due to its feasibility in homestead areas. The finding of the study could also be replicated in the coastal and other climate-prone areas of the country. However, there is scope for further research using big size towers with short durable high-value crops to search the commercial possibility of tower gardening technology.

Knowledge Management: Journal