MANY rural families, who do not own any cultivable land, can utilise the tiny homestead they own to grow vegetables for nutrition and increase family income. The Homestead Food Production Programme (HFPP) made the poor char people in northern Bangladesh much better off than they ever were. If introduced extensively, the programme can transform rural Bangladesh.
The HFPP made tiny strips of homestead land, that once remained fallow, productive, in the chars of the northern districts. With support from HFPP, women raised kitchen gardens to grow vegetables, fruits and spices. It gave nutrition and extra income to the poor families.
The women sell the surplus for supplementing their income. The programme benefits rural households in two ways, as they no more have to buy what they get from their kitchen gardens and they can get some cash by selling the surplus. The programme also supports them to raise poultry and goats. It gives them eggs and meat to meet protein needs.
As a path-breaking venture, HFPP showed how to achieve food security, alleviate rural poverty and improve the health of the poor.
Suraya Kabir
Institute of Nutrition
Dhaka University.
The success story of HFPP
FE Team | Published: August 09, 2009 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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