Training and better wheat turn Bangladeshi farmers into seed producers
Bangladeshi farmer Sree Gorachandroy and his wife, of the village of Baikunthapur, Chirirbandar, used to grow an older wheat variety that gave them a low yield and discouraged them from growing wheat. Their life turned around when they attended a training session: "I learned a lot from this training—how to cultivate high-yielding new varieties and how to preserve the seeds," says Gorachandroy. As part of the training, they were able to see the new varieties in action, and were motivated to try them out for themselves.
"I harvested a good amount of grain. The surrounding people were also motivated by seeing my crops in the field and wanted to purchase seed from me. I kept my own seed and sold the rest for seed."
By growing improved wheat and selling it for seed, the couple have been able to earn more money for themselves and their family. They keep the seed in their home in airtight bags, as the trainers showed them, and so preserve it for the next season. In 2011 they were able to preserve 200 kg of seed, but hope to keep 400 or 500 kg next year.
"In the future I plan to grow more wheat and store more seed, as well as the portion I will eat," says Gorachandroy. "I have plans to cultivate other crops—maize, jute, as well as rice. Through producing wheat seed I have plans to develop my house, as well as get some pieces of land. My daughter is going to school now, and we have money for this."
By collaborating with national partners in Bangladesh to provide training sessions like the one the Gorachandroys attended, CIMMYT is able to take the benefits of its research directly to farmers, facilitating access to and adoption of improved seed, technologies and practices that can ultimately offer farmers better livelihoods.
Photo credit: S. Mojumder/Drik/CIMMYT.
For the latest on CIMMYT in Bangladesh, see CIMMYT's blog at: blog.cimmyt.org/?tag=bangladesh.
Training and better wheat turn Bangladeshi farmers into seed producers
Bangladeshi farmer Sree Gorachandroy and his wife, of the village of Baikunthapur, Chirirbandar, used to grow an older wheat variety that gave them a low yield and discouraged them from growing wheat. Their life turned around when they attended a training session: "I learned a lot from this training—how to cultivate high-yielding new varieties and how to preserve the seeds," says Gorachandroy. As part of the training, they were able to see the new varieties in action, and were motivated to try them out for themselves.
"I harvested a good amount of grain. The surrounding people were also motivated by seeing my crops in the field and wanted to purchase seed from me. I kept my own seed and sold the rest for seed."
By growing improved wheat and selling it for seed, the couple have been able to earn more money for themselves and their family. They keep the seed in their home in airtight bags, as the trainers showed them, and so preserve it for the next season. In 2011 they were able to preserve 200 kg of seed, but hope to keep 400 or 500 kg next year.
"In the future I plan to grow more wheat and store more seed, as well as the portion I will eat," says Gorachandroy. "I have plans to cultivate other crops—maize, jute, as well as rice. Through producing wheat seed I have plans to develop my house, as well as get some pieces of land. My daughter is going to school now, and we have money for this."
By collaborating with national partners in Bangladesh to provide training sessions like the one the Gorachandroys attended, CIMMYT is able to take the benefits of its research directly to farmers, facilitating access to and adoption of improved seed, technologies and practices that can ultimately offer farmers better livelihoods.
Photo credit: S. Mojumder/Drik/CIMMYT.
For the latest on CIMMYT in Bangladesh, see CIMMYT's blog at: blog.cimmyt.org/?tag=bangladesh.