1652
Published on December 27, 2015
Farmers in some parts of the country where flood waters can remain for a prolonged period of time have developed floating gardens in which plants can be grown on the water on floating organic beds of water hyacinth, algae and other plant residues.
This environmentally friendly traditional cultivation technique utilises the natural resources of wetlands to grow vegetables and other crops almost all year round, providing numerous social, economic, agricultural, and ecological benefits to the local population.
Bangladesh's floating gardens along with a trio of sites in Japan -- sustainable river fisheries in Gifu, apricot farming on nutrient-poor slopes in Wakayama, and mountainous agriculture and forestry system in Miyazaki -- got the official recognition during a joint meeting of the GIAHS Steering and Scientific Committee at the FAO headquarters in Rome last week.
The new designations take the number of GIAHS to 36 sites, located across 15 countries in Africa, Latin America, Near East and Asia.
FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo said on Tuesday, "In the context of today's environmental and economic challenges and climate change, small-scale and family farmers, and especially traditional agriculture, can offer real solutions for food security, the conservation of natural resources and sustainable rural development, if adequate policies and investment are directed to them."
GIAHS was launched by FAO in 2002, and has been recently endorsed by member countries.
This work is copyrighted and authorized by the Bangladesh Awami League. You may download, display, print and re-produce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice)for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organization.
