Hit hard by the adverse impact of climate change, farmers in the remote islands of Sundarbans are trying out unique sustainable agriculture means by reshaping their land.
The new farming technique involves converting a part of agriculture land into a pond for irrigation and pisciculture. By using rain water harvesting and vermicompost, made from earthworms, agricultural productivity of the land is increased.
58-year-old farmer Arun Maity of Ramganga village in South 24 Paraganas district said with high levels of salinity in soil and water, it was difficult to survive with traditional farming and irrigation techniques.
“A majority of the crops these farmers cultivate are highly sensitive to changes in temperature or unseasonal rainfall,” says a recent report by the Delhi-based research body Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
An archipelago of more than a hundred islands, Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage site, famed for hosting the world’s largest mangrove forest and the Royal Bengal Tigers.
As returns from agriculture have started dwindling due to climate change in the vulnerable forest-villages, farmers are slowly adopting the technology of land shaping where agriculture marries pisciculture.
Fed by rain water harvesting, the pond is used to keep fish and prawns throughout the year. The pond catches rainwater, which is vital for domestic use and irrigating the agricultural field adjacent to it during the dry winter and summer seasons.
With financial and technical assistance from Sundarban Social Development Centre (SSDC) and international NGO, Save the Children, a number of farmers are using the land shaping technique.
“Rain water is sweet and so can be used for irrigation. But the soil here is salty so we don’t dig the pond too deep,” says Maity.
Due to small land holdings and limited potential to develop irrigation facilities in the absence of electricity to operate motor pumps, it is difficult to practise multi-cropping.
Now, with the availability of water supply throughout the year and by using green manure and vermicompost, the farmers can grow multiple crops, fruits and vegetables.