Slum dwellers in Rajshahi city are turning to vegetable cultivation to supplement their income and ensure food security, transforming small and unused spaces into productive green plots.
Residents living on the city fringes and in densely populated areas are growing vegetables in courtyards, on rooftops, along unused railway land and even in discarded containers such as sacks and plastic bottles. Many have been able to significantly improve their livelihoods, with some farmers doubling their investment under favourable weather conditions.
Vegetable cultivation has emerged as a key livelihood option for the urban poor, helping families reduce dependence on costly produce. Commonly grown crops include red amaranth, spinach, bottle gourd, beans, cucumber and chilies, most of which are cultivated using organic, chemical-free methods.
With support from government and non-governmental organisations, slum residents are learning modern urban gardening techniques that promote sustainability and self-reliance.
Latifa Begum, 47, a resident of Budhpara near Rajshahi University, said she began growing vegetables after struggling to afford rising prices. Displaced by river erosion about 15 years ago, she now cultivates bottle gourd, chili, tomato, ginger, cucumber, Malabar spinach, pumpkin, cabbage and cauliflower in her small courtyard using bamboo supports, plastic bottles and sacks.
“My family now meets most of its vegetable needs at home and earns a small income by selling surplus produce,” Latifa said.
After migrating from Pabna around 20 years ago in search of work, Omar Ali, 54, another resident of Budhpara, now grows vegetables, flowers and medicinal plants in 46 plastic bottles using compost and bamboo structures. He also cultivates ginger and elephant foot yam in sacks.
His small space is filled with papaya, dragon fruit, gourds, tomatoes, eggplant, chilies and flowers. In addition to meeting most of his family’s needs, he earns extra income by selling seedlings grown in discarded plastic cups.
Marufa Begum, 42, now grows leafy vegetables and chilies beside her kitchen, helping reduce daily expenses. Sohel Islam, 25, who once depended on irregular day labour, now cultivates vegetables in his yard.
Champa Rani, a resident of the Namo Bhadra slum, said her family has benefited greatly from cultivating both winter and summer vegetables throughout the year using modern techniques.
“I cultivated bottle gourd, cucumber and coriander according to my choice this year and got the expected yield,” she said, adding that regular access to fresh, safe vegetables has helped protect her family from malnutrition-related diseases.
Rani said her family uses organic fertiliser and sells surplus produce in local markets after meeting household needs. Encouraged by the results, many others in the area have shown interest in chemical-free vegetable farming.
Recalling past hardships, she said that she struggled for years to improve her family’s income. To overcome poverty, she began growing vegetables alongside rearing poultry and goats. Today, her family meets its nutritional needs with homegrown vegetables, milk and meat.
During the initial phase, participating families received technical support and farming inputs, including vegetable seeds and organic fertiliser, from Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK).
Quoting a slum census conducted in 2014, Shahidul Islam, Regional Coordinator of BARCIK, said that Rajshahi city has around 104 large and small slums, comprising 12,202 households and a population of approximately 39,077.
