Pumpkin farmers support flood relief efforts in Bangladesh

Farmers in Bangladesh who benefitted from Practical Action’s Pumpkins Against Poverty project have donated crops to help victims of deadly monsoon floods.

More than 50 people were killed by flooding in Bangladesh last month (July) and 8,000 homes were destroyed. 600,000 people were threatened by outbreaks of dysentery and diarrhoea.

Hundreds of pumpkins were donated to flood victims by communities who had worked with Practical Action to transform barren sandbanks into pumpkin fields before the flooding hit.

The project is now set to expand after a fundraising appeal saw the British public donate more than a million pounds to the Pumpkins Against Poverty campaign.

Bangladesh country director for Practical Action, Hasin Jahan, said: “Usually the Government, non-government organisations, private business and rich people provide support to flood-affected people. For the first time these communities have been in a position where they can help others as well as themselves and it is fantastic to see them helping those in need.

“Our goal is to help underprivileged people help themselves. I believe we have seen the beginning of this through this project.

“Now we have the exciting prospect of being able to extend this project to enable thousands more people who have little or no land to become self-sufficient.

“Everyone at Practical Action would like to thank all those who donated to Pumpkins Against Poverty – without their support this fantastic project wouldn’t be able to achieve the impact it is having.”

The final figure of £1.023m has been matched by the UK Government, which will allow the programme to expand and increase the diversity of crops available to farmers, many of whom have lost all their land to flooding.

The funds raised will help 50,000 landless Bangladeshis farm the sandbars which emerge from rivers when the floods recede, enabling them to buy livestock, send their children to school and earn an income throughout the year. The Ministry of Agriculture in Bangladesh are also looking at replicating the model throughout the whole country.