Salinity intrusion poses a major risk to the water quality, safety, and well-being of coastal communities in Bangladesh, notably Koyra, situated near the Sundarbans in the southwest coastal area. With numerous rivers intersecting the region, it becomes especially prone to various environmental issues. The frequent incidence of cyclones, salinity intrusion, rising sea levels, and tidal surges has made this area extremely vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change.
Farming in this region faces numerous challenges due to salinity intrusion and freshwater scarcity. Traditional agricultural methods struggle to mitigate the detrimental impacts of saline water on soil fertility and crop productivity. Consequently, the challenges of providing nutritious fodder for livestock rearing are exacerbated. Farmers in Koyra encounter significant hurdles in agriculture, exacerbated by the area’s susceptibility to natural disasters and the increasing salinity levels in its soil and water sources.
The climate crisis has further intensified the challenge of obtaining nutritious fodder for livestock, as marginalized farmers often rely on nutrient-deficient dry straw or expensive granular feed purchased from the market. This additional expense puts further strain on their daily income.
Given the constraints, Islamic Relief has introduced hydroponic grass cultivation as an innovative, climate-resilient agricultural solution. Hydroponic grass represents a relatively new concept in Bangladesh, offering several benefits such as efficient water utilization, suitability for indoor setups, vertical planting in limited spaces, and year-round growth, ensuring a consistent fodder source for livestock. This system significantly reduces water consumption compared to traditional soil-based methods and with effective management, can yield higher outputs.
Additionally, it requires less space, provides nutrient-rich feed, and boasts faster growth rates compared to conventional practices. Cows also produce more milk when fed hydroponic grass. Moreover, the cost of hydroponic grass cultivation is lower than traditional methods.
Islamic Relief Bangladesh has launched a project called “Scaling-up Inclusive Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Communities through Locally Led Adaptation (ICRA)” with the objective of enhancing community resilience through sustainable livelihoods, infrastructure development for community benefit, system strengthening, and opportunities creation for future generations. As part of this initiative, adaptive agricultural solutions like hydroponic grass cultivation are being introduced to promote resilient livelihoods in response to climate change. Md. Soukat Sarder, a small-scale farmer from Maderbaria village in Moharajpur Union, and Shaalom, another small-scale farmer from Gobra village in Koyra Union under Koyra Upazilla of Khulna District, have embarked on hydroponic grass production with the support of the ICRA Project.
The farmers were supplied with various materials such as trays, wheat seeds, racks, sprayers, etc., and the staff of Islamic Relief Bangladesh provided ongoing technical support to facilitate the adoption of this resilient grass production method. Hydroponic grass production proves to be a cost-effective and straightforward process. Farmers can obtain 8-9 kg of soft, nutritious green grass from 1 kg of wheat seeds, with a production cost of only BDT 40-45. This soft, tender grass can now be used to feed their cattle during the dry summer months in arid regions like Koyra.
Md. Soukat Sarder, a small-scale farmer, expressed his astonishment, stating, “I couldn’t believe that this grass could grow without soil. Now, I am cultivating hydroponic grass and feeding it to my cows instead of dry straw.” Landless farmers like Md. Soukat Sarder and Shaalom are delighted to produce soil-less grass using a vertical method. They have observed that their cows produce more milk when fed this nutritious grass compared to their usual diet.
Witnessing the success of these farmers in growing grass without soil at a low cost, others in the community are eager to replicate this method. “I simply place maize seeds in a plastic tray and leave it for two days. By the end of eight days, the grass has grown,” shared Soukat Sarder. Shaalom echoed a similar sentiment, expressing disbelief initially but now finds villagers visiting to observe and learn the technique.