by Iffat Ara Sharmeen,
27 February, 2025
43-year-old Rokeya transformed her land and home into a sustainable space to escape poverty, but her eco-friendly endeavours quickly became an inspiration to her community.
Life in the coastal regions of Southern Bangladesh can be grim and unpredictable. Floods, cyclones, and tidal surges wreak havoc multiple times a year, leaving communities in the region ever more vulnerable. Rokeya and her family suffered for years, but she was not one to back down. Instead of struggling, she chose to embrace sustainable practices and fight climate change. Her journey has inspired many others in her community to build their life rooted in resilience and hope.
A Mangrove Guardian Protecting Her Home
Rokeya and her family live along the bank of the Kopotakkho River, in the village of Atani, Anulia Union, Assasuni Upazila, Satkhira. Rokeya, her husband, and her two sons were all day-labourers already struggling to survive. The effects of climate change simply exacerbated their circumstances. Little did Rokeya know that her life would change completely after joining Friendship’s mangrove afforestation project in 2022.
Mangroves are Bangladesh’s first line of defense against coastal disasters and rising sea levels. Rokeya’s responsibilities in the project included planting and nurturing mangrove saplings, protecting young trees from errant livestock, and raising awareness on conservation of mangroves. This was her first step towards fighting against climate change. These trees protect her village from cyclones and tidal surges while also creating a habitat for fish, crabs, and other coastal fauna, thus ensuring food security as well as an income source for the community.
Climate Smart Farmer and Community Leader
While working on restoring mangroves, Rokeya found a deep sense of adoration for agriculture over time. She received hands-on training on organic vegetable farming, seed collection, livestock and poultry rearing. Rokeya decided to instill these techniques in her home, adopting eco-friendly farming practices to create a climate-smart home.
Through pit composting, she converts kitchen scraps and organic waste into natural fertiliser, which she then uses to grow vegetables. Using the sack gardening method, she grows spinach, tomatoes, eggplants, and other vegetables within her home even in the face of salinity and unpredictable weather. These methods are space-saving, affordable, easy, and have little wastage. Thus, Rokeya has been able to provide fresh food for her family and also inspire others to rethink how they use their home space.
Apart from her vegetable garden space, she also grows high-nutrient grass and crops that withstand unpredictable rainfall patterns. These are used as cattle fodder year-round. Since she does not have to rely on expensive fodder from elsewhere, she can sustainably rear her cows, goats, ducks, and chickens. By selling milk, meat, livestock, organic vegetables, and mangrove resources, she now has a steady income.
Today Rokeya Khatun is a climate champion who empowers her community with knowledge on organic farming, water conservation, and sanitation. With livestock and a thriving green living space, she showed that sustainable practices indeed lead to prosperity and a more dignified life.
