Hasna Hena – An undertaking Vegetable Farmer

Hasna Hena is 38 years old and mother of two daughters and a son. Her husband and his brothers have been growing vegetables on a common family plot since long. Now she grows vegetables on her own plot. She considers her vegetable garden vital in supporting their children’s education. She speaks about her children and their education with pride: “My income from the vegetable farm helped me to continue my children’s education”. She is cultivating different types of vegetables on the plot such as Eggplant, Okra, Bitter gourd, Yard long bean and Kang kong on a family plot of 0.18 acre. Hasna is involved in the Cross-border project since 2012. She is a member of the vegetable beneficiary group named ‘Dholeshshori’ in Degree Panchbari village, Sarishabari Upazila, Jamalpur. After joining the group she received training on vegetable cultivation and high quality vegetable seeds. She also received BDT1500  as working capital, which she spent on organic fertilizer, organic and some inorganic pesticides and irrigation.

Hasna Hena and Himmot Ali with their two daughters 

and one son in front of their vegetable field

October 2012, Hasna started eggplant cultivation and collected her first harvest end of January, 2013. Early January, she has started planting Bitter gourd, Yard long bean, Kang Kong and Okra and harvested till May 2013. She sold most of her vegetables together with the vegetables of the other group members to a whole seller and a small amount at the local market in her village. The vegetable field was not only an income source for her family, but it also provided daily fresh vegetables for her family.

Name of Vegetable	Quantity (kg)	Price per kg (BDT)	Total price (BDT)
Eggplant	40	40	1,600
Bitter gourd	25	15	375
Yard long bean	50	15	750
Kang kong	25	20	500
Okra	100	15	1,500
		Total	4,725

            Till June 2013, Hasna Hena earned BDT 4,725 from her garden

Hasna has two daughters and a son. Sumon Mia, student in the ninth grade, helps his mother to keep all expenditure records. Sumi Akter and Tanjina Akter, students in grade six and twelve grades respectively, also help their mother in farming and household chores. Hasna spent most of her earnings for her children’s education, for tuition fees, books and stationary expenses, etc. She believes that education is the best investment and a great asset as it cannot be taken away.

Himmot Ali, the 45 year old husband of Hasna Hena, helps her now and then in the vegetable field. He mostly takes care of marketing and selling vegetables in the local market as Hasna does not go to the village market . He takes pride that his wife is a hard working woman who thinks about the future and helps him with providing for their family. According to Himmot Ali “Educating three children is not an easy job for a family in our financial condition. It was my wife who gave me courage and took the responsibility to bear their educational expenses from her income especially from vegetable cultivation.”

Smiling Hasna Hena is showing her goat and kid

Hasna Hena bought a goat from her earnings for BDT2,000. Last February the goat gave birth a female kid, which she is expecting to sell for about BDT1,500. Babul Mia, local service provider trained under the Cross-border project, has trained Hasna and her group members and visited the vegetable field of Hasna regularly and to provide guidance during the cultivation process. He said, “Hasna and her family are an example for financially vulnerable people. She now owns two goats and is planning to buy another one shortly. She is thinking of starting a goat farm and will introduce her to our livestock local service provider so that she can get advice whenever she needs”. 

Hasna Hena now saves for her dream, a sanitary toilet in her house. She says, ‘No matter how strange it sounds coming from me, but I want to have a sanitary toilet in my house. I learned about the general health issues during our monthly group meetings and know that a sanitary toilet is very important for health and hygiene. My children are also aware about their health and excited to get a sanitary toilet”.

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[1] BDT 80 = USD 1

[2] Most women in the area where Hasna lives do not go tot he local market due to local traditions and culture.