Plastic farming turns climate refugees into farmers again

A unique initiative of growing crops using disposed plastic bottles has been introduced in Bangladesh recently. Meghna Group of Industries (MGI), one of the leading conglomerates of Bangladesh, has taken the initiative as part of their corporate social responsibility in maintaining environmental sustainability.

For Plastic Farming, the disposed plastic bottles are collected from the environment. 

These plastic bottles are then used to create floating beds to farm by using water hyacinth compost. 

The initiative has been implemented amongst the landless farmers in Tungipara, Gopalganj & Pirojpur Districts after researching for almost 2 years. 

Officers from Upazila Agricultural Office trained the landless farmers on the techniques of Plastic Farming. There were also other activities that include showing Plastic Farming video tutorials to the villagers and creating a dedicated website. 

As a result, 2100 farmers from 20 villages were included who put their effort and were able to yield plenty of winter vegetables. 

Besides reducing the plastic pollution, the initiators are hopeful that the Plastic Farming will increase the crop production and food safety for the landless farmers further. 

Bidyanondo has been an integral part of this initiative, serving as a collaborative partner.