Participatory Micro Watershed Development for Hill Dwellers in Bangladesh: A Challenge

Shifting cultivation is the major agricultural activity in hilly area of Bangladesh. Shifting cultivators themselves realize that only shifting cultivation is not at all a sustainable nowadays because of decrease in productivity due shortening of (Shifting) cultivation cycle. It was estimated that about 32,500 ha/yr is used for shifting cultivation in Bangladesh. Soil loss also estimated on the findings of SCWMC, which is about 1.5 million t/yr. By this time with the development of communication, marketing facilities, education and health care etc, change of life style is observed and they exposed to a new aspiration. Jhumias (shifting cultivators) are very slowly transforming their life style near township, road network and/or market. Building nurseries, producing valued fruit crops, working as daily labor, even they join (both male and female) transplanting of rice in the valleys. Accounting the aspiration of the people as well as biophysical condition of the area SCWMC started to work with Jhumia families (Shifting cultivator) to develop participatory micro watershed for a better land husbandry system. In this approach Jhumia families and scientists of the SCWMC are working on the same land with their own attitude for production and learning from each other and introducing better land use on sloping land for conserving soil and as well as sustainable for the family. The approach will lead the farmer to be in permanent farming system as well as benefit of conservation measures such as contour planting, gully control, choosing crops, which are the crucial problems for transferring technology in watershed management.