From time immemorial, honey is popularly known as the best cure for hundreds of diseases.

Yet, we rarely allow bees to make hives, in which they store the honey they produce from nectar of flowers, around our houses.

However, it appears that the trend has changed, or at least that is the case in the Chalanbeel areas of Pabna and Sirajganj over the last decade, where bees can now make their hives near the crop fields as beekeeping or apiculture gains popularity among the farmers.

Apiculture helps to meet the growing demand for honey as more and more people are learning of its goodness, and also increasing the crop production as bees are a great aid in pollination.

During winter, mustard fields see a high yield of honey collected from the hives and also a bumper harvest of mustard by the boon of the practice of apiculture in the region, according to agriculture officials.

This year, between 2500 to 3000 metric tons of honey is likely to be collected from around 50 thousand special bee boxes set up in over 60 thousand hectares of mustard field in the Chalanbeel regions of Pabna and Sirajganj, said Md Khoyer Uddin, additional deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Pabna.

During winter, mustard fields see a high yield of honey collected from the hives and also a bumper harvest of mustard by the boon of the practice of apiculture in the region, according to agriculture officials. Photo: Star

This is the highest honey producing zone across the country, he also said.

“Mustard farmers earlier used pesticide to make mustard field free from pest attack, now they have left using pesticide in mustard field due to the bee keeping, which increases production by 15 to 20 percent,” the DAE deputy director of Pabna added.

Bees collect the nectar from mustard flowers when they fully blossom in the fields, and process the nectar into honey in the honeycomb-laden bee boxes. The bee keepers then collect the honey from the boxes. The process also facilitates the transfer of pollens among mustard flowers, giving rise to a high yield.

Bees collect the nectar from mustard flowers when they fully blossom in the fields, and process the nectar into honey in the honeycomb-laden bee boxes. Photo: Star

“Around 800 beekeepers from different parts of the country rush to the Chalanbeel region of Pabna and Sirajganj in winter to get the vast yellow mustard field for collecting honey,” Jahangir Alam Modhu, president of a bee keepers’ association in northern region, told The Daily Star.

The beekeepers set their bee boxes on the crop fields from mid-November targeting to collect honey till May, he also said adding that besides mustard, honey is also produced from the nectar of flowers of other winter crops including kalo jeera among others.

“Mustard field is suitable for honey production than any other winter crops. I have set 300 boxes in one bigha field in Noubaria village under Vangura upazila in Pabna couple of weeks ago and got 2000 kilogrammes of honey,” said Md Aslam Sardar, a bee keeper in the area.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

The post Beekeeping in Chalanbeel Gains Popularity among Pabna, Sirajganj Farmers appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Some underprivileged children attending a class inside a floating school locally known as “Noukay School” in Natore's Singra upazila. Photo: Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu

By Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu
Aug 8 2016 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

They don’t go to schools, schools come to them.

Currently, some 2,000 underprivileged children are attending classes in 22 floating schools that move across the Chalan Beel in Pabna, Natore and Sirajganj districts.

The schools are locally called “Noukay School”.

Recently, they have also started providing basic agricultural training to underprivileged women, and library facilities and computer training to those interested in the districts.

The floating schools are run by Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha (SSS), a non-profit organisation with the NGO Affairs Bureau of the Prime Minister’s Office. SSS says it aims to transform the region’s waterways into pathways for education, information and technology.

The first such school was introduced in Singra upazila of Natore in 2002.

In no time, it became quite popular among the people of Chalan Beel areas which remain submerged for months, said SSC officials.

Today, 22 floating schools operate in Chatmohar and Bhangura upazilas of Pabna, Gurudashpur and Singra upazilas of Natore and Tarash upazila of Sirajganj, added the officials.

A floating school moving across Chalan Beel area to take students on board, Photo: Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu

Many Chalan Beel areas remain under water for four to six months every year, making it almost impossible for children in remote areas to reach their usual primary schools, said Suprokash Poul, coordinator of the school programme.

Every day, each floating school has three shifts having some 30 students, he said.

Talking to this correspondent, some of the locals said the schools were benefitting them in many ways.

Children heading for one such school, Photo: Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu

“We get training on crop cultivation in submerged land during the monsoon. We also learn how to cultivate paddy, jute and vegetables and protect crops from pests without using harmful chemical pesticides,” said Bulbuli Khatun, a housewife from Kalinagar village in Natore’s Singra upazila.

Abu Sayed, a college student from the same upazila, said, “There is no computer facility in our village. We had to go some 30 miles to learn computers. But now, we get this facility on our doorsteps.”

A signboard of the school, The photos were taken in Natore and Pabna on July 20. Photo: Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu

A total of 39 boats — 22 of which are being used as floating schools, 10 as library and computer labs and seven as training centres — are moving across the Chalan Beel region, said Suprokash.

However, the number of the boats was not enough to meet the need of people living in such a vast area like Chalan Beel.

Asked, Suprokash said the SSS was working to introduce more such boats in the area.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

The post The Floating Schools of Chalan Beel appeared first on Inter Press Service.