|
 Momtaz
Begum and her family were living on the edge of dire
poverty, but with the help of a treadle pump from IDE, she
was able to dramatically raise the productivity of her
rice land - enough to allow her to purchase more land and
upgrade her home. Today she and her family lead a
comfortable existence and she dreams of higher education
for her children.
Eight years ago life was hard
for Momtaz Begum, aged 52, her husband, and her six
children. They owned less than a quarter of a hectare
(about half and acre) of land outside the southern port
city of Chittagong and were unable to produce enough
surplus rice each year to meet their expenses. Growing
rice requires a great deal of water and her only options
were to purchase water from a neighbor who owned a deep
tube well and a diesel pump or to bring water in jars from
a hand operated tube well. Neither of these options was
very desirable since the purchased water often did not
arrive on time and hauling water in jars required a great
deal of effort. Because of these difficulties in earning a
living from the land, Ms. Begum's husband had begun
selling ice cream from a cart in order to supplement their
income.
One day she saw a neighbor install a
peculiar device and inquired about what it was. He said it
was a treadle pump and on closer inspection, she realized
it was the same device that her relative had installed on
his farm. She immediately decided to buy one and talked
with a local farm inputs dealer who helped her finance the
pump and arrange for its installation.
Life improved immediately with the treadle pump. The
regular irrigation provided by this device helped increase
production significantly and the surplus rice she sold
earned $310 (US) for the family. With some of this money
she rented another quarter hectare (0.5 acres) from her
neighbor and the following year purchased an additional
quarter hectare (0.5 acres) of her own. In addition to
these improvements in her farm holdings, Ms. Begum's life
has improved in other ways. She now has a tin rather than
a thatched roof and her latrine has been upgraded. He
husband no longer sells ice cream; instead he now assists
with agricultural tasks.
These changes did not come
without a price, as many neighbors criticized her for
being a woman and working in the field. She is proud,
though, that she can now provide meals and education for
her family. When asked about the future she says, "I plan
to arrange suitable matches for my daughters' marriages. I
would also like to see my children aim for higher
education." |
