Women in coastal areas of Bhola continue to perform extensive agricultural labor while remaining excluded from land ownership, institutional recognition, agricultural support, and decision-making structures. A report from Borhanuddin upazila highlights how women farmers manage crop cultivation, livestock care, seed preservation, post-harvest work, and household labor, much of which remains unpaid and officially invisible.
According to local agricultural data, Borhanuddin has nearly 40,000 farmers, but only around 4,000 are officially recognized as women farmers. Many women cultivate land alongside men or independently after the deaths of husbands, yet few possess land documents or farmer cards in their own names. Several women stated that land is rarely transferred to women, making it difficult to access bank loans, subsidies, agricultural services, or government support programs.
Women interviewed in Sachra and Gangapur unions described balancing farming with unpaid domestic labor, childcare, livestock care, and household survival. Many also spoke about debt, widowhood, and economic hardship. Some women rely on leased land or small NGO-supported projects because formal agricultural financing remains inaccessible to them.
The report also documents how climate change is increasing the burdens placed on women farmers in coastal regions. Saline tidal water, crop losses, flooding, unsafe drinking water, and damaged homes continue to affect both agricultural production and women’s health. Women described spending long hours in contaminated water while farming and then returning home to manage food preparation, caregiving, and other unpaid labor.
Women farmers and rights advocates called for formal recognition of women as farmers, easier access to farmer cards and loans, land rights, and greater participation in agricultural planning and local decision-making structures.
Source: bdnews24