In the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, producing enough fruits and vegetables as well as storing fish in ways that are both affordable and safe pose many challenges. To tackle these problems, the Feed the Future Innovation Labs for Nutrition and Horticulture have joined together to implement three unique aquaculture and horticulture technologies.
Feed The Future Innovation Lab for Nutrition, Bangladesh Team
The first technology targets fruit and vegetable farming; with much of its land tied up in pond cultivation of fish, there is little room for smallholder farmers to grow produce in Bangladesh. In an attempt to overcome this issue, some fruit and vegetable farmers have constructed rafts of hyacinth to grow produce in floating gardens. Unfortunately, as the hyacinth begins to deteriorate, oxygen in the pond is reduced to a level that is deadly for fish. To resolve this dilemma, the labs have modified this ancient technique to use modern non-degradable material. This simple adaptation will allow floating gardens to exist on fishing ponds, while leaving the fish, another important food source, unharmed.