Floating vegetable gardens of Nazirpur

When the low beels of Nazirpur stay under water for months, farmers build long floating beds, called dhap or baira, from water hyacinth bound with bamboo and banana stems and topped with soil. On them they raise seedlings of gourd, aubergine, papaya, chilli, cauliflower and more, then sell them at markets such as Baithakata, where a floating vegetable market has run on the Beluya river for decades. Hundreds of families here still work this way, and the system is recognised by the FAO as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. In season the green rafts stretch across the water, with women tying seedlings into small root balls on the verandas. Few outsiders come to see it.

How to get there

From Pirojpur go by road to Nazirpur and on to Baithakata (Mugarjhor) in Malikhali union, then hire a small boat to move among the beds.

Good to know

Bed building starts around mid-May and runs through the monsoon. Time your visit for Baithakata's floating market days (Saturday and Tuesday). Ask farmers before going near the beds, and buy a few seedlings or vegetables if you can.

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