Case Study Floating Gardens Flashcards
Location?
Bangladesh
Bangladesh problems, rainfall?
Monsoon season lasts from June till November and 160 cm of rain falls at average.
Homes and fields are flooded and normal cultivation is impossible
Project: plants?
Water hyacinth is a floating plant that can be collected locally and is reinforced with bamboo to create rafts
Rafts are 1m wide by 8m long
Project: food grown and training?
- Soil is put on top of raft and food such has gourd, okra and leafy vegetables can be grown.
- Training is also provided in new techniques to cope with conditions in order to grow more and better crops throughout year e.g. organic pest control, organic composting
Effects on development: positive - individual income?
- Rafts and new techniques mean that enough food can be grown to eat and any excess can be sold
- Monsoon is time of national food shortage so good prices are guaranteed
- Extra income can be used to by necessities and so improve standard of living
- Raft techniques can be used to generate income in future years
Effects on development: positive - virtuous cycle of development?
- Extra income not only helps individual farmers
- Income will be spent which promotes a cycle of development that boosts the economy
- This is particularly valuable as monsoon is a time of national economic slump
Effects on development: negative - agriculture reliance?
- Does not encourage industrial development but promotes continued reliance on agriculture
- Without Industrial Revolution, significant and long-term economic development is unlikely
Economic sustainability: positive - income?
- Individual income and virtuous cycle of development points
- Non-farmers who may also have lost their jobs due to Monsoon flooding can use these techniques to generate income at a time when few jobs are available
Economic sustainability: positive - cost?
- Initial cost v low (T500 or £4) because bamboo and water hyacinth is grown locally so can be collected for free
- Long-term costs are low because locals are taught the necessary skills to pass these on
- Practical Action does not have to keep investing every year
Economic sustainability: negative - initial cost?
- Charity workers must be trained and then sent out to Bangladesh to teach the skills and new techniques
- 10 high yielding varieties of fast growing vegetables and groundnut seeds are given to each farmer and this cost is covered by Practical action
Economic sustainability: negative - agriculture reliance?
- See point before about not very long-term sustainable
Social sustainability: positive - provides food?
- Rafts provide cheap food at time of national food shortages when prices are high
- Food is fresh and varied so provides wide range of nutrients than stored or purchased food
- Income from selling excess crops can further supplement diet and people will be healthier so less need for medical care
- This is good as there are only 0.4 doctors per 1000 people and especially useful in vulnerable age groups as infant mortality is 47.3 per 1000 live births
Social sustainability: negative - annual replacement?
- Rafts have to be replaced every year
- Time and labour required which could be focused elsewhere e.g. Childcare or finding other work
Social sustainability: negative - dangerous?
- Does not control flooding or protect locals from flooding
- Encourages locals to work in and on water so leading to drowning or catching waterborne disease such as dysentery and diarrhoea
Environmental sustainability: positive - limited CO2 emissions?
- Bamboo and water hyacinth grow locally therefore no CO2 production due to manufacture or transport of raw materials
- Water hyacinth continues to grow while holding raft together, absorbing CO2 by photosynthesis
- Old rafts can be rotted down a sun used as fertiliser for next year’s rafts rather than being burnt, reducing CO2 emissions
