Pumpkins in Bangladesh – WFTW
Another series made in 2016 for the Gaia Foundation, this work will feature in the book and exhibition We Feed the World in October 2018, in London
Over the years, low-income families from farming backgrounds have settled on the Tista River. Their prospects in the region are not good. As well as a lack of land to work and formal jobs, they are at mercy of the fluctuations of the river. Consequently they must move their tin houses every so often to other unused land.
In 2009, UK-based development charity Practical Action started a pumpkin-farming project on the riverbed, which becomes arable during the dry season. Locals say it has been a success, especially for low-income families, allowing them to farm in an area where new land is scarce. Pumpkins are farmed organically and used for family consumption. The rest are sold in bulk allowing families to use the revenue to develop other businesses or small enterprises.