Jahanara Begum's Nursery

About

Jahanara Begum of Chalbandh village in Bishwambarpur upazila had to leave school after class five because of poverty and was married at 14 to Hasan, a landless farmer. To pay for her children's schooling she joined a village women's samity, took a three-day nursery training at the upazila, and started with the chilli and papaya seeds she had, later taking a Tk 4,000 loan. On the first day her husband sold 50 saplings at the village market; she repaid the loan in six months and the nursery's income kept growing. People from across the upazila now come to her home to buy saplings. The nursery holds about 60,000 saplings and produces about three lakh a year; she runs it with her husband and three helpers. Her three-acre homestead is full of mango, jackfruit, black plum, orange, litchi, papaya, guava, coconut, betel nut, custard apple and olive trees; she has planted green malta and raises Haribhanga, Himsagar and Amrapali mango saplings. She has also farmed fish in two ponds since 2009. She was awarded as a successful woman of the district in 2010 and has received the national 'Joyeeta' award.

Products and services

• Chilli saplings

  The nursery began with chilli and papaya seeds

• Papaya saplings

• Mango saplings (Haribhanga, Himsagar, Amrapali)

• Green malta

  Recently planted green malta

Address and hours

To learn or to work here

• Visitors welcome