Humans of iFarmer: Mosammot Halima Begum

by Team iFarmer, 12 May

2 min read

Humans of iFarmer: Mosammot Halima Begum

Mosammot Halima Begum - who is fighting to close the gender gap in agriculture. She has an identity beyond that which often goes unacknowledged, by herself and by the society she lives in. She is a cattle farmer who has struggled to secure her life. She lives with her husband, two sons and a daughter in Arajideodoba village of Bhadai union in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat district. She shifted from her husband’s village to her own and built a life here, from scratch. Her husband does not own any significant assets. They started off by staying with Halima’s father when she leased a land to cultivate paddy and potato. Alongside, she decided to start livestock rearing when she heard about the financing solution iFarmer provides. Once she sold off the cattle and her husband’s previous land, she was able to buy a small piece of land of her own and build a tin house where she lives today with her family. Meanwhile, in order to support the family, her husband started fishing. Together, they started off a new life with plenty of struggles, but remained content and happy nonetheless. When the iFarmer team visited Halima, she showed around her house with joy. She keeps her livestock inside her house - in her son’s room and said someday she will be able to build a cow shed, but for now, she has no complaints. She prides herself of being capable enough to send all her children to school and dreams of ensuring a brighter future for them.

Halima, like many other women farmers in her community, has a story of fighting back. A story of countless struggles and a story of still keeping hope alive. These stories are the symbol of the strength our farmers hold on to.