Rural Heritage April/May 2026

The un- forgotten Farmers of the Chars – Part 1

by Paul Schmit, Schaff mat Päerd asbl, Luxembourg T his first part of a two-part article covers the general aspects of the Chars. The second part, which will be published in the next issue of the Rural Heritage , will focus on the agricultural practices on the Chars. Why do these people still live there at all? That’s a question one can ask at first sight. But by dealing with their history and socio-economic setting, it quickly becomes clear that they largely have no

other choice. If you are born in no man's land, have no access to education or any other vital public services, do not know about your human rights, your path in life is mapped out since your birth. You just follow your parents, and they do it the way they learned it already from their parents. There is no way to escape from a life of poverty. But who are these invisible poor? Farmers and fisherman in the most remote areas of Northern Bangladesh in South Asia, on the shifting

Sincere thanks go to Mobasshira Khatun, a young self-taught artist who captured her everyday challenges on the Chars in a picture. Painting is a big part of her life, and later she plans to study Fine Arts in Dhaka. Currently, she is in the grade ten class of the FRIENDSHIP Secondary School at Sannashir Char in Gaibandha.

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