Staff Reporter:
Experts have stressed the importance of making coastal communities economically self-reliant in order to cope with the impacts of climate change.
The call came at a goat distribution program organized by the social organization Friendship in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district on Monday.
The event, held in Mathurapur village under Munshiganj union, was attended by Upazila Livestock Officer Dr. Subrata Kumar Biswas as the chief guest. He said that storms, floods, tidal surges, and salinity—caused by climate change—frequently push coastal residents into financial hardship. “Livestock farming can be a vital means for them to recover from these economic losses,” he added.
As part of Friendship’s Transitional Fund – Assistance for Sustainable Development (ASD) program, 30 families in Mathurapur received goats and sheep. Alongside goat distribution, the ASD initiative has been running several projects for over two years, including vermicompost production, mangrove nursery development for coastal afforestation, homestead vegetable gardening with seasonal seeds, supply of medicines and seed storage jars, provision of pheromone traps for pest control, and sack-based ginger farming.
The program was joined by Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) Vice President and Special Correspondent of The New Nation Gazi Anowar, Satkhira Press Club General Secretary and District Correspondent of BSS and Banglavision Md. Asaduzzaman, Friendship Project Manager Jewel Hasan, Regional Coordinator Sakhawat Hossain, Project Officers Asadul Hasan, Jamil Khan and Hedayet Ullah Khan, as well as Global Television Satkhira Correspondent Rahat Raja, among others.
Speakers noted that despite being one of the country’s oldest settlements, Satkhira has lagged in development, largely due to the growing severity of climate change. To address its negative impacts and recurring natural disasters, they emphasized the need to expand greenery through afforestation and to promote sustainable economic activities among coastal residents. They urged both government and non-government organizations to come forward with stronger support.
