Bilkis Begum is a 45-year-old mother of four who lives in a remote village in Mithapukur Upazila of Rangpur District, Bangladesh. For years, she, like her neighbors, struggled to make ends meet by cultivating traditional and hybrid rice varieties. Low yields, frequent crop diseases, high production costs, and poor market prices made it difficult for her to sustain her family or invest in their future.

But in 2023, Bilkis’s life began to change when she learned about the Expanding Nutrients in Food Systems project, funded by the Government of Canada and implemented by HarvestPlus and HarvestPlus Solutions in collaboration with RDRS Bangladesh. Under this project, she received 10 kilograms of BRRI dhan74, a biofortified zinc rice variety developed to tackle micronutrient deficiencies and contribute to reducing malnutrition and addressing hidden hunger in rural communities.

Planting this variety on her 100 decimals of land, Bilkis was amazed by the results. Her harvest yielded an impressive 90 mounds—approximately 3,600 kg—of high-quality rice. “The production is higher, the plants are stronger, and there were no diseases,” she shared proudly. Not only did the crop flourish, but the cost of production was lower, resulting in increased incomes and improved livelihoods for her household.

Inspired by her success, Bilkis did not keep the benefits to herself. As vice-president of the Chengmari Federation, she emerged as a local leader and advocate for entrepreneurship and nutrition-sensitive agriculture. She shared seeds from her harvest with three neighboring male farmers, who collectively planted BRRI dhan74 on 225 decimals of their own land—demonstrating how a single farmer’s innovation can ripple through a community.

By 2024, Bilkis had expanded her zinc rice cultivation by an additional 50 decimals, harvesting an impressive 140 mounds (5,600 kg). She sold 40 mounds at 1,260 BDT (USD10) each, earning substantial income to support her family’s needs. Beyond the financial gains, she ensured her family benefited nutritionally serving nutritious, biofortified rice at least twice a week, and even preparing it as flattened rice, a local favorite. The improved taste made it a welcome staple on their plates.

Over time, Bilkis reduced her dependence on hybrid rice and focused almost entirely on cultivating BRRI dhan74. Her transition represents a change in agricultural practice and marks a meaningful stride toward food and nutrition security for vulnerable communities. Today, she not only feeds her family with affordable and accessible nutritious foods, but also inspires others in her village to follow her example.

Bilkis Begum’s story is one of transformation—where a woman farmer turned her modest farm into a beacon of hope, health, and prosperity.