Mahbubur Rahman is a permanent resident of Ukhia Sadar, Ward No. 5, Rajapalong Union, Ukhia Upazila, Cox’s Bazar District. He lives with six family members: his wife, mother, two sons, and one daughter, all of whom attend school regularly.
Mahbubur Rahman serves as the president of the Ukhia Sadar Farmer Group. He cultivates various vegetables on his land, including red spinach, kalmi spinach, puin spinach, jute spinach, as well as brinjal, okra, barbati, gourd, and sweet pumpkin. Additionally, he raises fish like putty in his pond, supporting his family through these agricultural activities.
Although Mr. Mahbub was an experienced farmer, he initially had limited knowledge about nutrition. He neither grew nor purchased vegetables with nutritional value in mind and lacked understanding of how to prepare food for optimal nutrition. For him, eating was mainly about satisfying hunger rather than gaining nourishment.
Mr. Mahbub greatly benefited from the Applied Nutrition and Culinary Training provided by BIRTAN, organized by PROTTYASHI with financial support from FAO. This training equipped him with valuable knowledge about the nutritional benefits of different vegetables and how to preserve these benefits during cooking. He learned methods to retain maximum nutrition, including cutting vegetables into larger pieces. The training also included recipes for nutritious, balanced meals such as khichuri.
Today, Mr. Mahbub actively shares the nutrition knowledge he gained with people from various social backgrounds, including his relatives, alongside his farming work. He explains the training concepts to his wife and shares cooking tips, such as slow-cooking fish on low heat for a long time and cooking meat and vegetables quickly at high heat to maintain balanced nutrition. These practices are now part of their daily meals.
