Pakistan, Jan. 15 -- Ferdousi Akter's family struggled to survive after a crumbling riverbank forced them to abandon their home and move to a new part of the island where they live, off the Bangladesh coast. Her husband worked as a day labourer on fishing boats but earned too little to cover their expenses.
Just over a year ago, however, the five-member Akter family was one of 45 households offered land on Hatiya Island under a decade-long free lease by the Bangladesh Forest Department.
"I got a pond and a piece of land for 10 years," said Akter. "Now I am farming fish in the pond and cultivating vegetables on my land - and getting benefits." She has already sold fish for 10,000 taka ($120), and hopes to increase her earnings to 100,000 t...