Written by Manoj Kumar Ojha
Guwahati: In the midst of Assam’s devastating annual floods, where thousands are displaced and agricultural land drowns under swollen rivers, a silent savior has emerged—the humble pumpkin (ronga lau).
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Traditionally seen as a common vegetable, the pumpkin is now proving to be a source of survival, income, and resilience for flood-affected communities in Assam and across flood-prone parts of the world .
Floods often wipe out crops, disrupt markets, and cut off access to food supplies. In such times, pumpkins—thanks to their long shelf life and high nutritional value—are helping families endure food shortages. A single harvest of pumpkins can be stored for several months, providing essential nourishment when other vegetables are not available. In Assam, where flash floods frequently isolate villages, stored pumpkins have become a vital food reserve during emergencies.
This survival strategy is not limited to India. In Bangladesh, families living on “chars” (sandbars) along the Teesta River have adopted pumpkin farming to ensure food security during monsoon seasons. These families grow and store hundreds of pumpkins each year, helping them survive floodwaters and displacement.
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In parts of state , farmers have taken pumpkin cultivation to new heights. According to recent reports, local cultivators earned nearly Rs 6 crore in 2024 by exporting pumpkins, highlighting the crop’s potential not just as food, but as a lucrative livelihood.
Pumpkins can thrive in nutrient-poor, sandy soils often found on riverbanks or degraded floodplains—lands where traditional crops struggle to survive. This makes pumpkin farming especially beneficial for marginal and flood-affected farmers, who now see the crop as a tool of self-reliance. Non-governmental organisations and local authorities have also stepped in to promote pumpkin farming by providing training, seeds, and market connections.
The pumpkin plant’s physical properties make it well-suited to harsh environments. Its sprawling vines and deep roots help bind the soil, reducing erosion and stabilizing flood-prone land. In areas where erosion and repeated flooding damage the earth, pumpkin cultivation is helping to restore some balance. Farmers not only benefit from the harvest but also contribute to protecting the landscape from further degradation.
However, the pumpkin story isn’t all sweet. In May 2025, Assam experienced a bumper harvest, but the lack of cold storage facilities and market access led to a severe glut. Farmers in were forced to sell their pumpkins for as low as rupees4 per kilogram, well below the cost of production. With no option to store or process their produce, tons of pumpkins rotted in open fields or were used as cattle feed.
This incident has exposed major gaps in the agricultural support system. Experts now emphasize the urgent need for cold storage units, food processing plants, and better transport infrastructure to absorb surplus and stabilise farmer incomes.
What Assam is experiencing reflects a broader trend seen in other parts of the world. In Bangladesh’s flood-prone Nilphamari district, NGOs trained over 600 flood-affected households to grow pumpkins on sandbars. Each family harvested 200–300 pumpkins, which not only ensured food security but also generated income—helping reduce distress migration caused by flooding.
Similar models have been introduced in parts of Nepal and sub-Saharan Africa, where pumpkins are being promoted as a climate-resilient crop. These projects often combine training, seed distribution, and post-harvest support to help vulnerable communities build resilience against climate shocks.
To fully unlock the potential of pumpkins as a flood-resilient solution, several actions are urgently needed:Cold storage and aggregation hubs to prevent post-harvest losses,processing units to turn pumpkins into juice, flour, or packaged goods,better transport networks to connect farmers to wider markets,community-level training to expand pumpkin farming into new flood-prone areas.
These steps can transform pumpkins from emergency relief into a long-term economic and ecological solution.
In a time when extreme weather and recurring floods are becoming more common, pumpkins have emerged as symbols of survival, strength, and adaptability. Once dismissed as a simple vegetable, they are now helping families not only eat and earn—but also stay rooted to their land and dignity during some of the hardest times.
As Assam and other vulnerable regions brace for future climate shocks, the humble pumpkin is proving to be more than just food. It is becoming a pillar of resilience—one orange globe at a time.