The Khasi people in northeastern Bangladesh are working to save their forests and keep their jobs, but they face new problems from changing weather and smaller harvests. For years they have grown betel leaves inside evergreen forests in a method called Bri, and this life helps the trees, wildlife and local homes at the same time. Men and women in Khasi villages prune trees and care for betel vines, and women often process the leaves for sale. The farms lie under tall native trees that host birds, butterflies and sometimes primates like hoolock gibbons. These bri agroforests include support trees such as chapalish, supari, dumur and kanthal, and studies show these systems hold more plant types than simple farms. That mix helps the land stay healthy and gives people a steady income. Now many Khasis say rain is not reliable, and drought or odd monsoon timing has cut how much they can harvest. Some families had three good harvests in one year, and later could harvest only once in the same months. This drop has trimmed income and made it harder to care for the forest as before. Local leaders and farmers are trying careful steps to adapt while keeping the forest safe. Some are planting fruit trees like lemon and orange, and adding banana, coconut and agar in small empty spaces. Others are fitting coffee plants between the betel vines so trees are not cut. Community groups run pilots to test coffee as a new crop that fits the forest and gives income. They avoid large scale clearing so the land stays protected. Many Khasi voices also ask for help from outside to keep their work going. They say they protect thousands of acres of natural forest and should be rewarded for the carbon those woods store. REDD+ can fund such work, and a nearby example in India has paid farmers and spent money on conservation, but Bangladesh is not yet ready to get those funds because key national systems are missing. Experts call for study of how climate shifts affect betel leaf farming and for government steps to meet REDD+ rules on strategy, safeguards and monitoring. People working with Khasi groups stress simple fixes: better weather data, small grants to try new crops, and links to markets so farmers can sell coffee or fruit. With steady local plans, careful pilots and outside help, the Khasis hope to keep their Bri forests, protect wildlife and earn more from the land. The community shows that small changes done with respect for the trees can help people and nature live well together and point to a hopeful way forward. Local training and fair payments could help these efforts last for generations.
