Of all the food consumed in Bangladesh, 85% is grown in Bangladesh. This is mainly rice, which takes up the majority of agricultural land. Moreover, growing onions, other vegetables, lentils and fish also requires a lot of land. Rice is grown in different cropping systems: as a single variety, multiple varieties or in alternating rotation cycles with other crops. In the near future, the climate will change. The weather will be more extreme resulting in droughts and floods. There are different types of floods. Rivers will more frequently overflow their banks as Bangladesh is located in a delta, at the foot of the Himalayas. Sea level rise will enhance the chance of storm water damage and salt water penetrating much further into the land, hampering current crops to grow. Extreme downpours supply a lot of rainwater at once; too much to be absorbed by the soil, resulting in flash floods. Considering the importance of the food production for Bangladesh, how much of the production lands are likely to be affected by climate change? And where are these areas?
Droughts will occur mainly in the northwest of Bangladesh. Here, primarily rice is grown, partly alternating with other crops. 13% of all cropping areas in Bangladesh are impacted by drought. Floods are likely to occur across many parts of the country. Sea level rise will impact the south, while flash floods will impact the north and east. Lands along the rivers are vulnerable for more severe flooding. In Bangladesh, floods are a necessity, as these provide for fertile soils. As a result, these areas have traditionally been used for agriculture. That is why a large part, 42%, of the area of agricultural land of Bangladesh is threatened by floods.
As large parts of Bangladesh' food barn are likely to be affected by climate change, it is time to think about strategies to cope with the risks. One can think of the introduction of salt- or drought tolerant crop varieties. Another option is to plan for infrastructure in the form of dykes, dams and pumping stations. Moreover, local governments can prepare for periods of reduced yields, by setting up trade relations in the form of open markets.
Sources
- Panteleon, P., van Eupen, M., Verweij, P., 2022, Risk of climate change for cropping system in Bangladesh
- van Eupen, M., Verweij, P., Vittek, M., Islam, S., Terwisscha van Scheltinga, C., Hasan, S., 2022, Cropping systems of Bangladesh - combining and downscaling existing databasesWageningen Environmental Research report
- SPARSSO, climate risks, Bangladeshi Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization
- ILOSTAT, 2021, Employment in agriculture, Bangladesh, Worldbank data, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS?locations=BD
- FAOSTAT, 2022, Land use, https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/RL
