Bangladesh’s agriculture sector under threat because of climate change, risk of diminishing 24 percent of agricultural land
Sadia Noor Portia(7th semester – English Department,
Independent University, Bangladesh).
Sea levels are rising due to the adverse effects of climate change. And Bangladesh’s agricultural sector is threatened by the negative impact of climate.
As a result, the report titled ‘Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Plan (CSAIP)’ came up with information that agricultural land of coastal areas will be reduced by 24 percent by 2045.
The report titled ‘Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Plan (CSAIP)’ has recently been published by a jointly by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the World Bank.
The report is designed to address the impact of climate change on agriculture and to prioritize investment in productivity, resilience, and adaptation to agriculture.
Productivity growth in Bangladesh’s agriculture sector is the highest in the world. Of this, rural households of the country contribute about 87%.
According to the report, due to sea-level rise, by 2045, coastal areas will be reduced by 24% and agricultural lands by 9% in other parts of the country.
By 2030, agricultural land will be reduced by 6% in coastal areas and by 2% in other areas. By 2035, agricultural land will be reduced by 12% in coastal areas and by 4% in other areas of the country.
By 2040, agricultural land will be reduced by 18 % in coastal areas and by 7 % in other areas.
The salinity of the soil affected 62% of the coastal land, and by 2030, the salinity infiltration is predicted to proceed average in 8 km. to the inside of the country.
Land availability for agriculture is rapidly declining. In addition, rising temperatures are making a negative impact on the yields of the two major crops (Aman and Boro paddy). The report said that due to high water pressure, the yield of rice can be damaged by up to 70%.
The World Bank says climate change and sea-level rise have become a serious threat to Bangladesh’s agricultural productivity growth.
The report shows that there is a risk that the regular picture of agricultural sector production will be stagnated and the country’s core national production targets are unlikely to be reached by 2040.
The report says that rice and wheat production targets will not be achieved at this time. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions are predicted to rise by 2 % between 2015 and 2040.
Reviewing various research reports it can be seen that by 2100, sea level may rise to a maximum of 1 meter, as a result about 18.3% of the total volume of Bangladesh can be immersed.
If such a situation is made, Bangladesh will have to lose everything, including agriculture in the area, which would put the country’s food security at serious risk.
Source: Green Page (bangle version)
