Bangladeshis adapt floating farms and salt-resistant rice to survive

Published 2021년 10월 28일

Tridge summary

Bangladesh is facing severe agricultural challenges due to the impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels, flooding, and increased salinity. This has led to the death of crops and put the lives and livelihoods of tens of millions of people at risk. In response, farmers are adopting new techniques such as growing salt-resistant rice and using century-old floating seed bed methods to grow vegetables in water-logged areas. However, local climate experts and farmers agree that more comprehensive solutions, including the construction of embankments, the creation of mangrove forests, and the development of alternative livelihoods, are necessary. The farmers are also receiving support from the government to train others in soil-free agriculture.

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Original content

Rising sea levels and violent flooding are already putting tens of millions of lives at risk in Bangladesh, but they bring another problem that threatens the entire nation: Water-logged land and high salinity in streams and soil are killing crops. Bangladesh ranks seventh for countries most affected by extreme weather in the past two decades, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. Farmers are desperately trying to adjust to these ever more destructive and unpredictable conditions caused by global warming -- from using floating seed beds to developing salt-resistant rice. "Even 25 years ago, we could grow crops throughout the year... but then water started to stay here seven months. We were clueless how to survive," Altaf Mahmud told AFP. "Most of the farmers here are poor and the land is scarce. But if we can't grow anything during the seven months, we would starve," neighbour Mohammad Mostofa added. So they and other local farmers in Mugarjhor, a region 200 kilometres (120 ...

Source: DhakaTribune