Climate change adaptation practices in agriculture : A case study on coastal and drought prone areas of Bangladesh

Abstract: Historically Bangladesh is a breeding ground for different climatic disasters due to its geographical location and the impacts are huge due to economic condition, high intensity of exposed population and dependency on nature. Climate change is causing an increase in the intensity and frequency of natural disasters. In Bangladesh, coastal areas are susceptible to cyclones, storm surge, salinity intrusion etc. and northern areas are susceptible to drought. In both these areas agriculture is the major mean of livelihood and agriculture is heavily dependent on nature and thus being severely affected by climatic disasters. In the face of climatic change and disasters farmers apply different adaptive measures to survive. Documenting and analyzing the local adaptation practices is vital to design a comprehensive model of adaptation to save agriculture in these areas. The main objective of this study was to find out the mechanism applied locally by the farmers to adapt with the changing climate. A qualitative case study approach was applied to understand the mechanisms in detail. In-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and observations were tools applied for data collection. Male elderly farmers, elderly women from the community and Government Agriculture Officers were interviewed and FGDs were conducted with both male and female community people. Many local level adaptation practices were found. These adaptation practices can be divided broadly in three groups: protective measures, modification and alternative practice. Unavailability of required resources mostly because of poverty is a common challenge faced by the farmers during adapting to climate change. In some cases farmers are yet to find the best practices for best possible adaptations and in this regard institutional support with scientific knowledge could help to come up with best practices.