Regionalising farming for climate resilience

Bangladesh is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, floods, droughts, salinity intrusion, cyclones and river erosion are making agricultural production increasingly uncertain. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6, 2023) says that climate change will reduce agricultural productivity, undermine food security and erode farm incomes across South Asia. Meanwhile, the FAO State of Food and Agriculture 2024 identifies climate-resilient agriculture, digital technologies, better post-harvest management and efficient market systems as the foundations of future agricultural development.

One of Bangladesh’s greatest strengths is its diverse agroecological regions, each with distinct soils, climate, topography and water resources. Climate risks and farming opportunities vary widely, making a one-size-fits-all strategy increasingly ineffective. The Barind and northwestern highlands face drought, falling groundwater and heatwaves. The southwestern coast struggles with salinity and cyclones, while the northeastern haor basin remains vulnerable to flash floods that threaten Boro rice. River erosion, seasonal flooding and sand deposition affect the central floodplains and char areas, while landslides, unsustainable land use and soil erosion constrain agriculture in the Chattogram Hill Tracts. These contrasting conditions require region-specific technologies and policies.

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Although improved crop varieties, mechanisation, irrigation and high-value crops have expanded across much of the country, important gaps remain. Adoption of climate-resilient varieties is limited, farmers lack timely weather information and technology transfer has yet to reach its full potential. Post-harvest losses are another major challenge. FAO estimates that 10-30 percent of agricultural produce is lost after harvest. Storage infrastructure remains inadequate, particularly for fruits and vegetables, with limited cold chain facilities, pack houses, grading centres, processing units and warehouses. Farmers are often forced to sell produce immediately after harvest at low prices. Marketing systems also need improvement because farmers have limited direct market access, intermediaries dominate supply chains, digital marketing platforms remain underdeveloped, and weak quality standards and value addition reduce returns.

Addressing these challenges requires a phased, region-specific strategy. In the short term, Bangladesh should update digital climate risk and crop suitability maps for every agroecological region, rapidly expand climate-resilient crop varieties, strengthen mobile weather advisories and digital extension services, and establish drying, storage and grading facilities at upazila level. Over the medium term, regional crop diversification should become a national priority. Water-saving technologies, pulses and oilseeds should be promoted in Barind; salt-tolerant rice, sunflower, sesame and fruit cultivation expanded in coastal areas; short-duration rice and winter crops encouraged in the haor region; maize, groundnuts and vegetables promoted in char lands; and high-value fruits, spices, coffee, cashew, ginger and turmeric developed in the hill districts. These efforts should be backed by investment in cold storage, collection centres, pack houses, farmer producer organisations, digital marketing platforms and contract farming.

Over the longer term, climate-smart agriculture should underpin Bangladesh’s agricultural transformation. Greater investment in region-specific research, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, drones and satellite-based decision-making will be essential, alongside agricultural insurance, carbon-smart farming, renewable energy-powered irrigation, integrated water management and sustainable land use planning. Region-specific technologies must be disseminated more quickly, while farmer training, entrepreneurship and greater participation by women and young people should be prioritised.

By aligning production, post-harvest management and marketing with the strengths of each agroecological region, Bangladesh can strengthen food security, raise farmers’ incomes, reduce post-harvest losses and create new export opportunities.

The writer is principal scientific officer at BARI