Climate change adaptation to boost agro-outputs stressed

Speakers at a workshop at Thakurgaon said adaptation to the adverse impacts of climate change and innovation of newer ways are a must for increasing agro-productions to ensure sustainable food security.
The issues of food security, poverty alleviation, climate change and necessary adaptations must be addressed together in a comprehensive manner to achieve the sustainable development, they said.
They said this at the workshop titled 'Food security in climate change' organised by Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) at its auditorium in Thakurgaon Tuesday.
Muhammad Shahiduzzaman, deputy commissioner (DC) of Thakurgaon, spoke at the workshop as the chief guest with head of agriculture of Thakurgaon programme of RDRS Nazrul Gani in the chair.
Thakurgaon Police Super BM Harun-Ur-Rashid, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) of Thakurgaon Dalil Uddin and Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Nazrul Islam were present as the special guests.
A total of 40 participants, including government and NGO officials and experts, public representatives, members of the civil society, professionals, farmers' representatives and elite took part.
Head of Agriculture of RDRS Dr MG Neogi presented the keynote paper narrating the present scenario in the agriculture sector amid adverse climate change impacts and the ways forwards and ongoing RDRS activities to adapt with the situations.
He narrated successes achieved in adapting to the climate change impacts in remote char villages and other areas through various ways and income-generating activities and farming of short duration anti-monga and off-season paddies in recent years.
Neogi also narrated successful cultivation of short duration indigenous parija paddy as an off-season additional crop in between the gap after harvesting Boro and transplantation of T-Aman seedlings to ensure food security in Rangpur division.
He said there are prospects of producing 90 lakh tonnes of additional short duration indigenous parija paddy from 35 lakh hectares of suitable land annually to ensure food security in the country after meeting its annual deficit of 25 lakh tonnes of food grains.
A total of 18 lakh tonnes of parija paddy can be produced annually from six lakh hectares of such suitable land available in Rangpur division alone where the farmers have gone to its expanded farming this year, he added.
As a part of the ongoing efforts of RDRS to adapt to the adverse impacts of global climate change and increase agri-production, the NGO has taken an expanded parija paddy farming this time after its huge success last year in the region.
A total of 1,500 farmers transplanted parija seedlings in 1,500 bighas of land in the division this season and its harvest will be completed within the first week of August in 70 days before the possible any late floods, Dr Neogi said.
He said RDRS has been conducting its all possible activities including large-scale farming of short duration BRRI dhan 33, BINA dhan 7, BU dhan-1 and flood and drought tolerant paddies to keep food productions increasing amid climate change.
Huge damages were caused to the flowering T-Aman crops during the past 10 years, when five late floods, including three devastating ones, occurred in Bangladesh in between August 26 and September 14 due to the climate change, he said.
The speakers stressed comprehensive efforts of all including the government and non-government organisations and lauded the effective RDRS initiatives in coping with the climate change and improving economy and life standard of the people.
The DC highly lauded the RDRS initiatives and called for disseminating these proven technologies and newer cropping patterns to increase food productions and exploring newer possibilities to cope with the climate change to achieve the nation's desired goals.