Salinity and food security in southwest coastal Bangladesh: impacts on household food production and strategies for adaptation

Abstract

The rising salinity of land and water is an important, but understudied, climate change-sensitive trend that can exert devastating impacts on food security. This mixed methods investigation combines salinity testing with qualitative research methods to explore these impacts in one of the most salinity-affected regions in the world—the Ganges River Delta. Data collection in 2015 and 2016 undertaken in Bangladesh’s southwest coastal region and Dhaka consisted of 83 in-depth household and stakeholder interviews, six community focus groups, and salinity testing of 27 soil and 45 surface and groundwater samples. Results show that household food production is a multifaceted cornerstone of rural livelihood in the southwest coastal region, and virtually every component of it—from rice plantation and homestead gardening to livestock cultivation and aquaculture—is being negatively affected by salinity. Although households have attempted multiple strategies for adapting food production, effective adaptation remains elusive. At the community level, improved irrigation and floodplain management, as well as restrictions on saltwater aquaculture to abate salinity, are viewed as promising interventions. However, the potential of such measures remains unrealized on a broad scale, as they require a level of external resources and regulation not yet provided by the NGO and government sectors. This study elucidates issues of accessibility, equity, and governance surrounding agricultural interventions for climate change-related salinity adaptation, and its findings can help inform the community of organizations that will increasingly need to grapple with salinity in order to guarantee food security in the context of environmental change.

Salinity-Induced Physiological Changes in Pea (Pisum sativum L.): Germination Rate, Biomass Accumulation, Relative Water Content, Seedling Vigor and Salt Tolerance Index

“…On the other hand, salt stress hampers global food security and food balance [18]. Salinity affected areas of Bangladesh are located in the coastal region.…”

“…Salinity affected areas of Bangladesh are located in the coastal region. The coastal region covers almost 29,000 square kilometers, of which about 53% are affected by salinity [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

Food systems in the Bangladesh Delta : Overview of food systems in Bangladesh with a focus on the coastal south west

“…However, salinity intrusion is affecting rice production in the SW region. Due to the increased salinity, some farmers are moving from rive to shrimp farming with saline water, and as a result the salinity is seeping to adjacent areas, increasing soil salinity (Lam et al 2022).…”

Salinity extrusion and resilience of coastal aquaculture to the climatic changes in the southwest region of Bangladesh

“…Several studies have assessed the salinity intrusion and adaptation strategies in the SW region of Bangladesh [ [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] ]. Lam Y.et al studied the effect of salinity intrusion in SW region, particularly in Saatkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat regions, where people at the community level was adapting through improved irrigation and floodplain management, as well as restrictions on saltwater aquaculture to abate salinity [ 38 ]. Shameem et al focused on other adaptation options like adjustment to aquaculture practices in addition to agriculture [ 39 ].…”