National Action Plan for Bangladesh for adaptation in agriculture under climate change
Shehnab Sahin(CCAFS South Asia)
A National Action Plan has been developed to support the Government of Bangladesh in deciding ways to chart out the course of adaptation to climate change.
What has not remained an astonishing fact is that sea levels in coastal Bangladesh are seen to rise at an alarming rate with some studies projecting a rise of 3 millimetres per year. By 2050, such rises propelled by climate change, are predicted to displace approximately 18 million people by inundating 17% of the country’s land. In the coastal areas of Bangladesh, climate change has brought about increased instances of salinity intrusions, potable water crisis, water borne diseases, river erosion, tidal surge, floods and heavy rainfall exposing farms and farming communities to an existential threat.
Exhibited as a classic example of a nation eroding due to a globally induced climatic crisis, despite having meagre emissions contributions of its own, the Government of Bangladesh is developing many plans and strategies for adaptation to climate change. Along with its National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA), Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) is the de facto policy document that provides strategic direction for work on climate change related issues.
The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security has also added to this spirit of action by engaging with various stakeholders to take the discourse on adaptation and mitigation in the agriculture sector further. In collaboration with a local partner, Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), CCAFS is providing technical inputs to lead the program on climate-smart agricultural practices in the coastal areas of Bangladesh.
CCAFS’s most recent contribution apart from the ongoing interventions is the National Action Plan for Bangladesh for Adaptation in Agriculture under Climate Change.
Download the report: Asaduzzaman M, Qamar Munir M, Ghulam Hussain Sk, A Khan MF, Abdur Rashid M, Rahaman AZ, Akand MdK. 2016. An Action Plan for Adaptation in Bangladesh Agriculture under Climate Change. CEGIS Report. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services.
Shehnab Sahin is the Communications Specialist for CCAFS South Asia
