CHANGING RICE-BASED FARMING ALONG WITH LABOR USE PATTERN: A CASE FROM CLIMATICALLY VULNERABLE SOUTH-

WESTERN OF BANGLADESH

Presentation for “International Conference on Climate Changge and Social Issues (CCSI)’ 2012” held at Kualalampur, Malaysia on 28-29 November 2012

M. Harunur Rashid, M. Khairul Islam Rony, Debabrata Mahalder, Shama Nasrin, Kamala Gurung

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND

• Submergence of coastal regions, • Increased salinity of river water, floods and droughts,

intensity of natural disasters, chances of diseases,

• reduced agricultural productivity,

• Socio-economic conflicts and food shortage [5, 9].

• Further, changes in the climate usually impact Agricultural sectors that are traditionally associated with women, such as paddy cultivation, fishing, etc. [5].

• In terms of total rice production, it occupies the 4th position in the world now and essentially self sufficient [4, 13].

• Bangladesh has to grow 0.56 MT of additional food each year [3].

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BACKGROUND BACKGROUND

Increasing population, shrinking farm size creates tremendous pressure to increase production [2].

The SW Bangladesh experiences frequent natural disasters like Sidr and Aila and climatic variability [7, 8, 11].

These changes have led to loss of rice based production system [12].

It impacts on food and job insecurity, increased migration [10].

Location and gender specific adaptation and coping mechanisms in livelihood [6].

These innovations along with labour use pattern by gender should be documented to initiate alternate adaptive systems.

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Study conducted in 4 systems in the coastal area

i) Non gher and not affected by tropical cyclones and storm surges, Aila and or Sidr,

ii) Non-gher but affected by Aila and Sidr,

iii) Gher but not affected by Aila and Sidr and

iv) Gher affected by Aila and/or Sidr.

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MATERIALS AND METHODS MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study site5

MATERIALS AND METHODS MATERIALS AND METHODS

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Non-gher: Not affected by Aila/Sidr

-Double rice cropping-Salinity is not a major problem-Sometimes replanting due to severe rainfall

Non-gher: Affected by Aila/Sidr

-Mostly single rice cropping-Salinity is a major problem-Sometimes replanting due to severe rainfall

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MATERIALS AND METHODS MATERIALS AND METHODS

Gher: Affected by Aila and SidrGher: Not affected Aila/Sidr

Not affected:Rice-Fish-Vegetables farming

Affected:Polyculture of shrimp/prawn and carp farming

Materials and methods

• Primary data collection through FGDs with farmers, members of water users group in each system.

• 16-24 participants, including at least one third of females.

• Captured data were validated through key informant interviews and sample survey data.

• The captured data were organized and presented according to desegregated of gher and non-gher system.

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Materials and methods

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FGD: CommonMale and Female group

RESULTS

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Consequences of climate change and variability on rice farming

Climatic variability

Aila/Sidr affects non-gher system

Aila/Sidr affect gher system

Rainfall pattern - The prolonged dry period affected Aus rice & required more irrigation.- Reseeding and replanting in Aman for water logging.

-Logging damaged aman rice & requires replanting but yielded low. - Water logging washes away fishes . - Water logging delayed boro rice planting requires more irrigation.

Temperature - Extreme cold damages boro rice seedling- Low temperature at flowering increases the sterility. Insect infestation higher in rice.

- Extreme cold damages boro rice seedling- Low temperature at flowering increases the sterility. Insect infestation higher in rice.

RESULTS

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Consequences of climate change and variability on rice farming

Climatic variability

Aila/Sidr affects non-gher system

Aila/Sidr affect gher system

Siltation of the river

-Overflows the river water and damages aman rice.

- stagnant water affects aman rice and washes away fishes.

Salinity of river water and soil

- Boro rice affected at reproductive phase. - Higher soil salinity affects the grass in the field.

-Higher diseases infestation in shrimp, carps and stunted growth. - Growing vegetables is difficult.

Cyclone & storm

Rice provisioning reduces by 2 months in the affected area.

Rice provisioning reduces by 4 months in the affected area.

RESULTS

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Adaptation strategies in non-gher farming

Climatic variability

Non-gher not affected by Aila/Sidr

Non-gher affected by Aila/Sidr

Increasing cropping intensity

-Single aman with LV-Double rice (A-A/A-B).

Single aman with LV-Double rice -Rice-Non rice.

Adopting modern varieties of rice

- Aus decreased as affected by rainfall pattern.-MV photo-insensitive var. to photosensitive (BR10/11 to BR22/23).-HYV & Hybrid boro.

- Aus not possible due to high soil salinity and late rainfall.-MV photo-insensitive var. to photosensitive (BR10/11 to BR23).Limited boro but affected by soil salinity .

Rearing livestock & poultry

-Rearing more chickens, goats

-Rearing more chickens, goats but higher disease infestation

Others Improved production practice adopted

-Selling livestock/poultry-Loan from NGO/bank

RESULTS

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Adaptation strategies in gher farming

Climatic variability

Gher not affected by Aila/Sidr

Gher affected by Aila/Sidr

Increasing cropping intensity

-Single aman with LV-Double rice (A-A/A-B).-Rice-fish-veg. (gher)

Single aman with LV-Intensifying ghers with polyculture of fishes.

Adopting modern varieties of rice

- Aus decreased as affected by rainfall pattern.-MV photo-insensitive var. to photosensitive (BR10/11 to BR23).-HYV & Hybrid boro.

-LV var. to photosensitive (BR23) in distant non-gher areas

Rearing livestock & poultry/fishing

-Rearing more cattle, chickens, ducks and swan

Fishing & catching crabs in the Sundarbans.

Others Improved fish production in ghers

-Selling livestock/poultry/labour-Loan from NGO/bank/non-farm

RESULTS

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Labour use pattern in rice based farming

Climatic variability

Non-gher not affected by Aila/Sidr

Non-gher affected by Aila/Sidr

Male Increased workload.-More time for pesticide application.-Replanting of rice.-Off-farm activities

Increased workload.-More time for pesticide application.-Replanting of rice.-Off-farm activities (more period)

Female Increased workload-Increased post harvest activities.-New farm activities like seedbed preparation, weeding, selling milk, eggs etc.

Increased workload-New farm activities like seedbed preparation, weeding, selling milk, eggs etc.-Off-farm activities - Non farm activities

RESULTS

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Labour use pattern in rice based farming

Climatic variability

Gher not affected by Aila/Sidr

Gher affected by Aila/Sidr

Male Increased workload.-More time for pesticide application.-Replanting of rice.-Off-farm activities (labour)

Increased workload.-Fishing and catching crabs, honey and wood collection in Sundarbans with risk from pirates and tigers.-Off-farm activities (labour)

Female Increased workload-Increased post harvest activities.-New farm activities- weeding, irrigation, harvesting of rice.-Feeding fish in ghers.-More cattle & poultry rearing-Proxy of male work during migration

Increased workload-Feeding fish in ghers.-Off-farm activities -Non farm activities-Proxy of male work during migration

Social ConflictSocial Conflict

The women worker sells their labuor for the same working hour as men but got the wage 50-60%.

The climate change created the social confliction between shrimp farming vs. crop and poultry farming. There is opportunity rearing duck and swan in the ghers but they damage the PL and small fingerlings which is valuable for productive farming.

Diversified activities increased workload of women but increased income of the family.

Diversified workload sometimes forced children to do farm work which hampers their education.

Conflict between non-rice crop farming vs. cattle grazing in rabi season

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CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONSSalt tolerant and drought crops and varieties are a urgent

need for Aila and Sidr affected area. New methods, techniques and small agricultural equipments

and machineries need to introduce to reduce the workload of the community especially the women.

Agronomic options need to explore to adapt in water logged and salt affected area.

Innovative mechanisms need to explore to manage the sluice gate properly for crop and fish or prawn production.

Drainage systems need to be improved in gher areas involving community to cultivate rice and fishes and prawn in waterlogged area.

Rice variety with taller plant height needed. Need effort for managing drinking water and irrigation water. Appropriate integrated rice-fish, prawn/fish-duck farming

technologies should be explored in the coastal gher areas.

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Cereal System Initiative for South Asia in Bangladesh

We thank the USAID for the support to carry out this study through CSISA-BD Project

We are grateful to Mr. Christian Portal, CoP, CSISA-BD for his approval to present the paper in the international conference

in Kualalampur, Malaysia

USAID logo

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

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