The government will initiate climate smart agriculture to sustain agricultural production and food security by tackling the adverse effects of global warming.
As part of the government move, Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a loan of Tk 256 crore to Bangladesh for expansion of climate smart agricultural technology.
Climate smart agriculture will introduce flood tolerant crop production systems and practice sustainable practices and technologies.
Through this, agricultural production can be increased through crop intensification, diversification, improved irrigation and mechanization.
For this, the government has recently approved a project titled “Flood Reconstruction Emergency Assistance Project (FREP)” with an estimated cost of Tk 300 crore, a Planning Commission official said.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) will implement the project by March 2026, he mentioned.
The project will be implemented in 65 upazilas of seven districts of four divisions of the country during four years, he informed.
Main activities of the project are 130 Solar Irrigation Systems, 455 Buried Pipe Installations, 130 Drip Irrigation Systems, 2 Double Lifting Irrigation Systems, Construction of 5 Agriculture Multipurpose Centers, distribution of 8,082 agricultural machineries, arrangement of 76,930 technology extension exhibitions, 75 agricultural technology fairs, formation of 4,950 farmer groups, restructuring and orientation of old groups, one national workshop and 14 regional or district workshops, construction of a farmer training center cum or office building in Habiganj, skill development of 5,850 batches of farmers, 50 batches of entrepreneur training.
The project will play a positive role in expanding shock tolerant and adaptive agricultural technologies and farming systems to reduce climate change-induced crop, livelihood losses and risks in Haor-populated and flash-flood prone areas of the country.
However, the eastern districts of Bangladesh are a significant center for crops. Due to the presence of hills, hills, forests and dunes, the region has a diverse ecosystem that plays an important role in the environment, and economy of the country.
Climate change and flash floods are severely affecting cropping systems in these areas.
Appropriate and sustainable crop varieties, technologies and alternative crop cultivation and management systems need to be expanded to cope with climate change-induced disasters such as flash floods that affect cropping systems in the Haor-rich areas of Sylhet and Mymensingh divisions.
In view of the necessity of flood-related adaptation in the field of agriculture, the project has been approved with the aim of increasing the flood-damaged agricultural system in 65 upazilas of 7 districts of 4 divisions by identifying the Haor and flash flood-prone areas according to Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100.
