Rice was once the region's main crop, but as Bangladesh feels the increasing strain of climate change, rice is now the 'loser crop'.
abc.net.au/news/bangladesh-rice-farmers-vegetable-crop/101820758For decades, Shafiqul Islam Babu grew rice on his land in north-west Bangladesh — until climate change made rainfall more erratic and overused groundwater began drying up in the mid-2000s.
Eight years ago, rice was the region's main crop – but now it is the "loser crop", with vegetables from cabbage to gourds increasingly favoured.They need less water, produce higher yields and bring in more money, according to Shamsul Wadud, head of the district's Department of Agricultural Extension.
Bangladesh's agriculture minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said the government was aiming to use "all kinds of abandoned and sandy land" to expand vegetable production. Groundwater levels in Barind are dropping by 50 to 60cm every year, according to the Bangladesh Water Development Board. Boosting vegetable production has become a priority for the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rajshahi,
While many farmers say their livelihoods have been saved by the discovery that vegetables can thrive on parched land, those abundant harvests can sometimes prove too much of a good thing.
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