Adaptive Crop Agriculture Including Innovative Farming Practices in ...

1. Introduction
The northeastern part of Bangladesh has a unique landscape, where natural pattern of
flooding has created very productive fisheries in the wet season, and allowed rice to grow in
the dry season. The productivity of this wetland (Haor) has contributed to be food surplus of
this region, and there is a potentiality for further increases of land for agriculture. However,
change of flood timing and pattern is probably one of the main reasons for changing local
ecosystem and the livelihood of the local people. In Sunamgangj district, flashflood causes
crop damage which is considered as a big threat to the people, especially who work as
sharecroppers or landless laborers. Sometimes, the flashflood comes early, just before the rice
harvesting and during that time the people of haor basin, do not even get the time to harvest
their crops. In many cases, it has been found that this part of Bangladesh losses 100% of its
crops.
Threats to local livelihoods are not solely confined to wet season catastrophes. During the dry
season, the water-covered area is reduced by significant amount and turns individual small
water bodies called beels and kuas as well as lakes and canals. These separated water bodies
are vital for breeding and maintaining stocks of fish.
The Haor Basin is close to the Indian border and Meghalaya Hills where deforestation
(natural & manmade) is happening everyday. Other climatic changes have also contributed in
degrading the eco-system that causes severity of flash floods in the haor areas. Rainfalls in
Megahalaya have increased in the recent years compared to 30 years back. This has an impact
over the early flashflood in Jamalganj area. This report is to identify the major problems for
the local people and also to find out a way to increase the options of their livelihood.
Upstream communities also contribute pollution loads in the basin, re-vegetating local areas
have been critical to protect them. Trans-boundary issues to be addressed for better watershed
management. The biodiversity will benefit establishing conservation areas to protect the
threatened species.
1.1 Background
The hydrological regime of the haor basin has changed over years. Various factors are
responsible for such changes; deforestation in both haor basin and in upstream of Meghalaya
Hills in India is certainly one of the prime reasons in this regard. Changes of other climatic
parameters may have contributed in the change of hydrological regime of the haor areas. The
flash flood generally occurs after mid April due to heavy rainfall in the hills of Meghalaya,
India. In recent years, flashflood hit Sunamganj district and other haor areas fifteen days
earlier than thirty to forty years back. Thirty years before, flashflood used to hit border areas
of Sunamganj and took three-five days to reach Tahirpur and seven-fifteen days to reach the
haor of Jamalganj Upazilla while in the present situation, it takes one day and 3-5 days
respectively (source: previous study of CNRS). Forest in the hilly areas and haor basin used
to slow down the flow of water, and more water were seeped into local soils for storage. Now
due to deforestation in Indian hills and haor basin flash flood hits Jamalganj ten to fifteen
days earlier. Siltation in rivers, canals, and haors has raised the haor and riverbeds. As a
result, the rivers and canals cannot hold much water, and severity of flood intensifies. Rivers
also are unable to drain much water to Meghna river system. On the other hand, local farmer
switched to cultivate HYV rice (BR 29) from local boro rice variety. BR 29 takes about 30
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