Past trajectories, current preferences, and alternative futures for the sustainable intensification of coastal farming systems in Bangladesh

Agricultural systems in southern coastal regions of Bangladesh are underdeveloped compared to the rest of the country. Agriculture is mainly rainfed with lower cropping intensities in these areas. The northern part of the country on the other hand grows a number of crops including rice, wheat, potato and maize during the dry winter season by groundwater irrigation. While the agricultural development in Southern Bangladesh was dependent on rainfall, the northern Bangladesh exploited groundwater for irrigation. Both these approaches remain unsustainable because rainfed agriculture has resulted in lower cropping intensities, while the increased withdrawal of groundwater for irrigation has led to declining groundwater tables, high pumping costs, and exorbitant energy subsidies. Whereas groundwater irrigation is unsustainable, agriculture in Bangladesh can make use of surface water irrigation (SWI) as the country has a dense network of rivers and natural canals. Especially in the Southern coastal regions, which is part of the Ganga-Meghna-Brahmaputra River Basin and the associated tidal ecosystem can be efficiently tapped for surface water irrigation. Nonetheless, most projects aimed at agricultural intensification through SWI have not attained the desired potential due to poor management and lower capacity of farmers to invest in irrigation or buying irrigation service provision. With a projected population increase to 200 million by 2050, ensuring national food security in the face of these obstacles will require, among others, the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, alongside sustainable management of natural resources including land and water upon which agricultural production is dependent. In Bangladesh today, old and new models of intensification are being considered for implementation.In Southern coastal Bangladesh, farmers often fallow their land or grow low-input ‘opportunity’ crops during the dry rabi season, following monsoon season rice. In 2018