Rangpur Correspondent
Innovation of stress-tolerant crop varieties, newer technologies and mechanization of agriculture have become inevitable to keep agro-production increasing in ensuring food security amid changing climate.
Agriculture and environmental experts put maximum emphasis on innovation of need-based newer ways and technologies for cultivation of stress-tolerance crops under adverse situations and popularise those among the farmers.
Adviser-Agriculture of BRAC International (South Asia & Africa) Dr M A Mazid said the changing climate has been continuously affecting agriculture, irrigation, navigation, ecology, biodiversity, environment and underground water levels.
“As a result, rainfall, flood, cyclone, drought, cold and hot spells, sea and surface warming, water contamination, water and soil salinity, aquatic systems, silting and drying-up of rivers, lowering of underground water levels are being affected,” he said.
The situation is being degraded unabatedly because of melting ice due to global warming being caused by emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydro-flouro-carbons, per-flouro-carbons and sulphur hexa-fluoride, he said.
Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said the degrading situation might cause severe natural imbalance reducing agro-production to such a level that would not be enough to feed growing global population in future.
He mainly blamed the industrialised nations mostly responsible for degrading climate and said their inadequate steps taken so far are not enough to save the most affected poorer nations from the possible man-made catastrophes in future.
Horticulture specialist of Department of Agriculture Extension Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam narrated the chronological background that triggered to climate change and its adverse impacts on agriculture, environment and other sectors.
“The adverse impacts of climate change might be so severe and worse than those experienced so far and the agriculture sector might be collapsed, and that is why, the global communities should take the matter seriously,” he added.
Knowledge management and communication specialist of climate resilient agriculture and food security project of World Bank Dr MG Neogi said adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture might be even unthinkable to severely affect food production.
“The adverse impacts of climate change have changed period of appearance of different seasons, crop farming and harvesting periods causing concern to the agriculture sector that might cause a severe setback in food production in future,” he feared.
The experts said the drying and silting-up of the rivers, lowering of underground water levels and complete the drying-up of dozens of rivers and tributaries during the past four decades have further degraded the situation in Bangladesh.
They unequivocally suggested innovating newer technologies, strategies and mechanisation of agriculture to enhance cultivation of stress- tolerant crops in all seasons to attain food security by keeping agro-production increasing despite changing climate.
