ABSTRACT
Even though Bangladesh is one of the smallest contributors to the greenhouse gas drivers of climate change, the country is one of the worst victims of its consequences. The coastal belt of Bangladesh is naturally vulnerable to climatic hazards, and the agricultural sector is seriously threatened particularly by sea level rise and cyclones; deterioration is already apparent. There is an urgent need for agricultural adaptation to increase resilience to climate stresses, reduce vulnerability and become more sustainable, as a response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture, and Goal 13 on taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. This study assesses the vulnerability of coastal agriculture to climate change and considers the success of existing crop adaptation practices, based on future climate scenarios and impact analysis of their potential consequences; a ranking method for evaluating these was constructed based on research literature. The analysis suggests that sea level rise and cyclone frequency have both been increasing in recent years, and in terms of their impacts are the major threats for coastal agriculture. The study also finds that the number and range of agricultural adaptation practices are increasing, but the overall impact of these remains too limited. Floating gardens, ditch-dike cropping, crop diversification and mulching are some of the current developments along the Bangladesh coast.
