ABSTRACT
Abstract Growth in food production in Bangladesh has kept pace with population growth due to i) a shift from a main crop of rain-fed rice to irrigated rice and ii) measures to mitigate the depth and duration of flooding. These changes have increased the competition for water by different users in the dry season and have limited the extent of open-water fisheries in the monsoon season. Studies from a floodplain depression waterbody show how these changes differentially affect particular social groups. The area is a closed basin system in the dry season, and an open system in the wet season. Analytical frameworks for better water management that can cope with this contrast are examined. A process that addresses the concerns of different stakeholders and leads to an integrated approach is proposed. Keywords: Floodplains, open-water fisheries, rice irrigation, systems approaches, socioeconomic environment, water resources management.
