Sea Level and Food Security

Sea level rise will affect food and agricultural production by increasing the intensity of salinity intrusion in the dry season and the depth of flooding in the wet season from tidal fluctuations. The climate change will increase the frequency of cyclones and occasional depressions that affect agricultural production through heavy rains and increased velocity of winds. Salinity intrusion will decrease agricultural production by degrading soils and reducing availability of fresh water. Already nearly one million ha. of land in the western coast suffer from soil salinity which inhibits adoption of improved varieties of rice that helped achieve a respectable growth in food produc­tion in other parts of Bangladesh. In the coastal districts farmers still grow mostly tradition low-­yielding varieties and keep the land fallow in the dry season due to higher intensity of soil and water salinity. The Barisal region (the central coast) was once the food basket of the country, but it has now become a food deficit region due to continued pressure of population on fragile and resourses, and the sluggish growth in agricultural production. Sea level rise will further aggravate the unfavorable growing conditions for most agricultural crops.

It is difficult to predict the direction of impact of sea level rise on fisheries which is an important source of livelyhood of the coastal population at present. Inundated fields and expansion of estu­aries may increase the fish habitat which may have a favorable impact on fisheries production. Many low lying fields in the coastal belt have now been turned into fish ponds with marginal investments. Shrimp farming has spread in the region due to availability of brackish water which is much more profitable than rice farming and is an important source of foreign exchange earn­ing for the country.The area under shrimp farms have increased from only 1,330 ha in 1975 to 116,000 ha in 2004. But shrimp farming has allegedly caused damage to environment and contributed to growing socio-economic inequity in the region. Higher frequency of cyclones, intensity of tidal surge, and flooding would make inland fisheries a more risky venture in the region.

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