Bangladesh

Achievements

Key indicators and performance for 2009-2010

Indicator: Program broadened to include a suite of new linked activities aimed at increasing production of rice-based cropping systems, including climate adaptation work to safeguard future food security

Performance: Previous research on legumes is now focused on the intensification of the rice-based system, specifically through short-duration legumes and relay-sowing of legumes before harvesting rice. Intense adaptive research on rice–maize is also in progress. Such rotations will expand the ‘toolbox’ of cropping options that are now being systematically investigated in the context of increased buffering capacity of farming systems to withstand climatic challenges.

Indicator: Winter (Rabi) season cropping increasingly adopted using residual soil moisture or supplementary irrigation in traditional rice–fallow regions

Performance: A project on expanding the area for Rabi-season cropping in southern Bangladesh was extremely successful. The success of the project was recognised by the Minister for Agriculture and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council.

Achievements from the 2009-10 Annual Report

In Bangladesh the rise in demand for maize—as human food and from the poultry and fish industries—has led to a trend away from traditional rice–rice and rice–wheat cropping systems and toward rice–maize systems. But actual farm yields of rice and maize fall below their potential. A project aims to introduce sustainable cropping intensification that can lead to double- or even triple-cropping rice–maize systems. The project builds on existing linkages and experience from IRRI, CIMMYT and ACIAR projects in Bangladesh and other countries in South Asia. It links with two other ACIAR projects—one addressing legume constraints in cereals-based cropping systems and the other developing conservation farming implements. The project is adapting and using the zero- or strip-till drill and other machinery from those projects.

Extensive trials are underway involving many scientists and village farmers in surveys and trials. The teams receive feedback from farmers and other stakeholders about adaptive research and demonstration trials, which they then use in refining and redesigning the trials. Promising hybrids selected from the previous year’s research were evaluated under conservation agriculture (zero tillage—ZT, strip tillage—ST, minimum tillage—MT, raised beds—RB) at three project sites during the Rabi (the dry) season in 2009–10. A locally made farmers’ implement was used to make shallow slits for sowing in ZT, a power-tiller-operated seeder for making strips for ST and MT, and a bed planter for sowing on RB.

High world wheat prices and the need to import more than three-quarters of domestic demand has renewed interest among Bangladeshi farmers in wheat as a Rabi cropping option. Over the past 10–20 years wheat production had lost favour among farmers due to reductions in yield resulting from increased disease pressures and the relative attractiveness of alternative Rabi crops, particularly Boro rice and vegetables. Historically, wheat has been grown in the north of the country; however, an ACIAR project focused on the south. The southern region had been considered unsuitable for wheat production until FAO-funded research in 2003–05 achieved yields in excess of 2.5 t/ha with new, disease-resistant varieties grown using appropriate agronomic practice. The ACIAR project built on this work, exploring options to improve management of resources, including irrigation and nutrients, and to adapt farm management to deal with specific local constraints. There was also a broadening of research focus to include other Rabi cropping options, particularly pulses such as mung bean, and an increased emphasis on the extension of research findings to the southern Bangladesh farming community. Wheat yields of 3.0–4.5 t/ha have been consistently achieved over the 4 years of research.

Bangladesh, together with Cambodia, Laos, and India, are among the Asian countries most vulnerable to climate change. A project just commenced aims to develop strategies for policymakers so that they deliver climate adaptation programs more relevant to farmer livelihoods and food security. More information is available in the box adjacent to the Lao PDR country report.