Management options for crop production under unfavorable ecosystems: A review in Bangladesh

Abstract

The agriculture regarded as a major economic activity in Bangladesh, facing the great challenges of ensuring food security and other basic needs to a vast population. There are many obstacles in Bangladesh: decreasing land resources & climatic vulnerabilities, water & salinity stress, drought, heat, high temperature, disease & insect pests’ outbreak, unexpected & uneven rainfalls, floods, cyclones, tidal surges, water logging, land sliding, soil erosion, declining soil fertility and productivity etc. In every year about 1% (76,000 to 80,000 ha) of premium agricultural land is being lost for accommodation, infrastructure, industrialization, urbanization etc. in the country. For ensuring food and nutritional security, the highest priority to production of crop. The enormous pressure has been exerted on the natural resources like land, irrigation water, air etc. to produce more foods. There is limited scope for horizontal expansion of food production, vertical expansion with adaptation of technologies under unfavorable ecosystems in Bangladesh. Crop production under unfavorable ecosystems: coastal lands, char lands, hills, haors, baors, beels, jheel, piedmonts, Barind Tract and peats areas of Bangladesh should be properly improved & strengthened immediately for ensuring food security to large populations. HYV, hybrid crop varieties and modern appropriate as well as sustainable technologies for crop production should be adapted of the adverse ecosystems of the country. Developed of alternative and improved cropping pattern against traditional cropping pattern which upscaling crop productivity and cropping intensity in those ecosystems. Long term strategy, policy and infrastructure development by government should be generated for improving crop production, increment of income and reduction of poverty of the area. Therefore, this review paper has been designed and discussed adaptation of technologies and diagnosis the unfavorable ecosystems of Bangladesh for crop production.

Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 48(4): 521-541, December 2023