From Policy to Practice: Agro-Adaptive Governance, Local Government Capacity, and Climate Resilience in Southwest Coastal Bangladesh

Abstract

This study critically examines the extent to which local government (LG) agro-adaptive governance policies and practices operate effectively and equitably across the pre-disaster, during-disaster, and post-disaster phases in southwest coastal Bangladesh. Drawing on qualitative field evidence and key informant interviews (KIIs) conducted across Bagerhat, Khulna, and Satkhira districts, the research undertakes a critical comparative analysis of major national governance instruments, including the National Agricultural Policy (2018), Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, the Coastal Zone Policy (2005), the National Adaptation Plan (2023–2025), and the Disaster Management Act (2012). Guided by the Asia as a Method (AAM) analytical framework, the study interrogates the alignment between formal decentralization mandates and local operational realities. The findings reveal a persistent policy–practice paradox: while the national framework articulates progressive goals of climate-smart agriculture, salinity-tolerant crop promotion, fiscal devolution, and inclusive smallholder engagement, LG institutions remain constrained by delayed fund flows, limited agronomic technical capacity, symbolic participation of marginalized farming communities, and fragmented inter-agency accountability. Agro-adaptive effectiveness is strongest in procedural seed distribution and early warning dissemination, whereas livelihood recovery governance and inclusive co-production of agricultural resilience remain structurally weak. By exposing phase-specific institutional gaps, the study offers novel insights into the temporal unevenness of local agro-adaptive governance. The paper concludes that genuine agrarian resilience in coastal Bangladesh requires enforceable fiscal devolution, embedded agricultural extension capacity at the Union level, and accountability-driven coordination reforms between  agricultural  and  disaster  management institutions.

South Asian J. Agric. Vol. 12, No. 1, Jun., 2026: 55-69