Hydroponic farming. The Ganges and Brahmaputra are enough for providing fresh water.
Though if I'm being honest, I would like to see the reactions of the butthurt Bangladeshi nationalists when their land starts going underwater. Asian Tiger Bangabhoomi say what lololol?
The prediction of Bangladesh' early demise by people in waterless areas is heavily over-rated. Lack of fresh water is a far greater risk than having some saline water intrusion (which was already being planned for and acted in since 1975).
Bangladesh had traditional soil-less farming on water for ages. There are plenty of commercial hydroponics farms in Bangladesh as well. Soilless farming is 10 times more productive than regular farming and also largely free of bacterial diseases.
Spreading the floating farms’ tradition
Selon le groupe de réflexion DARA, basé à Madrid, le nombre de pays touchés par le changement climatique passera de 15 actuellement à 54 en 2030 (Wetland Resource Development Society)
CHANDRA
As swollen monsoon rivers and rising sea levels threaten to engulf more land across Bangladesh, NGOs are training thousands of farmers in traditional soil-less farming on water.
Agriculture accounts for almost a quarter of Bangladesh’s
gross domestic product and provides work for 62 percent of the labour force.
Yet in a country frequently flooded and recognized as one of the most vulnerable to climate change, floating vegetable beds have become a fruitful farming alternative. The process is similar to
hydroponics, which uses a non-biological growing material like gravel, whereas floating farms use beds made of water hyacinth, bamboo and other aquatic plants.
“The productivity of this farming system is 10 times higher than traditional land-based agricultural production in the southeast of Bangladesh,” said Papon Deb, project manager for the Wetland Resource Development Society (WRDS).
WRDS is one of several NGOs - along with
CARE, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (
IUCN), and
Practical Action - working around the country to train thousands of farmers.
Bangladesh has had floating farms for hundreds of years, primarily in low-lying areas in the south where land is submerged most of the year.
“Soil-less agriculture evolved through people’s initiative for adaptation to an adverse environment,” said A.H.M. Rezaul Haq, a WRDS researcher. “It has been a part of the indigenous form of cultivation since our forefathers.”
Hyacinth and bamboo
The plant bed, built using several layers of water hyacinth and bamboo, is typically 15-50m in length, 1.5-2m wide and 0.6-0.9m thick. Semi-decomposed aquatic plants are then added to the mix and left to sit for several days before it is ready to be seeded. The beds can be prepared in any depth of water. Farmers can stand on some of them or maneuver around them in boats.
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BARI sees success in hydroponic farming in Chittagong
Dhaka, 7 May, 2020: During a recent visit to the research station, it was found that strawberry, tomato, capsicum and lettuce were being farmed in a netted house using the hydroponic method
Bangladesh is a densely populated country where arable land is shrinking gradually, due to conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural use.
Under such circumstances, hydroponics or soilless agriculture can help in a big way by bringing arid or fallow land, homestead, and rooftop under agricultural use.
Recently, the Chittagong research station of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has found success in hydroponic farming.
During a recent visit to the research station, it was found that strawberry, tomato, capsicum and lettuce were being farmed in a netted house using the hydroponic method.
According to agriculturists, hydroponic farming is a method to grow plants without soil. In a traditional garden, plant roots have to seek out nutrients in the soil. In hydroponic gardens, nutrients are dissolved in the water that surrounds the roots, so plants have easier access to the nutrition they need.
Traditional agriculture farming uses around 80% of surface and groundwater compared to hydroponics, which uses only 10% of that under controlled conditions.
Water keeps circulating within the system, allowing plants to absorb the necessary water for active metabolism, while surplus water moves to the reservoir or storage tank to be recycled. There is no leaching or harmful runoff, and there is little evaporation of water.
Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Chittagong BARI’s Principal Scientific Officer Dr ASM Harunor Rashid said the hydroponic method was gaining popularity in many countries around the world.
“However, this is the first time that we have achieved success in hydroponic farming here.
“Hydroponics is an environment-friendly agriculture. The produce is organic and hydroponic farms can be situated in yards, and on rooftops. Hydroponically grown crops require no pesticides or irrigation,” said Dr Rashid.
The research station’s Scientific Officer Golam Azam also said, using this method, they had successfully grown cauliflower, tomato, capsicum, broccoli, lettuce, bitter melon, beans, cucumbers, strawberries, roses, and marigold.
“Hydroponic farming uses less water and less nutrient supplies compared to soil-based farming. Both water and nutrients are fed directly to the root structure of the plants and recycled through the hydroponic system.
“In the absence of the soil medium, the likelihood of soil-borne disease is largely reduced. Traditional farming involves the tilling and cultivation of the soil. Both of these activities are time consuming and labor-intensive,” Azam added.
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