Agriculture for saline-prone areas is very important to ensure the livelihood of farming people. The coastal areas mainly the southern part of Bangladesh is saline-prone areas. The main challenges to this area’s agriculture are an increase in salinity, temperature, irregular rain, high tide, and low tide. These challenges made the agriculture of the southern part risky, endangered, and damaged. Year-round meticulous cultivation & management Monthly crop cultivation and management as per a meticulous year-round plan can produce crops profitably by counteracting the effects of salinity. Therefore, a sustainable income will ensure for the people of salinity-affected areas.
Year-round mandatory Activities for farming households
- First, Year-round vegetable and fruit crop cultivation in the homestead.
- Second, A well-planned cultivation calendar for early sowing and transplantation of field crops such as rice, wheat, lentils, Jute, etc.
- Third, Homestead-based compost preparation (Farm Yard Manure, Vertically Staked Compost, and Vermicompost) using decomposable materials from the household.
- Finally, Establishing climate-smart agriculture technologies such as ring method, sack method, tower method, etc.
Major cropping pattern suitable for coastal areas (Rabi season-Kharif 1 season – Kharif 2 season)
- Fallow – Mixed transplanted Aus rice & transplanted Aman rice
- Boro Rice – Fallow – Transplanted Aman Rice
- Boro Rice – Fallow – Fallow
- Fallow – Transplanted Aus Rice- Transplanted Aman Rice
- Fallow – Fallow – Transplanted Aman Rice
- Felon / Mung Bean as Relay crop- Transplanted Aus Rice – Transplanted Aman Rice
- Fallow – Diblling Aus Rice – Transplanted Aman Rice
- Potato / Sweet Potato / Chili / Spinach / Stem Amaranth / Sweet Gourd / Okra (Ladies Finger) / Brinjal (Eggplant) / Cabbage / Cauliflower / Water Melon – Fallow – Transplanted Aman Rice
- Khesari / Mung bean / Felon / Chili / Wheat as relay crop- Dibbling Aus Rice / Transplanted Aman Rice
- Khesari / Mung Bean / Chili / Wheat / Sweet Potato / Potato / Lentil / Chickpea / Maize – Aus Rice / Jute / Mestha / Sesame – Transplanted Aman Rice
Finally, the crop is a major component of the agroforestry system. The cropping season of Bangladesh is called Rabi, Kharif 1, and Kharif 2. All crops are planted based on these three seasons. Hence, different crops are not possible to cultivate in the coastal areas based on cropping season which is possible in other areas of Bangladesh. Agriculture for saline-prone areas needs careful consideration of climate change while planning. Therefore, a careful plan is required to get sustainable income from agricultural activities in the coastal areas by following the above cropping patterns.
