climate-resilient farming practices at shyamnagar,...

Climate-resilient Farming Practices at

Shyamnagar, Satkhira

Gobeshona Monthly Seminar

10 April 2017

Center for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS)

1

Shyamnagar – at a glanceAdministrative Units: Consists of 12 unions

Located: under Satkhira District; next to Sundarbans

2

Context of ShyamnagarA. Land use changes:

Part of SRF > Farm land > Gher dominated farm land > ??

3

Shyamnagar might have looked

like this some 100-150 yrs ago

People from near by locality

might have come here for

livelihood


Mangrove forest > Farm land > Gher dominated farm land > ??

4

Might have looked like any

other coastal villages, and

lasted for several

generations



5

Started switching to gher

following tidal surges in 1988 &

’92

Rushed for “White Gold”

Small farmers were forced to

hand over their land to gher

owners

Altered the homestead shape

and total landscape

Reduced livestock by 98%

Disrupted backward and

forward linkages of agriculture

Withdrawn labour force either

migrated or became more

dependent on Sundarbans



6

Gher farming experienced

“White Spot Disease” in the late

‘90s

Severely affected by Sidr

(2007) & Aila (2009)

Channeling tidal water became

restricted

Union like Padmapukur turned

down as “neither gher nor farm”

Some villages started to bring

back agriculture

CNRS at Shyamnagor

Study (2010-12)

CBA- GEF/UNDP (adaptive research with BARI & DAE 2011-13)

MFF- IUCN (Mangrove afforestation 2013-15)

CREL- USAID (extension and backward-forward linkage 2013-17)

7

Context of agricultural practices at

Shyamnagar

Crop cultivation knowledge transfer (father to son) has done

away with some 25 years ago at some union

Soil degradation due to salinity intrusion

Organic fertilizers are scares

Cropping pattern: Aman-gher-fallow OR only gher farming

OR turned into barren

Struggling with amon is common, vegetable cultivation was

rare, and boro rice was not in practice

NGO & MFIs’ activities are very limited or absent

8

CBA: Trial of saline tolerant rice varieties & technologies

9

Varieties:–

2011 – amon [9 varieties in 9 plots (65dec)]

2012 – aus [3 varieties in 6 plots (204dec)]

amon [5 varieties in 17 plots (533dec)]

boro [2 varieties in 6 plots (75dec)]

Technologies:–

1) common seedling transplant method

2) direct seed sowing method

3) direct seed broadcasting method

CBA: Trial of saline tolerant rice variety

Trial with common seedling transplant method:

10

Varieties Duration (days) Number

of plot

Production

t/haSeedling age Seed to Seed

BRRI dhan- 54 11 to 45 107 to 132 4 5.6

BRRI dhan- 53 11 to 45 115 to 147 13 4.7

BRRI dhan- 49 14 to 29 109 to 134 10 3.9

BRRI dhan- 46 11 to 29 109 to 129 8 5.4

BRRI dhan- 41* 11 to 29 107 to 117 3 5.8

BRRI dhan- 40 11 to 29 118 to 131 4 3.3

BR - 23 11 to 43 118 to 159 7 4.4

BR - 11 14 to 34 113 to 134 14 4.9

Chinikani 14 to 34 112 to 122 4 3.6

* better yield and shorter duration


Trail with direct seed sowing method:

11


Varieties Plantation type

Duration (days)Production

t/haSeedling age

(days)

Seed to

seed (days)

BRRI dhan- 54 Direct seed sowing 0 97 5.33

BRRI dhan- 53* Direct seed sowing 0 107 5.85

BR - 23 Direct seed sowing 0 115 5.1


Trail with direct seed broadcasting method:

12


Varieties Plantation typeDuration (days) Production

t/haseedling age Seed to seed

BRRI dhan- 54 broadcasting 0 97 5.30




BR - 23 broadcasting 0 115 5.02


Lessons Learnt:

1.Short duration (some 100days) and saline tolerant amon rice

varieties (i.e. BRRI 41, 46 & 54) could address the problem

(i.e. inundation, seedling damage) (production - about 5 t/ha);

2.If aman seedlings are damaged by erratic rainfall, to

rehabilitate, farmers could grow BRRI 54 or 46 either by direct

sowing or broadcasting method;

3.Seedling raising at poly tunnel could avoid seedling damage;

13


Lessons Learnt:

4. Boro rice cultivation even possible if saline tolerant varieties

(i.e. BRRI 47, 61, 67, BINA 8, 10) are selected, and could be

managed salinity effect by washing out the plot bed with

relatively less saline water;

5.To adjust in crop calendar, aus could be planted in chili field as

a relay crop

14

Trial of saline tolerant rice variety

15

Court-yard meeting Non-formal training

Distribution of inputs Distribution of inputs


16

Neither animal nor mechanical

tiller exists

CNRS personnel demonstrating

direct sowing methodCNRS personnel demonstrating

transplanting method

Assistance from local DAE

personnel


17

Seedling damage due to erratic

rainfall

Wild life started coming backRice seedling under poly tunnel

Routine salinity monitoring

Trial of saline tolerant rice variety:

a success story of Mohashek, Gabura

18

Introducing boro in gher

Farmers’ Field Day at a

successful boro plot

Sharing experience with media

Washing the bed of a boro plot


19

Somoy TV: aired on 17-Dec-2012

Boishakhi TV:

20

MFF: Canal & pond re-excavation to facilitate fresh water

availability for household uses & agriculture

CBA: Trial of alternative crops at the degraded farmlands

21

Adaptive trial: 1. Wheat (BARI Gam 25) was tested in 22 plots (726 dec)

2. Sunflower (BARI Surjamukhi 2) was tested in 18 plots (90 dec)

3. Kaon (BARI Kaon 1 & 2) were tested in 10 plots (50 dec)

4. Garden pea (BARI Motorshuti 1) was tested in 25 plots (125 dec)

5. French bean (BARI Jarsim 1) was tested in 15 plots (75 dec)

6. Sweet gourd (BARI Mistikumra 1) was tested in 45 plots (225 dec)

Lessons Learnt:

Wheat and sunflower showed very promising as an alternative crop for

the degraded farmlands at the coastal areas.

CBA: Trial of alternative crops at the degraded farmlands

22

Introducing French beanIntroducing maize & sunflower

Introducing wheat

CBA: Trail of minimizing soil salinity affect on

vegetable

23

Adaptive trial: Different types of vegetables (i.e. cucumber, radish,

red amaranth, stem amaranth, spinach, tomato, bottle gourd, brinal,

etc.) were tested in 605 plots (1245 dec)

Lessons Learnt: Salinity affect can be minimized by managing soil-

moisture.

CBA: Trail of minimizing soil salinity affect on vegetable

24

CREL: Trail of kitchen gardening with alternative

innovative techniques

25

CBA: Trail of crop intensification at farmlands

26

Adaptive trial: Crop intensification trials were conducted in 94

plots (1180 dec)

Lessons Learnt: Careful selection of the crops and appropriate

culture practice can facilitate crop intensification

CBA: Trail of crop intensification at farmlands

27

CBA: Demonstration mangrove afforestation

28

Why: To protect the infrastructure, land resources, homestead,

livelihood.

Where: Seeds of kewra, goran, bain and kakra have been sow along

the embankment (about 1 km) at East Kalinagar village at Munshiganj

How: goal > keora > soila > bain > hetal > ghewa

Lessons Learnt: Involvement of UP would be better for the

sustainability of plantation

CBA: Demonstration Plantation of mangrove plants

29

Transformed into

this

from 2011 to ‘16

Considerations

• Resilience can be attained through

adaptation and/or mitigation

• Understanding ‘context’ is the key element

for adaptation and mitigation

• Resilience relies on ‘ecosystem-based

development’

CNRS 30

31

Thank You

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