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Land Degradation in Bangladesh: A Challenge to Face Food Security1

A S M Solaiman2

ABSTRACT

Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy of many countries of the world like
Bangladesh. In our country no agricultural activities can be imagined without land. Land is
the basic natural resource that provides habitat and sustenance for living organisms, as well
as being a major focus of economic activities. Population pressure along with the demand for
more food, fodder and fuel wood has generated a chain of interrelated economic, social and
environmental issues associated with the land degradation especially in developing countries
like Bangladesh. The causes of land degradation are both natural and anthropogenic and
mainly agriculture related, including dwindling vegetation cover, river bank erosion,
flooding, over cultivation of marginal lands, deforestation, soil erosion, compaction,
salinization, nutrient depletion and soil exhaustion, decline in the soil organic matter and
biodiversity. The estimates of the extent of land degradation in Bangladesh are more than 8.0
million ha. The population of Bangladesh is more than 150.6 million which may be
increased to 167.4 million in 2019. The present cultivable land in the country is about 19.36
million ha which is decreasing at the rate of 1% every year due to non-agricultural purpose of
land use like establishment of industry, roads, housing and other infrastructure development.
Therefore, horizontal crop production become shrinking and vertical expansion could be
necessary to feed the additional population. It may results decrease in crop production that
leads to food scarcity. This situation may be threatened for food security. To overcome from
this condition, sustainable land management is needed. Appropriate technology should be
followed for the restoration of already degraded land and also protection of the land for future
degradation. Projects on soil and water conservation, land afforestation, rehabilitation of
degraded rangelands, construction of embankment beside river bank and coastal area,
replenishment of nutrient depleted soil and control of salinity must be launched on war-
footing bases. This would provide alternative livelihood opportunities, food security and
certainly help to develop a sound environmental system in the country.

Key words: Land degradation, Erosion, Salinity, Productivity, Food security,


Conservation strategies
1
A seminar paper presented at the graduate seminar course on 21 August, 2014
2
MS Student, Dept. of Agroforestry and Environment, BSMRAU, Gazipur-1706

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INTRODUCTION

Land is the natures most precious gift to mankind. Total cultivable land in Bangladesh is
very less compared to the population. Per capita cultivable land in the country is about 0.2
acres (SEHD, 2012), which is one of the lowest in the world. This landlessness has acute
impact on national food production and ultimately threatens to go forward to food security.
Land degradation is one of the major ecological issues of the world for being landlessness
Land degradation means loss in the capacity of a given land to support growth of useful
plants on a sustained basis (Singh, 1994). It is result of many factors or/and combination of
factors which damage the soil, water and vegetation resources and restrict their use or
production capacity. Considering its impact on food security and environment, it is being
important in many corners of the world including Bangladesh. The productivity of some
lands has declined by 50% due to soil erosion and desertification of the world. Like other
countries, Bangladesh is not exception in facing threat of land degradation. Due to different
types of land degradation, Bangladesh lost a substantial amount of production which in terms
of hundreds of billion taka in every year (BARC, 1999). The functional capabilities of soil
deteriorate from activities related to agriculture, forestry, and industry. On the other hand,
urban sprawling and infrastructure development cause loss of available land. Natural events
such as cyclones and floods cause land loss, and can also deteriorate functional capabilities of
soil. Soil degradation in the coastal area results from unplanned land use, as well as intrusion
of saline water. In our country, land is the most valuable natural resources. Unfortunately,
these important natural resources are being used non-judiciously without proper
replenishment. Boosting crop production has been confronted by many soil related problems
like depletion of organic matter, nutrient deficiency/imbalance, soil salinity, soil acidity,
topsoil erosion, degradation of physical properties, low water holding capacity and
draughtiness, drainage impedance and water-logging prevailing in many parts of the country
which hamper crop production.
According to FAO, food security exists when all people at all times, have physical, social and
economic access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary
needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. There are four dimensions of food
security: availability, access, stability and utilization (Ingram et al. 2005). In Bangladesh
context, the production of food grain is very important for its availability. The total cultivable
land in our country is 19.36 million ha (BBS, 2012) which is declining at the rate of 1% per
annum with depleting soil fertility. Reduction of arable land and degradation of land and soil

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resources may be a threat in future for food security in Bangladesh. Rice, the main food grain
in Bangladesh, production was 33.89 million ton during 2011-12. At present, Bangladesh is
about food sufficient country. Total population in July/2011 was 151.4 million and which
will be increased to 167.4 million in 2019 (BBS, 2012). So, the country will face a challenge
to feed the additional people. The ever-increasing growth rates (1.40%) caused a spurt in all
round consumption level. It should be kept in mind that land resources do not degraded.
Beside this measure should take for sustainable land management and also for restoration of
already degraded soil like saline soil, hilly soils, waterlogged soils etc. Considering the above
situation, an effort was made to highlight the following objectives:
- To know the causes of land degradation and its extent in Bangladesh.

- To mitigate and restoration of the degraded land by following appropriate

technologies.

- To maintain sustainable agricultural practices for ensuring food security.

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MATERIALS AND METHODS

This seminar paper is exclusively a review paper. So, no specific methods of studies are
involved to prepare this paper. Therefore, all data and information were collected and used
from secondary sources. This seminar paper has been prepared through on exhaustive reading
of different books, journals, booklets, proceeding, newsletters, souvenir and consultancy
report that are available in the libraries of BSMRAU, BARI, SRDI and BARC and also
consults with respective person. For collecting recent information, internet browsing was also
being practiced. Good suggestions and valuable information from major professor were taken
to enrich this paper. After collecting necessary information, it has compiled and arranged
chronologically for better understanding and clarification.

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REVIEW AND FINDINGS

Factors of land degradation


There are several factors that set in motion in various soil-degradative processes. These
processes may be natural or anthropogenic (Figure 1). Natural factors include climate,
vegetation, parent material, terrain, and hydrology. Among important anthropogenic factors
are population density, land use, and the development of roads, waterways and the industrial
complex.

Factors of land degradation

Natural Anthropogenic

Climate Hydrology Terrain Parent material Vegetation

Population Land use Logistics Waste


disposal
- Density - Arable - Roads and - Industrial waste
- Life style - Perennial crops waterways - Urban waste
- Pasture - Industrial - Agricultural
- Urbanization complex bi-product
- Soil management

Figure 1: Factors responsible for land degradation.


Source: Lal and Stewart, 1992 (Modified)

Causes of land degradation


Land degradation is generally caused by two ways: (i) anthropogenic cause or by actions of
human towards management of land to exploit its productive capability, and (ii) natural cause
like floods, erosion, and landslides. In certain cases land degradation takes place as a
consequence of the combined actions of man and nature. The driving forces and pressures,

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state, and impact related to land degradation, and responses to address the problems (GOB-
BCASSACEP- NORAD- UNEP, 2001) are:
Improper cultivation in terrace land, floodplains and piedmont plains;
Low efficient irrigation system;
Imbalanced fertilizer use;
Formation of plough pan;
Improper use of pesticides;
Over exploitation of biomass from agricultural fields;
Unplanned rural infrastructure (road, embankment etc.) causing water logging;
Development of brickfields in good agricultural land and destruction of biomass;
Industrial development without consideration of land use priority;
Mining of sand and gravels from agricultural land;
Land ownership and tenure;
River bank erosion and accretions;
Sandy over-wash on agricultural land;
Salinity intrusion
Over grazing, and
Major reduction in dry season river flow

Types of land degradation

The major types of land degradation that occur in Bangladesh are (i) Soil erosion, (ii) Water
erosion, (iii) River bank erosion, (iv) Salinization, (v) Sedimentation, (vi) Acid Sulphate soil,
(vii) Acidification, (viii). Water logging, (ix) Depletion of soil fertility etc. The types of land
degradation and their extent are provided in (Table 1)

Soil erosion
Soil erosion is a natural process where water & air causes soil to wash & blow away
respectively. It mainly occurs in the areas which are sloping sharply, where cutting trees is
excessively done, vegetations & plants cant be developed due to droughts; even it happens if
the land becomes overpopulated. Soil erosion has been remarkably encountered in the hilly
regions of the country which occupy about 1.7 million hectares and the areas which are
susceptible to different degrees of erosion in the hilly areas of Bangladesh. Sheet erosion is a
general phenomenon occurring throughout the country. It poses a serious problem locally in

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parts of level to gently undulating high terraces of the Madhupur, Barind and Akhaura tracts
in terms of considerable amount of topsoil and nutrient loss, resulting soil ultimately loss its
fertility as well as productivity.
Table 1: Estimated land degradation situation in Bangladesh.

Types of degradation Affected area (million ha) Total area % National


Light Moderate Strong (million ha) area
Water erosion 0.1 0.3 1.3 1.7 12
River bank erosion - - - 1.7 12
Soil fertility decline 3.8 4.2 - 8.0 54
Organic matter depletion 1.9 1.6 4.0 7.5 51
Water logging 0.7 - - 0.7 5
Salinization 0.6 0.3 - 0.9 6
Plough pan - 1.0 - 1.0 7
Acidification - 0.6 - 0.6 4
Deforestation - 1.5 - 1.5 10
Total 7.1 11.2 5.3 23.6
Source: Hossain, 2007 (Modified).

Water erosion
Water erosion is a serious problem in Bangladesh. Because of high seasonal rainfall, low
organic matter content, poor soil structure, poor soil management and rapid destruction of
vegetative covers in different slopes of the hills, the surface soils are being continuously
washed away. Water erosion covers all forms of soil erosion by water including sheet, rill and
gully erosion. Human induced enhancement of landslides, caused by clearing of vegetation,
earth removal, road construction, etc., are also included. Water erosion is the most
widespread form of degradation affecting 25% of agricultural land. Land which is more
susceptible to degradation especially in hill areas is shown in the (Table 2). In the hilly areas,
75% of the lands are very highly susceptible to erosion, 20% are highly and only 5% are
moderately susceptible. A huge amount soil is lost every year in the hilly areas at different
slopes due to jhum cultivation (Table 3). Soil loss by Jhum cultivation is more than 3 times
higher (35.05-39.70 t-1ha-1year-1) than the HYV rice cultivation (11.60-12.50 t-1ha-1year-1) in
case of moderate to steep slope land and 6 times higher (32.48 t-1ha-1year-1) than the HYV
rice cultivation ( 4.7 t-1ha-1year-1) in the gentle slope land.

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Table 2: Land susceptible to different degree of erosion in hilly areas (sq. km).

Different hilly areas Moderately High Very high Total


susceptible to susceptible to susceptible
erosion erosion to erosion
Chittagong Hill Tracts 350 1,814 10,765 12,929
Chittagong and Coxs Bazar 414 949 954 2,317
Greater Sylhet district 161 462 964 1,587
Others (Comilla, Brahmanbaria, - 35 102 137
Netrokona, Jamalpur etc.)
Total 925 3,260 12,785 16,970
(5%) (20%) (75%)
Source: Khan et al., 2008 (Modified).

Table 3: Soil loss from agricultural land use at different slopes due to jhum cultivation.

Slope Land use Soil loss (t-1ha-1year-1)


Steep slope Jhum 39.70
Local Jhum paddy 13.54
BRRIdhan 26 12.50
BRRIdhan 27 11.60
Jhum hedgerow 8.85
Moderate slope Jhum 35.05
Local Jhum paddy 13.72
BRRIdhan 27 11.95
BRRIdhan 26 11.63
Jhum hedgerow 9.85
Gentle slope Jhum 32.48
Jhum hedgerow 16.90
Local Jhum paddy 11.52
BRRIdhan 26 8.35
BRRIdhan 27 4.7
Source: SRDI, 2005 (Modified).

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River Bank Erosion
River bank erosion is rampant in areas along the active river channels of the Ganges, the
Jamuna, the Meghna, the Tista and in the coastal and off-shore areas. In Bangladesh, bank
erosion is caused mainly due to strong river current enhanced by mechanized river traffic
and/or channel diversion during the rainy season. Bank erosion causes extensive loss of land,
crops and households and urban migration of the landless and uprooted rural population. This
has created an unchangeable chronic socio-economic problem in Bangladesh. About 1.7
million hectares of floodplain areas are prone to river bank erosion.

Sedimentation on agricultural land


Another form of land degradation, though occurring locally, is deposition of sandy materials
on agricultural land particularly in pediment areas of northern Netrokona district and in
valleys of the hills in the greater Sylhet and Hill Tracts districts. This phenomenon is the
result of deforestation of the hills and faulty cultivation practice in the upper catchment areas.
Land degradation by deposition of infertile soil on agricultural land also occurs by breach of
embankment during floods. The deposition silts is higher in the lower land form compared to
the higher land form (Table 4).
Table 4: Silt deposition in different land types in Sylhet district.

Land types Silt deposition (t-1ha-1year-1)


High land 2.26
Medium high land 4.12
Low land 6.70
Very low land 10.42
Source: Chowdhury et al, 2003 (Modified).

Salinization
In Bangladesh, salinization is one of the major natural hazards contributing towards land
degradation. Soil salinity is a seasonal problem that goes, among the three seasons, in rabi
season salinity affects crop production severely in the saline belt whereas in kharif-1 salinity
reaches about to neutral and does not affect crop production which is unusual to rabi season.
Maximum salinity occurs in the month of March and April, the peak dry season and
minimum salinity occurs in the month of July and August after the onset of monsoon rains
(Mondol, 1997). Farmers mostly cultivate low yielding, traditional rice varieties during wet

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season. Most of the land remains fallow in the dry season (January-May) because of soil
salinity, lack of good quality irrigation water and late draining condition (Karim, et al.,
1990a; SRDI, 2001). The coastal area of Bangladesh is about 710 km long. Out of 2.85
million hectares of coastal and off-shore area, about 1.06 million hectare of arable land is
affected by varying degrees of soil salinity. Recently, salinity both in terms of severity and
extent has increased much due to the intrusion of saline sea water because of the diversion of
the Ganges water in the dry season. Impact of salinization is more apparent than other forms
of land degradation. This is partly because its effects are substantial and visibly apparent,
partly because the degradation can be readily quantified. In Bangladesh, mainly rabi season
crops (wheat, barley, maize, boro, mustard and vegetables) are affected due to different
degrees of salinity. Production loss is estimated here for wheat considering an average yield
of 2.0 t ha-1.
A comparative study of the salt affected area between 1973 to 2009 showed that about 0.833
million hectares of saline soils were assessed in 1973 and in the year 2000 it was about 1.02
million hectares and about 0.223 million ha (26.7%) new land is effected by various degrees
of salinity during about the last four decades (Figure 2). It was also found that about 0.0354
million hectares of new land is affected by various degrees of salinity during last 9 years only
(2000-2009) and newly six districts were saline affected from 1973 to 2009 (Table 5).

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Figure 2: Soil salinity map of Bangladesh
Source: SRDI, 2010.

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Saline Soils in Bangladesh

In saline soil excess amount of salts are present. Mainly NaCl is present in high amount. Salts
of Mg, K & Ca also present in saline soil at low concentration. A white crust of salts is
deposited on the surface of soil due to salinity (Figure 3). So, other name of saline soil is
white alkali.
Table 5: Comparative study of salt affected areas from 1973 to 2009 in coastal areas.
Salt affected area Salt affected area increased Salt affected area increased
(million ha) during last 9 years (2000- during last 36 years
2009) (million ha) (1973-2009)
1973 2000 2009
(million ha)

0.833 1.021 1.056 0.035 (3.5%) 0.223 (26.7%)

Source: SRDI, 2010 (Modified)

Fig. 3: Salt affected soil in coastal area.


Source: Anonymous, 2013.

Reduction in yield in due to salinity

In a study, Mondal (2001) shows that the yield performances of wheat, barley, millet, cheena
and different pulses utilizing brackish water. The maximum yield and yield loss of non-rice
crops due to salinity are shown in (Table 6). Karim and Iqbal (2001) reported that 100% yield

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loss was observed in wheat in strong saline area where as 15% loss occurs in the light saline
area (Table 7).
Table 6: Yield performance of non-rice crops irrigated by saline water in the coastal area.

Name of crops Maximum EC (dS/m) Yield loss


yield (t/ha) Irrigation water Soil ( %)
Wheat 2.45 1.6-1.8 4.0-4.9 25
Barley 2.17 1.6-1.8 4.0-4.9 29
Millet (Kaon) 1.07 1.5-1.8 4.0-4.8 12
Cheena (BogaiKanchi) 1.46 1.5-2.0 4.9-4.9 22
Maize (Shavra) 3.95 1.5-2.0 5.8-6.2 45
Chick pea 0.78 1.5-2.0 3.8-5.0 -
Source: Mondal, 2001(Modified)

Table 7: Loss of production due to salinization at different degrees of land degradation.

Degree of Area (million ha) Relative Total production loss


degradation production loss of wheat (million ton)
Light 0.40 15% 0.12
Moderate 1.60 65% 2.10
Strong 1.10 100% 2.20
Total 4.42
Source: Karim and Iqbal, 2001 (Modified).
Acidification
Soil acidity is one of the key constraints to improving and sustaining food security and
economic growth in the agricultural sector of the northwest, north central and northeast
regions of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, about 27% of land cultivated by 3.5 million farmers is
strongly acidic with high concentrations of phytotoxic aluminum, iron, manganese and
deficiencies of essential plant nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and molybdenum. The
inorganic substances that causes acidity in soil are the aluminosilicate clays, hydrous oxides
of aluminum or iron exchangeable aluminum, soluble salt and carbon dioxide. Al ions on
the surface of the clay can also generate acidity (H+).Uses of higher rate of nitrogenous
fertilizers causes soil acidity, Nitrification contributes to soil acidification through the
production of hydrogen ions. Acid soils may constraint crop production in more than 30% of
lands in this country. Loss due to acidification has been estimated in terms of relative loss in

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rice production assuming an average yield of 3.0 t ha-1 for high yielding varieties of rice. The
relative production (rice) loss due to acidification is 15, 50 and 100 percent due to light,
moderate and strong acidity, respectively.
Acid sulphate soil

Acid sulphate soils are naturally occurring soils that are formed under water logged
conditions. These soil contain iron sulphide minerals or their oxidation products. In an
undisturbed state below the water table, acid sulphate soils are not so detrimental. In
Bangladesh the potential of acid sulphate soil for crop production is severely limited by some
environmental factors like saline tidal flooding, tidal bores and cyclonic storms. The soil pH
is generally below 3.5. Its extent is in Chittagong, Coxs Bazar, Khulna, Satkhira. Deficiency
of P and toxicity of Fe and Al are the major constrains for crop production. Ultimately crop
production in acid sulphate soil is very challenging to farmers, resulting lands are said to be
degraded, barren. Finally food insecurity.
Water Logging
In Bangladesh, 2.6 m ha land is affected by water logging. Sometimes heavy monsoon rain
may cause water logged soil condition which is one of the serious environmental constraints
for crop production. Screening and development of waterlogged tolerant varieties, switching
to alternative cropping patterns with respect to altered agro-ecological zones etc. could help
to mitigate the problem.
The low-lying area surrounded by higher ground and having no natural outlet for surface
drainage; usually flooded deeply during wet season is common in Bangladesh and covers the
Beel, Jheel, Haor, Baor that accumulates surface runoff water through internal drainage
channels.
Decline of soil fertility
A good soil should have an organic matter content of more than 3.5 percent. But in
Bangladesh, most soils have less than 1.7 percent, and some soils have even less than 1
percent organic matter. Depletion of soil fertility is mainly due to exploitation of land without
proper replenishment of plant nutrients in soils in addition to decline the organic matter
content. The problem is enhanced by intensive land use without appropriate soil management.
The situation is graver in areas where HYVs are being cultivated using low and imbalanced
doses of mineral fertilizers with little or no organic recycling. The major plant nutrient like P,
K and S are declined in varying degree due to intensive crop cultivation. The extent of their
depletion is shown in (Table 8). The organic matter status in soil shown in (Table 9).The

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depletion plant nutrient is higher in eroded soil compared to non-eroded soil (Table 10). In
different hilly areas, the depletion rate of organic carbon, total nitrogen and phosphorus from
non-eroded soil to eroded soil was 17%-37%, 10%-46% and 36%-81%, respectively.
Table 8: Decline of soil fertility and their extent

Land type and crops Area (million ha) affected by Total area (million
different degrees of degradation ha)
Light Moderate
P deficient (For HYV rice) 5.3 3.2 8.5
P deficient (for upland crops) 3.1 2.5 5.6
K deficient (For HYV rice) 4.0 3.4 7.4
K deficient (for upland crops) 2.1 5.4 7.5
S deficient (For HYV rice) 4.4 3.3 7.7
S deficient (for upland crops) 4.1 4.6 8.7
Source: BARC, 1999 (Modified)
Table 9: Organic matter status of Bangladesh soils

Class of organic Main locations Total % of


Matter Area (M NCA
ha)
Very Low (<1.0%) Dinajpur, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Tangail, Nawabgonj, 4.05 44.5
Rajshahi, Pabna, Kushtia, Bogra, Naogoan,
Rangpur, Khgrachari, Bandarban and Chittagong
Low (1.0-1.7%) Adjoining area of Tista, Dharlus, Chandpur, 1.56 17.1
Laksmipur, Noakhali, Bhola, Barisal, Patuakhali,
Narsingdi and Dhaka
Medium (1.7- Shirajganj, Mymenshing, Kishoreganj, Sherpur, 1.94 21.3
3.5%) Jamalpur, Sylhet, Moulovibazar, Feni and Coxs
Bazar
High (>3.5%) Panchaghar, Natore, Naogaon, Khulna, Satkhira, 1.56 17.1
Madaripur, Gopalganj, Munshiganj, Habiganj,
Sunamganj and Netrokona
Source: Alamgir, 2011

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Table 10: Comparative nutrient status of eroded and non-eroded soils in some locations.

Location Organic carbon % OC Total N (%) % T-N Avail P (gg-1) %P


(%) Loss loss loss
Eroded Non- Erode Non- Eroded Non-
eroded d eroded eroded
Khagrachari 0.38 0.54 30 0.015 0.019 21 0.26 0.48 46
Manikchari 0.30 0.47 36 0.010 0.014 29 0.25 1.30 81
Rangamati 0.32 0.51 37 0.020 0.031 36 0.30 0.70 57
Raikhali 0.30 0.49 39 0.015 0.028 46 0.35 0.81 57
Banderban 0.48 0.58 17 0.017 0.019 10 0.56 0.87 36
Source: BARC, 1999(Modified).
The cost of land degradation
According to Karim and Iqbal (2001), total cereal production loss was 1.06 and 4.27 t yr -1
due to water erosion and fertility declination, respectively. The estimated cost was 140.72 and
544.18 million U.S. dollar in case of water erosion for cereal and nutrient loss, respectively
(Table 11). Similar estimated cost was 566.84 and 461.04 million U.S. dollar in case of
fertility for cereal and nutrient loss, respectively. However, in case of salinization, estimated
cost was 586.75 U.S. Dollar. In case of severe forms of degradation, like salinization and
water logging, land productivity can be restored by reclamation. In case of soil erosion, some
of the effects may appear to be reversible.
Table 11: Estimates of economic losses from different types of land degradation.

Types of land Degraded Degree of Physical quantity of lost Financial loss


degradation area degradation input (mtyear-1) (m US$year-1)
Water erosion 1.70 Light to Cereal production loss=1.06 140.72
(mostly floods strong Nutrient loss = 1.44 544.18
and river bank
erosion)
Fertility 3.20 Light to Cereal production loss = 4.27 566.84
decline moderate Additional input loss = 1.22 461.04
Salinization 3.10 Light to Total production loss = 4.42 586.75
strong
Acidification - Light to Total production loss =0.09 11.95
moderate
Source: BARC, 1999 (Modified)

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Population in Bangladesh

According to BBS (2012), the total population in Bangladesh was 151.4 million in July/2011
and that would be increased to 167.4 million in 2019 (Table 12).
Table 12: Present and projected population in Bangladesh.

Year Population (million) Remarks


July/2009 146.7
July/2010 148.6
July/2011 151.4
July/2015 159.0 Projected
July/2019 167.4 Projected
Source: BBS, 2012 (Modified).
Food grain production
Rice is the principal food crop in Bangladesh. Total rice production increased from 25.16
million ton in 2004-2005 to 33.89 million ton in 2011-12 and wheat production increased
from 0.98 million ton to 1.00 million ton in the same period. There is an increasing trend in
rice growing area and decreasing trend in wheat growing area (Table 13). Both the cases
yield increment was observed. This may be due to cultivation of HYV and Hybrid variety. At
present, Bangladesh is about in the door of food sufficient country. The ever-increasing
population growth rates (1.40%) caused a spurt in all round consumption level. So, the
country will face a challenge to feed of the additional people.
Table 13: Cultivated land area, total production and yield of main food grains.

Year Food grain production


Rice Wheat
Area Production Yield Area Productio Yield
(million (million t) (t/ha) (million ha) n (million (t/ha)
ha) t)
2004-05 10.37 25.16 2.43 1.38 0.98 1.75
2005-06 10.53 26.53 2.52 1.18 0.74 1.53
2006-07 10.58 27.32 2.58 0.99 0.74 1.84
2007-08 10.58 28.93 2.73 0.96 0.84 2.18
2008-09 11.28 31.32 2.78 0.98 0.85 2.15
2009-10 11.36 31.98 2.82 0.92 0.90 2.40
2010-11 11.53 33.54 2.91 0.92 0.97 2.60
2011-12 11.53 33.89 2.94 0.89 1.00 2.78
Source: BBS, 2012 (Modified).

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Land area under cultivation
The total cultivable land in our country is 19.36 million ha (BBS, 2012) which is declining at
the rate of 1% per annum with depleting soil fertility. Reduction of arable land and
degradation of land and soil resources may be a threat in future for food security in
Bangladesh.
Table 14: Land utilization statistics from 2001-02 to 2010-11 (Area in million ha).

Year Land use


Not Cultivable Current Single Double Triple Net
available waste fallow cropped cropped cropped cropped
for area area area area
cultivation
2001-02 3.51 0.32 0.41 2.87 4.13 1.02 8.03
2002-03 3.52 0.31 0.39 2.88 4.13 1.03 8.03
2003-04 3.52 0.30 0.39 2.87 4.13 1.03 8.03
2004-05 3.53 0.27 0.47 2.87 4.08 1.02 7.98
2005-06 3.56 0.26 0.61 2.85 3.98 0.97 7.81
2006-07 3.58 0.26 0.61 2.84 3.98 0.98 7.80
2007-08 3.59 0.24 0.65 2.80 3.82 1.14 7.77
2008-09 3.60 0.23 0.47 2.75 3.92 1.28 7.94
2009-10 3.88 0.22 0.53 2.61 4.00 1.30 7.89
2010-11 3.74 0.22 0.47 2.24 4.11 1.49 7.84
Source: BBS, 2012 (Modified).
To meet up the food and other demand of the present and forthcoming generation it is need to
bring more land under agriculture and increase productivity. It is true that the utilizable land
is finite, for that we should think about the vertical expansion of land to maximize
production. At the same time, it should be kept in mind that land resources do not degraded.
Besides this, measure should be taken for sustainable land management and also for
restoration of already degraded soil like saline soil, hill soils, waterlogged soils etc.

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Minimizing land degradation
In order to maintain sustainability in agriculture and to ensure food security at present as well
as future time. There are many management practices that can be employed to counter land
degradation. These are given below:

Soil conservation through some sustainable practices to ensure food security in hilly
areas
With the increasing population pressure several alternatives to shifting cultivation have been
suggested (FAO, 1984). These include: (1) tree crop plantation, (2) agroforestry, (3) planted
fallow system (tree and shrub fallows plus arable crop sequence), (4) livestock production,
and (5) special commercial horticulture.

Strategy for management of coastal saline soils with sustainable manner

1. Protection embankment: Land may be protected from inundation of saline water through
establishment of embankment of suitable size. The recommended size should be 1 meter high
above the high tide level.
2. Provision of sluice gate on the embankment: There should be provision of sluice gate on
the embankment system to remove excess water and also to prevent ingress of saline water
during high tide.
3. Leveling of land: Slight variations in the micro-relief lead to salt accumulation in the
raised spots. Land should be properly leveled to prevent accumulation of water in the low-
lying patches with shallow ground water tables and to facilitate uniform drainage of excess
water. It will help to apply irrigation water uniformly in the field in rabbi season, facilitate
uniform germination of seeds and better growth of crops.
4. Storing of excess rainwater for irrigation: A part of the excess water stored in pond after
meeting the requirements of the khaki season can be utilized during the dry period for rabi
crops.
5. Selection of kharif rice variety: Even though the coastal area is relatively flat, there exist
elevation differences in areas, where depths of standing water ranges from 15-90 cm.
Selection of rice varieties (BRRI dhan 23, 40, 41, 47, 53, 54 and BINA dhan 7), available in
the country on the basis of standing water and extent of salinity in the field can overcome the
situation to a great extent

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6. Introduction of crop in Rabi (winter) season: Cropping intensity can be increased in
about 0.596 million hectares of very slight (S1) and slightly saline (S2) areas by adopting
proper soil and water management practices with the introduction of salt tolerant crop
varieties to ensure further crop production and diminish food insecurity.
7. Keeping land covered in winter and summer months: Ground water is saline and
present at a shallow depth (about 1.0 meter). Keeping lands fallow leads to high salinity in
soil due to evaporation of excessive soil moisture. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid
fallowing of lands during rabi season. Salt tolerant crops should be chosen and grown. This
will lower the profile salinity.
8. Fertilization of crops: Since, soils in general are poor in fertility with low organic matter
content, it is necessary to apply appropriate fertilizers to boost up crop production. Potash
fertilizer has an added advantage under soil salinity. It lowers down Na uptake by plants and
of course increases K uptake. Thus K fertilization protects crops from harmful effects of Na.
9. Introduction of Sharjan technique: Generally Sharjan technique is practiced in the south
and south-west part of coastal saline areas where land type ranges from shallowly flooded
medium highland to moderately to deeply flooded medium lowland having late draining
condition.
10. Provision of sub-surface drainage: In many parts of the coastal area, salinity is very
high. To grow crops successfully in those areas, it is necessary to bring down the salinity by
leaching the salts. It is also necessary to lower down the water table and maintain it blow the
critical depth to prevent salt effect on crops grown. To achieve the objective, a proper sub-
surface drainage has to be installed to keep the ground water at least 1 meter below the soil
surface. This technology is effective but somewhat expensive.

Nutrient management in a sustainable basis to ensure food security

Nutrient depletion creates a serious problem in Bangladesh agriculture. Therefore the


following method should be practiced for sustainable nutrient management.
- Adjustments in cropping patterns either through rice or jute based cropping
patterns incorporating legume/green-manuring crops and grain-legume crops to
improve soil health and status of soil-organic matter and promoting crop
diversification.
- The application of farmyard manure and other organic residues helps considerably
in marinating soil fertility including micronutrients and improving the physical
properties of the soil.

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- Balanced dose of chemical fertilizer can help to reduce depletion of fertility.
- Trees can accumulate C in perennial biomass of above-ground and below-ground
growth, as well as in the deposition of soil organic matter (Baral and Guha, 2004).
- Carbon accumulation in the soil is the major sink for hedgerow inter-cropping
systems used to produce biomass for improving soil fertility.
- Land degradation is to be managed for safe environment and sustainable crop
production.

Management approaches for land degradation

It is the technique for efficient utilization of the soil through an agricultural system that
protects soil against physical and chemical degradation. This protection is a function of all
the factors such as slope, initial acidity, morphological and chemical properties of the soil,
and ragouts of the climates.

Correction of acid soil

Liming of strongly acid soils is a simple inexpensive and long lasting technology for
increasing crop production. Research has shown that a 1 t/ha lime addition to strongly acid
soils in northwest and northeast Bangladesh increases maize and wheat cereal yields by 1-13
t/ha, legume yields such as peanut, lentil and mungbean by 0.3-0.7 t/ha and yield of nutritious
and high value vegetable crops (okra, eggplant, potato, bitter gourd) by 2.5-10 t/ha.

Land resources conservation strategy

The major reasons of land degradation in Bangladesh are human interference and water-
related activities on the land especially in intensive agricultural areas. Considering below:
1. In Bangladesh there are many uses of land and there are many misuses and abuses of
land also. That is why there should be a land use policy which comprise of land zoning
as per land suitability, proportionate and equitable distribution and protection of land
from misuse and abuse.
2. An effective policy should be framed for the disposition and utilization of fragile newly
accreted land in the estuary.
3. Peoples participation needs to be ensured in land resources conservation creating
awareness through mass media and other means.
4. Prioritization in land management research through NARS institute of Bangladesh for
sustainable land resources conservation.
5. Institutional facilities need to be developed for effective land resources, land utilization
and soil conservation programme.

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More attention is needed for the following aspects

Research:
1) Survey of the present state of degradation, cropping and land capability and assessment
of the severity and extent of the problem.
2) Monitoring of change (both physical and chemical) in soil characteristics.
3) Conduct long term soil fertility researches.
4) Develop practical methods of improving and maintaining soil organic matter status.
5) Research on the underlying causes of degradation, and the integration of land resource
management with wider aspects of population policy.
6) Restoration of degraded land and appropriate crop planning.
7) Reclamation of saline soils and introduction of salt tolerant crop varieties.
8) Soil conservation and watershed management

Extension

1) Balanced use of chemical fertilizers and adoption of IPNS (Integrated Plant Nutrition
System)
2) Encouragement of organic recycling to maintain soil organic matter and soil health.

3) Framework in line of international/regional agreements on deforestation and water


sharing
4) Development of sustainable long-term and environmentally sound site-specific
5) production plan for optimum utilization of land, soil and water resources
6) Ensure effective participation of the people

Page 22 of 25
CONCLUSION

Land degradation is a threat to natural resources with consequences on food security, poverty
and environment stability. The climate change will create an impact on land degradation
processes, including floods, mass movements, soil erosion, salinization, water logging etc.
not only in Bangladesh but also all parts of the world. Degradation of agricultural land in
Bangladesh creates a serious problem for crop production. Land degradation is caused by
natural factors like climate, vegetation, parent material, etc. and anthropogenic factors like
population density, land use, development of roads, waterways, other infrastructure. The
main type of land degradation in Bangladesh are soil erosion, water erosion, river bank
erosion, salinization, sedimentation, acid sulphate soil, acidification, water logging, depletion
of soil fertility etc. Major degraded land area are about 1.06 m ha caused by salinity, fertility
declined soil is 8.0 m ha, 1.7 m ha area in hilly areas that more susceptible to degradation.
The present cultivable land in our country is 19.36 m ha and population is 150.6 million. To
meet up the demand of the present and forthcoming generation, it is need to bring more land
under agriculture and increase productivity. It is true that the utilizable land is finite, for that
we should think about the vertical expansion of land to maximize production. At the same
time, it should be kept in mind that land resources should not be further degraded. It is
necessary to conserve our soil resources from degradation and restoration of degraded land.
Different technologies can be adopted in different situation for reclamation of the soil. In the
hilly areas, shifting cultivation can be replaced by alternative practices like tree crop
plantation, agroforestry, planted fallow system (tree and shrub fallows plus arable crop
sequence), livestock production and special commercial horticulture.. Integrated Plant
Nutrient System (IPNS) can help to maintain soil fertility at sustainable level. Application of
farmyard manure and other organic residues, cultivating green manuring,in crop rotation,
balanced use of chemical fertilizer can help to depletion of fertility. Improvement of degraded
land and at the same time protection of land from degradation can aid extra food production
that may ensure food demand in future.

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