In a country where agriculture remains the mainstay of the economy, the steady erosion of farmland is a cause for serious concern. An increasing number of farmers are losing their land and livelihoods as arable areas shrink under the combined pressures of climate change, rapid population growth, unplanned urbanisation, and industrialisation. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the country lost 1 per cent of its net cropped area in just three years, declining from 20.08 lakh acres in 2020 to 19.83 lakh acres in 2023, the sharpest fall in a decade. If this alarming trend continues unchecked, Bangladesh risks losing all its arable land by the end of this century. Immediate and effective measures are therefore imperative to curb unplanned development and protect the agricultural base that underpins national survival.
Agricultural experts have long warned that while industrialisation and urbanisation are essential for growth and job creation, indiscriminate grabbing of farmlands directly threatens food security. The interim government seems to have recognised the urgency. Agriculture Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury recently announced that a farmland protection ordinance is being drafted with strict provisions against violations. "Cultivated land must not be destroyed under any circumstances. Construction of structures will be prohibited on land used for two or three crop cycles," he said at an event in Dhaka. The plan also includes a crop zoning map to improve land-use planning. These steps are promising, but unless rigorously enforced, they risk meeting the same fate as earlier policies, with farmland continuing to fall prey to public projects, private resorts, and real estate ventures.
Legal protection alone will not suffice. People must also be given viable alternatives so they are not compelled to encroach upon farmland for housing or other purposes. A key solution lies in promoting vertical housing in both rural and urban areas. Building upward rather than outward can preserve cultivable land, while incentives, proper planning, and affordable financing schemes can make high-rise housing more accessible to the wider population.
At the same time, boosting agricultural productivity is essential. Despite declining farmland, Bangladesh has tripled its food production over the past five decades, thanks to research, high-yielding crop varieties, and the gradual adoption of modern technologies. However, the country still lags behind its regional peers such as India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in crop yields, particularly in Boro rice, which dominates national production. Closing this productivity gap will require greater investment in agricultural research, wider dissemination of technology, improved irrigation systems, and targeted support for small farmers. Alongside, policies must encourage crop diversification and the cultivation of nutrient-rich foods to ensure a balanced and secure food supply for a growing population.
Finally, no strategy for protecting farmland can succeed without addressing the root cause - unchecked population growth. Overpopulation not only adds millions of extra mouths to feed but also exerts relentless pressure on land, water, and other scarce resources. For a resource-constrained country frequently battered by natural calamities, controlling population growth is a prerequisite for sustainable development. The work of the National Population Council must therefore be revitalized. Strict vigilance by RAJUK and all city corporations is essential to prevent unplanned construction and industrial sprawl.
Bangladesh cannot afford to lose any more farmland. Protecting agricultural land must be treated as a matter of national security, tied to food self-sufficiency, economic resilience, and the very survival of future generations. The Farmland Protection Act, with strong enforcement and complementary measures, brooks no further delay.
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