Along Bangladesh's southern coast, farmers threatened by the impacts of climate change are striving to boost their resilience to rising salinity in the soil and water by growing salt-tolerant crops and turning to innovative agriculture techniques, reports Reuters.
The country's coastal regions, which make up a third of all arable land, have been hit by worsening drought, heat and water scarcity in recent years, while researchers say saline build-up is growing, spurred by various factors including rising seas.
Salinity levels in Bangladesh have increased by more than a quarter over the past three-and-a-half decades, according to the country's Soil Resources Development Institute.
Photographer Abir Abdullah has been documenting floods, cyclones, storm surges, river erosion and other effects of climate change since 2007. His works have been on display at a two-week exhibition at the Alliance Française de Dhaka since Friday, Nov 12, 2021. |Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi
For example, salinity in the Rupsa River in southern Khulna district rose to 16.8 parts per trillion (ppt) in 2011 from 0.7 ppt in 1962, according to a 2022 government report which warned that sea level rise would exacerbate the problem in the future.
Planting crop varieties that can tolerate salinity and using climate-resilient practices have helped thousands of farmers to cope with this trend. However, local communities, agriculture experts, and officials are now asking: what about the livestock?
Many smallholder farmers in southern Bangladesh rely on raising farm animals like cows and goats for income and food, yet concerns are growing about how such livestock will cope with worsening salinity, rising temperatures and dwindling water.
"It is not easy to raise them these days," said farmer Lakshmi Mondal, referring to the cows and goats she rears alongside her crop of cucumbers, bottle gourds and pumpkins.
"Many people cannot manage enough grass and drinking water for the animals in the summer," said Mondal, who is in her sixties and lives in the Dacope area of Khulna district.
In recent summers - when severe heatwaves have caused many ponds to dry up - farm animals have resorted to drinking water from saline rivers and canals, and become ill, farmers said.
"A number of cows and goats died in our area," Mondal added.
Erosion is one of the multiple risks at play in Bangladesh as the country sits on the frontlines in the battle against climate change.
Several agricultural, climate and development specialists told the Thomson Reuters Foundation/Context that there was limited research on how livestock are affected by salinity and climate change impacts - as well as a lack of awareness among communities about how to adapt to the growing threats.
"The climate crisis - with rising temperatures and salinity - makes it a lot harder for local livestock farmers," said Maksudur Rahman, chief executive of the Bangladesh Environment Development Society (BEDS), an NGO.
The problem extends far beyond just Bangladesh.
From Egypt's Nile Delta and Iraq's wetlands to Thailand's capital of Bangkok, many countries are struggling with growing salinity and its impact on farming, animals and human health.
