The story of a salt-affected village

Increased salinity in dry season in the coastal belt is changing the areas which, once upon a time, were suitable for growing rice. The entire coastal areas are now severely affected by the intrusion of salinity into arable land, especially in dry season. Farmers were unable to reap a good harvest in Boro season because of high salinity intrusion into their cropland which is increasing day by day. Since then, farm households in the coastal belt are passing bad days, as most of them are subsistence farmers.
Around 0.74 million hectares of land were cultivated in the coastal region, out of which around 0.38 million hectares are now salt-affected. A survey indicates that out of 0.38 million hectares of affected land, around 0.33 million hectares are affected by salt up to 10-12 dS/meter (deciSiemes per meter) while the condition is worse in the remaining areas. Earlier, farmers used to cultivate rice in both dry (Boro) and wet (aman) seasons and get a very good yield. But now-a-days, they have given up Boro cultivation because of increased salinity in dry season and severe scarcity of salt-free irrigation water. As a result, around 0.3 million hectares of land in the coastal region remain fallow now during the Boro season.
To overcome this adverse situation, the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), under a joint collaboration with International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), have developed four salt-tolerant rice varieties for Boro season. BINA developed Binadhan-8 and Binadhan-10 while BRRI developed BRRI dhan47 and BRRI dhan55. All these four varieties have the capacity to fight salinity condition up to 10-12 dS/meter. These varieties have yield potential of five to seven tons per hectare under normal conditions in non-saline areas while the yield will be around three to five tonnes per hectare in saline-prone areas, depending on the degree of salinity.
In 2012-13, the STRASA-USAID-IRRI project established a number of demonstration trials and distributed small seed packets of these four salt-tolerant rice varieties to the farmers through the agricultural extension department and local partner NGOs as well as local private seed producers.
Here is a case study on salt-tolerant rice varieties at Sreefalkathi village of Ishwaripur union under Shyamnagar upazila of Sathkhira district which is one of the worst Aila-affected areas. Around five hundred farm families reside in the village where rice farming is the only source of their livelihood. Most of the villagers have some land and they cultivate now only one crop in a year, which is aman rice, in monsoon. But before Aila, farmers used to cultivate at least two crops in a year including Boro rice in dry season and earn a reasonable income from agriculture. Since Aila their lands have become too salty and they do not get reasonable harvests in Boro season.
Each year, during dry season (November to May), salinity increases in the soil of this village. A white film of salt covers paddy fields in such areas. This means that the soil contains salt. BRRI and BINA scientists predicted that the increasing trend of this white film will turn the area's landscape into barren lands in the near future. Nakshikantha, a partner NGO of IRRI, provided training to the Sreefalkathi farmers on "cultivation, seed production and seed preservation of salt-tolerant rice varieties" through government local agricultural extension officials, while the NGO provided seeds of salt-tolerant rice variety of Binadhan-8, Binadhan-10 and BRRI dhan47.
During growing stage of rice plant, it was found that the number of tillers was less in their traditional (non-salt tolerant) rice variety, compared to salt-tolerant rice variety. Also at the flowering stage, it was observed that a significant number of panicles of non-salt tolerant rice plants are becoming white with partial empty grains which resulted in poor yield. The same scenario was observed in last couple of years when farmers failed to get a good harvest. Rice scientists confirmed that these are happening due to increased salinity.
In the adjacent plot, where a farmer cultivated newly-developed salt tolerant rice varieties like Binadhan-8, Binadhan-10 and BRRI dhan47 no such symptoms were  found and showed a very good performance. At the end of the season, the good yield made the farmers jubilant.
The average yield of these demonstration farmers was around four tonnes per hectare which was quite satisfactory in salt-affected areas. This encouraged the entire farmers' community to go for Boro rice cultivation again with these salt-tolerant rice varieties. The demonstration farmers have saved seeds for their own use while many farmers have taken seeds from them for the next season. Arafat Hossain of this village, who cultivated Binadhan-8, is now happy to see the outstanding performance of this variety, as rice could once again grow on his "salty land". He harvested  more than four tonnes per hectare. The project personnel and local elites requested the demonstration farmers not to consume the seeds of salt-tolerant rice variety this year, but to sell and distribute these to their neighbours, relatives and other farmers.
IRRI is not providing any input to this village now, but just a follow-up along with partner NGOs and local government agricultural officials. A reasonable number of farm families of Sreefalkathi, who have irrigation facilities, now cultivate Binadhan-8 and Binadhan-10 varieties. These newly-developed salt-tolerant rice varieties have started reaching the farmers' community through farmer-to-farmer seed distribution at the community level and the NGO is coordinating the activity.
Dr. A. N. Singh of IRRI India recently visited Sreefalkathi village. During his visit, it was found that rice crops from non-salt tolerant varieties like BRRI were totally or partially damaged due to increased salinity intrusion, but the newly-developed salt-tolerant varieties in the adjacent field grew very well. Farmers of Sreefalkathi are now very happy to receive these two varieties which can grow easily in their 10-12 dS/meter "salty" land.
It is now confirmed that suitable salt-tolerant rice varieties are now available in the country. If it is possible to bring fallow land in the coastal region under rice cultivation in Boro season by using salt-tolerant rice varieties, then it will be possible to harvest at least one million tonne extra rice.
Dr. M. G. Neogi is Consultant of International Rice Research Institute.
m.neogi@irri.org