Aus rice farming in Bangladesh: a review of production trends and assessment of susutainability

Abstract

Food security for Bangladesh completely depends on sustainable rice production. The aim of this paper is two-folds: (i) critically reviews the past forty year production trends of aus rice in Bangladesh, and (ii) empirically assess the sustainability of aus rice farming. Information needed for the study was collected through a questionnaire survey, covering 105 farm households, key informant interviews, and in-depth informal discussion with stakeholders. Secondary information was gathered from reviewing governmental and NGO reports. An essential set of 12 indicators was developed employing a participatory approach, representing ecological, economic, and social dimensions. A composite indicator (CI) was developed to examine aus rice farming sustainability. The review results show a sensitive picture of aus rice production, indicating consecutive degradation of its cultivating area, yield, and production. The result of CI shows that almost 44% of growers were sustainable in terms of economic benefit, environmental soundness, and social acceptability. In addition, major influencing indicators were land productivity, use of technology, and grower's level of education. This paper highlights that immediate government actions are indispensable to conserve and improve the aus rice. Policy implications should be emphasized on: (i) developing appropriate high-yielding aus rice varieties, (ii) increasing grower's access to sustainable farming practices and technologies, and (iii) improving human capital employing social learning approach and providing demand- driven agricultural advisory services.