Farmers Perception and Salinity Driven Fresh Water Scarcity in Coastal Bangladesh

Abstract

Agriculture is a major economic activity of rural people in Bangladesh and a fundamental pillar for ensuring food security in the country. Agricultural productivity in coastal zone of Bangladesh has been decreasing in the last decade due to water scarcity caused by groundwater contamination coming from soil salinity. This paper aims at assessing the progress of soil salinity and at identifying the effects of salinity intrusion on agricultural production using the perception of the farmers in the Upazilas (sub-district) of Satkhira district located in the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh. Accordingly, landsat images of the years 2006 and 2016 were analyzed to assess and map the progress of soil salinity. In 2006, soils of none of the study areas had electrical conductivity (EC) beyond 16 dS/m. But in 2016, a total of 5644 ha in the two study areas combined had EC values higher than 16 dS/m. Only a very few varieties of crops can sustain in soils with EC values higher than 16 dS/m. Furthermore, interviews with 300 farmers of 15 randomly selected locations of the two Upazilas were conducted and the results validated by statistical tests and compared with the Landsat Images. Farmers identified water scarcity for irrigation purposes as the most prominent effect of salinity intrusion followed by a decline of prices in the livestock market.