Impact of Climate Change on Cotton Production in Bangladesh

Md Nadiruzzaman,Mahjabeen Rahman,Uma Pal,Saleemul Huq,Md Bazlur Rashid,Simon Croxton,Aditya Bahadur

doi:10.3390/su13020574

Abstract

Bangladesh produces only 5% of the cotton she needs to sustain her readymade garments industries. The country has very limited agricultural land and cotton competes with other crops for this scarce land resource. On top of that, Bangladesh is regarded as a country where agriculture is highly vulnerable to the variabilities of weather patterns that result from climate change. Against this backdrop, to better understand the potential for the sustainable expansion of cotton production in Bangladesh, we examine cotton’s agricultural value chain and projected climate risks associated with different phases of the chain. We identified associated stakeholders at different phases of cotton production, engaged with them to understand climatic and non-climatic threats and developed an integrated set of recommendations for climate-risk management through improving the connection of producers to markets, increasing economic returns to small farmers, and improving efficiency along the value chain. We discussed our estimated climate projections with stakeholders to understand the challenges at different stages of production and marketing, and together explored and identified probable solutions. This research offers a new and evolving approach to assess climate change impact on agriculture utilizing a holistic approach, which could be adopted for other crops.

Highlights

Global climate change has already had observable impacts across the world through rising temperatures, variability in rainfall, shifts in seasons, increasing salinity in coastal areas, and the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events
We explained the possible impacts of climate change on cotton cultivation in two geographic settings of Bangladesh
The timely and appropriate action to adapt cotton production to respond to the likely impacts of climate change could potentially improve the economic value of cotton, which already has a huge market in Bangladesh’s growing readymade garments sector

Summary

Introduction

Global climate change has already had observable impacts across the world through rising temperatures, variability in rainfall, shifts in seasons, increasing salinity in coastal areas, and the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Bangladesh is already facing the impacts of climate change, making it an immediate concern in the country. The country’s topography and geographical location make it susceptible to extreme weather events including cyclones, floods, and storm surges, and its economy relies heavily on agriculture, which is highly climate sensitive [2]. Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special reports indicate that warming will accelerate over this century and project Bangladesh’s mean annual temperature will increase by between. Many parts of Bangladesh are likely to experience a decline in crop productivity unless there is a shift to Sustainability 2021, 13, 574.

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