Food in climate change
In
the whole world, the production of food crops has been impeded due to climate
changes. Now in every year, Bangladesh has been facing late flood for climate
change. Due to late flood, most of the aman rice is destroyed while
there is no chance to recover or re-transplant the same. Peoples are suffering
with hardship condition after losing their aman crops. During the last
10 years, five floods have been occurred in greater Rangpur district of that
three was horrible. Due to climate change all these floods were occurred from
26 August to 14 September, which is the full season of aman rice. The
late floods are destroying every things of aman rice at the moment just
before flowering stage.
In
northern region, farmers are harvested boro rice in last April to early
May. They transplanted aman rice seedlings in the same land at the end of July.
In between two and half months, the land is left fallow. Farmers can utilize
this fallow land by introducing local rice Parija production technology;
they can harvest as additional rice. The parija rice to attain maturity before
late flooding therefore it is possible to save their rice crop from the yearly
flood strikes. The flooding water normally do not stand 10-12 days more, after
came down of water, farmers can transplant short duration aman rice such as
BRRI Dhan 46, BINA Dhan-7, BU Dhan-1, which will be harvested within December
and again boro rice could be transplanted in the same land. Through
these technologies, farmers able to harvest three rice in year instead of two.
On the other hand, crops will be saved from late flood causing of climate
change.
Local
variety parija rice production technology:
After
harvesting of boro rice at the end of April, the lands need to be well ploughed
immediately. Then 15 to 20 days aged seedlings would be transplanted in the
well-prepared muddy land. For this reason, Parija seedbed will be prepared with
seed sowing at least 15 to 20 days ahead of the boro rice harvested. The land
is usually cultivated boro and aman rice is suitable for Parija rice
cultivation technology. Before transplanting of seedlings, each acre of land
has to be prepared with 24 kgs of TSP, 20 kgs of Potash, 15 kgs of Gypsum, 2
kgs of Zinc sulphate and necessary cowdung. In transplanting system, 4 to 5
seedling to be transplanted in one hill. The planting distance will be less, as
tiller formation capacity is less in pariza local rice variety. So, the optimum
distance of row to row are 7 –8 inches and hill-to-hill are 6 inches (not more
that). Parija rice seeds to be sown by dry seeder machine in the main land in
direct seedling method. First time 30 kgs of Urea per acre has to be added to
the soil within 8 to 10 days of planting the seedlings. After completing the
second top dress within 30 to 35 days of transplanting, fertilizer must be
mixed with clay during the period of weeding that will be attained better
yield. If we control the weed by herbicide, need to be sprayed within 5 to 7
days of transplanting and soil must be kept in wet condition. Ronstar or other
like herbicide would be sprayed in the land as 20 ml in 10 litre water for five
decimals land. Necessary insecticide would be sprayed to control pests and
insects. Within 70-75 days of transplanting all paddies would be matured. Usually
15-20 days aged seedlings of Parija could be transplanted in mid May, it is
possible to harvest in first week of August with ensuring around 3 tons yield
per hectare. After harvesting of Parija rice, the lands need to be well
cultivated and would be transplanted 20-25 days aged seedlings of short
duration aman rice such as BRRI Dhan 46, BINA Dhan-7, BU Dhan-1 in mid August,
which enable to harvest in December with 4 tons yield per hectares. Through the
following rice cultivation pattern (boro – Parija – short duration aman),
farmers will harvest rice in three times in year instead of two and Bangladesh
can able to food sufficiency country.
Five important contributions of parija rice in between
boro and aman season as additional rice:
1. Six lakh hectares lands are available in greater
Rangpur-Dinajpur region where boro and aman are cultivated in same land that is
suitable for Parija cultivation. The three-rice production technology might be
replicated to the whole country in 30-35 lakh hectares. Around 60-70
agriculture labors are need per hectare for rice harvesting and threshing.
Almost four cores working days will create through the implementing of this
technology in six-lakh hectares land of greater Rangpur –Dinajpur region.
In this way
20-lakh agriculture labors will obtain 15-20 working days.
2. Every year Bangladesh faces a rice-scarcity of almost 20
to 25 lakh tones. If it is possible to implement this technology in six lakh
hectares lands of that region, it is possible to produce 18 lakh tones additional
rice. 90 lakh tons rice would be possible to harvest, if the technology is
possible to implement all over the country. In this way Bangladesh will be able
not only to eradicate our food scarcity, but also to export the surplus rice.
3. Due to climate change almost every year late flood is
occurred in Bangladesh. It is observed in the last ten years, all floods were
occurred in 26 August to 14 September. The Parija rice will be harvested in
first week of August, so it will be saved from flood. So that the rice would be
cultivated without any threat.
4. June and July is the month of highest rainfall in
Bangladesh. The average rainfall in northern region is 550 mm in June and 500
mm in July, which is useless and inappropriate for the conventional cultivation
method as almost no standing crops are available during this time. If this
three-rice technology is implemented to make use of this rainfall in May, June
and July. Every year four inches of water table is decreasing for using ground
water in irrigation purpose that is aggravation on environment. For this, tube
well water would be meager for next generation. The said technology would play
an important role for utilizing rainwater.
5. Normally it was found that in rice production, per acre
costing in boro Tk 20000 and aman Tk 15000. On the other hand, parija
production cost is Tk 10000. Farmers are looser and suffering due to low price
of rice compared to other materials. As the production cost of parija is half
of boro, so farmers will be benefited and prosper in agriculture through
extending the technology.
Possibility
of local variety parija in food security:
Every year Bangladesh faces a rice-scarcity of almost 2o to
25 lakh tones. To face this crisis, there is no way left but increasing rice
production. Now every year in aman rice are destroyed by flood and same time
arable land is decreasing day by day. At the moment there is no miracle candle
of Alauddin’s in our hand for attaining food secure country though increasing
rice production in shortage possible time.
In this situation, local variety parija rice production
technology in between boro and aman can fulfill the food scarcity through
producing additional crops in the fallow lands. If it is consider only in eight
districts in the north zone, three-ricer production technology might be
implemented in six lakh hectares of land. The result of parija rice that was
found in the farmer field last year according to the performance 15-18 lakh ton
additional rice is possible to harvest in six lakh hectares land of greater
Rangpur Dinajpur region. If it is possible to extend the said technology all
over the country, Bangladesh will be able not only to eradicate our food
scarcity, but also to export the surplus rice.
The average rainfall in northern region is 550 mm in June
and 500 mm in July, which is useless and inappropriate for the conventional
cultivation method as almost no standing crops are available during this time.
If the farmers implement additional rice production technique, they can make
use of this rainfall in June and July. Based on the nature of the land, the
farmers have to irrigate 10 to 12 times in two and half months. Irrigating one
hectare of needs 5 litre of diesel costing almost Tk. 275. So it will cost almost
Tk. 4785 for 60 liter of diesel, if we have to irrigate for 10-12 times. In
northern region, six lakh hectares of land are suitable where additional rice
production technology can be utilized. Farmers need diesel of Tk 287 cores for
two months irrigation. So, if additional rice production technology is
utilized, because of that surplus rain, the state and the farmers should not
have to pay that Tk 287 cores and will be able to bring a surplus harvest of
almost 1.5 to 1.8 million tones rice each year.
Three rice production technologies may be blessing in the
monga prone area of northern Bangladesh. Dr. Atiur Rahman, present governor of
BB, has found out in his research on “Nodi o Jibon” that monga is more hardship
in mid August to mid September. During this period all agricultural lands are
covered by only aman rice, therefore no employment opportunity in the farmers
field. When the farmers will be harvested parija rice in mid August,
agricultural labor will get opportunity to work in harvesting, threshing,
drying and storing. Farmer will get additional rice in the lean session and
also straw as cattle feed. On the other hand, after harvesting of additional
rice, agricultural labor will engage to aman rice filed preparation,
transplanting, weeding etc. So, about 70 to 75 working days will create in one
hectare of land as an additional work. If you brought the proposed six-lakh
hectare land in the greater Rangpur and Dinajpur under this technology that
will create four cores working days. In this way 20 lakh agriculture labors
will obtain 15-20 working days.
Conclusion:
That technology is effective in agriculture that is
spontaneously utilized by farmers in their field for own development. During
this year in Rangpur region, 132 farmers are gathered knowledge through the
cultivating of three-rice production technology in 50 acres land under the
ICCO-A NGO Project. If farmers are felt encourage to the technology and next
year willingly to establish the said technology in own land then will have to
get a real evident in that technology. We have observed in last year that
farmers are established this technology; they faced huge trouble to drive out
the birds from the paddy fields. For this reason must be established in block
system. In this connection primarily related DAE, NGOs, Union Parishad and
local elites would have taken the responsibilities to go ahead. During the last
2003-04 sessions when A NGO initially established BRRI dhan -33 in farmers
field to mitigate monga through the evaluating its appropriateness then A NGO
lonely extended this program. But some of organizations come up to establish in
2006 & 2007 and Bangladesh government has taken a national program with
establish 40 thousands hectres land in 2008. We hope that the three-rice
production technology would have influenced the government and taken it as a
national program to mitigate monga and food scarcity.