Wheat production in climate change

By Kazi Lutfun Nahar and Habib Torikul

It was the changeover period between autumn and winter. The sky was blue, the air neither cold nor hot and the sun's rays were invitingly sweet. We took a walk to meet with Karim Sheikh, a beneficiary of Islamic Relief, Bangladesh (IR,B). We found Karim busy in a meeting with other farmers. A jovial face greeted us and making our sitting arrangement in their meeting room where Producer Group (PG) group members gathered. Soon we came to his land filled with wheat crop. Winds blowing over ripened paddy delighted us when we were walking to the field.

In Bangladesh, recurring floods, river bank erosion, drought in dry season, salinity increase, falling ground water level and different climate changes have been contributing to vulnerability of many regions. Unless urgent actions are taken, climate change will undermine efforts to ensure food security of vulnerable regions. Innovative approaches to climate change adaptation and community resilience are of vital importance that would ensure food security and livelihood stability.

Climate change and agriculture have an inverse relationship where climate impacts hamper agro-based production. The variability of climate change has become a challenging issue for agriculture. Diversification of crop agriculture following technical strategy in production process is a key to addressing climate change, but it requires research on appropriate varieties for new physical, social and climatic conditions. Diversification should be coupled with revitalisation of local varieties that have a greater resilience to extreme climate events.

Only a single cropping season is possible due to flooding in coastal and haor areas; floods completely submerge the cropped lands, reduce yields and often destroy standing crops. Farming is only possible for 5 to 6 months of the year. Agricultural as well as other livelihood options are affected due to this vulnerability of climate. Robi (October 15-March 15), pre-Kharif (March 15-July 15) and Kharif (July 15-October 15) are followed as seasonal calendar for crop production.

The haor and coastal regions are single-crop areas. The change of climate and traditional agricultural practice result in damage of crops each and every year. To cope with this climate change situation, farmers need to adapt to new technology and new variety of short- duration crops and other winter/robi crops for saving their crops from flash flood.

Islamic Relief, Bangladesh (IR,B) has been supporting farmers of coastal and haor areas as it looks for ways to get the most from the lands. Farmers Field Laboratory (FFL) is an approach through which farmers can test a new crop technology with their own initiative and capacity. More broadly, FFL is an available certified technology, focusing on potential improvement of livelihood activity. For adopting new cropping pattern, avoiding risks of climate change and increasing yielding intensity, IR,B is implementing FFL.

Rahim, a beneficiary of IR,B in Sulla, Sunamganj says, ''Following FFL indigenous approach, it becomes easy to cope with the changed hydrological regime and ensure livelihood security. We the farmers adopt diversified cropping pattern and new technologies. Other farmers practising traditional procedures adopt this new approach by following our bumper production''.

Wheat is known as Robi or winter crop, which is the second most important cereal crop in Bangladesh. To ensure food security, increased wheat production can play a significant role. The crop sector contributes 11.61 per cent to the country's GDP (gross domestic product).

The IPCC notes that the production of wheat could fall by 32 per cent by 2050 due to climatic vulnerability. To secure its bumper production and livelihood option, FFL stimulates a climate adaptive strategy following the cropping season. According to crop calendar, the wheat growing period in southwestern region is January-mid April whereas March-April is the best time for harvesting and selling.

The boron deficient soils are suitable for producing wheat. It can tolerate sterility. Mid-December is the perfect timing for wheat cultivation. The optimum sowing time for wheat is November 15-30. Even the sowing time of wheat could be postponed for 15 days. The harvesting period is not more than 104-110 days. The optimum mean temperature for growing wheat is 25 degree Celsius.

Wheat (BARI Gom-26) is adoptable in coastal and haor areas. Land may be prepared by power tiller operated seeder (PTOS) along with seeding. To allow soil to reach an appropriate moisture level after the pre-sowing, a light irrigation should be applied after sowing seeds for proper germination. Wheat can also be planted in raised bed system. Two or three irrigations are essential depending on the soil moisture condition.

It needs Tk 24 to produce per kg wheat and the selling price is Tk 32-34 in the local markets of coastal and haor areas. During Robi season, the farmers are busy in harvesting this crop.

Agricultural lands are gradually losing its top soil fertility in fighting adversity of climate variability. Even the extreme events also destroy local resource base and thus limits livelihoods and wellbeing. Climate change is forcing people to take diversified occupations as well as climate adaptive livelihood options to maintain their livelihood. Wheat production through FFL technical strategy has shown a way of sustaining food security with diversification in this time of climate changes.