Optimum use of cultivable land can ensure food security: experts

Attaining sustainable national food security is possible through ensuring optimum use of cultivable land, newer cropping patterns, latest technologies and mechanisation of agriculture to enhance crop output.

According to agriculture and environment experts, the issue of food security has become the most important issue both at national and global levels as adverse impacts of climate change have been posing severe threat to agriculture and all other sectors.

They said there is no alternative to increasing production of food grain through making the best use of cultivable land as well as homesteads also for ensuring social peace, stability and harmony by coping with climate change impacts.

Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid stressed on innovating more flood-, saline- and drought- tolerant and disease resistant rice, wheat, maize and other cereal crop varieties to keep food production increasing.

Mamun called for delivering conservation agriculture based technologies with adoption of innovative crop rotation in which crops are planted in minimum or reduced tillage with some crop residue retention on soil surfaces to reduce unproductive losses of water.

"Expansion of the short duration rice farming and cropping patterns like rice-wheat-mungbean/jute, rice- potato- relay/maize, rice- vegetables-wheat and rice- sugarcane with intercropping of garlic, onion/vegetables can increase crop output," he said.

Noted rice scientist and Adviser- Agriculture of BRAC International (South Asia & Africa) Dr MA Mazid said farmers should be educated to cope with droughts, floods and adverse situations those are affecting the agriculture sector hampering food production.

"Adoption of the latest technologies and mechanisation of agriculture can substantially increase crop yield at reduced costs, save water, facilitate crop intensification, quality seed and remunerative markets for the produce despite climate change," he added.

Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam stressed on maximum use of cultivable land adopting vegetables-based cropping pattern to increase crop output in enabling farmers getting maximum profits.

"A farmer can earn a net profit of up to Taka one lakh on an average from only 33 decimals of land through adopting proper cropping pattern, inputs and latest technologies to produce four crops from the same land annually," he said.

Large-scale adoption of the newer cropping patterns could play vital role in producing maximum quantity of vegetables to meet its national demand and export the same abroad to earn huge amount of foreign exchange in near future, he furthered.

Talking to BSS, Executive Director of North Bengal Institute of Development Studies Dr Syed Samsuzzaman said climate change impacts have already affected the agriculture, irrigation, navigation, ecology, bio-diversity, environment and other sectors.

"The situation has been degrading faster due to global warming following emission of Green House Gases especially affecting the agriculture sector and crop production threatening the global food security," he added.

Acting Regional Additional Director of DAE SM Ashraf Ali said it is possible to keep food production increasing despite climate change ensuring maximum use of cultivable land and cultivating stress tolerant crops to meet food demand of growing population.

Source: BSS.