Climate Change Impacts in Agricultural Communities in Rural Areas of Coastal Bangladesh: A Tale of Many Stories

Nazmul Huq, Jean Hugé, Emmanuel Boon and Animesh K. Gain
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Nazmul Huq: Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), United Nations University, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1, D-53113 Bonn, Germany
Jean Hugé: Systems Ecology & Resource Management Research Unit, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 50, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Emmanuel Boon: Department of Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium
Animesh K. Gain: GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section 5.4 Hydrology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany

Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, issue 7, 1-24

Abstract: This paper identifies and analyses climate change impacts, their cascading consequences and the livelihood implications of these impacts on smallholder agricultural communities of coastal Bangladesh. Six physically and socio-economically vulnerable communities of south-western coastal regions were studied. Primary data was collected through focus group discussions, a seasonal calendar, and historical transect analysis. Three orders of impacts of climate change on smallholder farmers are identified and described. The first order impacts involve increasing erosion of the capacity of local communities to mitigate vulnerability to climate change impacts. This situation led to the second order impacts, which significantly transformed the agricultural landscape and production patterns. The cumulative effects of the first and second order impacts sparked the third order impacts in the form of worsening community livelihood assets and conditions. The findings of this paper can contribute to the formulation of sustainable adaptation policies and programs to manage the vulnerability of local communities to climate change impacts in the country effectively.

Keywords: adaptation; agriculture; Bangladesh; climate change; vulnerability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (27)

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