How to Enhance Resilience Against the Adverse Effects of Climate Change: Evidence from Boro Rice Farmers in Northeast Bangladesh

Abstract

Boro rice cultivation in the Haor (wetland) environment of northeastern Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to flash floods. This study examines how flash floods in the Haor region affect crop income and household food consumption. For this research, household-level data were generated from the “Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS) 2018-19,” which is a nationwide dataset of 5604 households across 64 districts of the country. However, this paper represents a sample of 428 farm households in six Haor-concentrated districts (Sunamganj, Sylhet, Habiganj, Maulvibazar, Kishoreganj, and Netrakona) of northeastern Bangladesh. These districts were selected based on the climate shock data (damaged Boro land due to flash floods) from the “Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics-2018.” Descriptive results uncover that in 2017, flash floods inundated about one-third of the standing Boro rice lands of Haor farmers. This study employed simultaneous quantile regression, which reveals flash floods extensively decrease crop income. Nevertheless, a male-headed and educated family, a larger farm, and livestock asset availability in the household are the pivotal determinants that protect crop income. Moreover, flash floods negatively impact the consumption of home-produced food, but the consumption of purchased food remains unaffected. Notably, possession of farmlands and livestock assets encourages food consumption from own production, while household access to credit enhances consumption of purchased food. Livestock-raising households could increase their consumption of self-produced food, increase their agricultural income, and be more resilient to climatic shocks. Hence, this study emphasizes the policy intervention that prioritizes the upbringing of livestock assets in farm households. In addition, policy-enhancing farmers' credit access is crucial for smoothing their purchased food consumption and mitigating the adverse effects of climatic events. Therefore, livestock assets and credit availability in farm households are profoundly resilient against the adverse effects of climatic shocks in northeastern Bangladesh.