Agricultural production has become decisive basically to meet the basic food need of human beings. Global population has doubled during last 45 years to reach seven billion. Currently, world’s population is increasing at the rate of 1.3... more
Agricultural production has become decisive basically to meet the basic food need of human beings. Global population has doubled during last 45 years to reach seven billion. Currently, world’s population is increasing at the rate of 1.3 percent per year and persistence of this rate will add another two billion population to reach nine billion by 2050. As the world population continues to grow, agricultural production is becoming increasingly important contributing not only to the food security, but also to nutrition, health and livelihood for world’s population. Total food grains production in Bangladesh was 51 million metric tons in 2000, which has increased to 67 million metric tons in 2011, a 31 percent higher than previous year’s production, while population increase was 17 percent. Crop production for meeting the basic food demand in the context of changing environment and increasing population has become crucial and key challenge for Bangladesh. To cope up with this challenge, various type of crops need to be produced to an optimal level using time and cost efficiently and effectively for which sustainable crop production system has emerged as the best solution. This calls for motivating farmers to produce crop not only for the purpose of profit making but also for the purpose of nutrition, health and change in consumption pattern of human beings.
Farmers are growing crops, but they are facing some problems such as salinity, drought, flood. Crops are often damaged by natural calamities such as tidal surge, hailstorm, fog, cold wave etc. good quality seeds and fertilizer locally available, irrigation. On the other hand they don’t have knowledge on modern varieties use, technologies, quality seeds and saplings and post harvest technologies. These are the major constraints of low productivity. Farmers are growing crops in the field, but they don’t have idea/knowledge to do the best cropping patterns. For that reason sometimes they are losing full or partial yield of all crops. In many areas, there are cluster of orchards but farmers are not fully aware to get the highest yield from orchard or crops. Management conditions of orchard are very poor. The concept of crop typology is considered to meet the challenge of food security for the increasing population.
Seven upazila were selected from seven divisions as a pilot area for development of crop typology. These are: 1) Salinity area: Dacope upazila in Khulna district and Amtali upazila in Barguna district; 2) Hilly area: Khagrachari sadar in Khagrachari district 3) Flood free area: Gazipur sadar in Gazipur district Pirgonj upazila in Rangpur district; 4) Drought area: Gomastapur upazila in Chapai Nawabganj district; and 5) Haor/Flash flood area: Jamalganj upazila in Sunamganj district. Consultation was held with farmers, scientist and local department of agriculture extension personnel of the respective pilot upazila to know about the existing situation of field and horticultural crops. Data were collected from field through focus group discussion and secondary data were collect from respective departments. It was observed that land type is one of the major factors for selecting crops and cropping patterns in the pilot upazilas. Therefore, cluster based on land type were considered for developing crop typology described in the following sections.
Farmers are growing crops, but they are facing some problems such as salinity, drought, flood. Crops are often damaged by natural calamities such as tidal surge, hailstorm, fog, cold wave etc. good quality seeds and fertilizer locally available, irrigation. On the other hand they don’t have knowledge on modern varieties use, technologies, quality seeds and saplings and post harvest technologies. These are the major constraints of low productivity. Farmers are growing crops in the field, but they don’t have idea/knowledge to do the best cropping patterns. For that reason sometimes they are losing full or partial yield of all crops. In many areas, there are cluster of orchards but farmers are not fully aware to get the highest yield from orchard or crops. Management conditions of orchard are very poor. The concept of crop typology is considered to meet the challenge of food security for the increasing population.
Seven upazila were selected from seven divisions as a pilot area for development of crop typology. These are: 1) Salinity area: Dacope upazila in Khulna district and Amtali upazila in Barguna district; 2) Hilly area: Khagrachari sadar in Khagrachari district 3) Flood free area: Gazipur sadar in Gazipur district Pirgonj upazila in Rangpur district; 4) Drought area: Gomastapur upazila in Chapai Nawabganj district; and 5) Haor/Flash flood area: Jamalganj upazila in Sunamganj district. Consultation was held with farmers, scientist and local department of agriculture extension personnel of the respective pilot upazila to know about the existing situation of field and horticultural crops. Data were collected from field through focus group discussion and secondary data were collect from respective departments. It was observed that land type is one of the major factors for selecting crops and cropping patterns in the pilot upazilas. Therefore, cluster based on land type were considered for developing crop typology described in the following sections.
