Crop Diversification in Sidr Affected Southern Bangladesh

Cyclone ‘Sidr’ extensively damaged many coastal resources of Bangladesh in 2007. This book focuses mainly on development strategies for the improvement and diversification of agricultural production in the affected areas. During the pre-cyclone period, various crop diversification programs were found successful, although the failure of diffusing technologies in the area was not uncommon. Many government and non-government organizations developed various strategies for the improvement of crop production including salt-tolerant HYV and salinity management technology. Unfortunately, many of the technologies have not been adopted due to various reasons. Therefore, some potential technologies, especially for the saline environment, have been identified and recommended. Interestingly, mechanization of agriculture is in progress in the area, and cropping systems are rapidly changing due to increased demand for vegetables, cash crops, and shrimp farming. Therefore, some important recommendations for crop diversification have been made considering the suitability of resources, the availability of production technologies, farmers existing resource-based and market potential of the products.