44. Waterlogging Through Soil-Less Agriculture as a Climate Resilient Adaptation Option

Under the coastal embankment project (CEP) in the 1960s, a large number of cross-dams or polders have been constructed for irrigation purposes throughout Bangladesh, especially in coastal areas. But these have wreaked far-reaching changes in the ecosystems in those areas. The rivers have become silted up and natural drainage conditions have been disrupted. The main objective was to practise agriculture in wetlands all year round, but the projected areas have become waterlogged and this is worsening day by day. The effect of climate change has made this situation more complex, with devastating results. Soil-less agriculture is an effective means of dealing with the adverse impacts of climate change, especially waterlogging. Soil-less agriculture is an ancient method of agriculture in Bangladesh. As an environmentally friendly farming system, it minimises the reduction in the quality of soil, the deterioration of the natural environment and water pollution; it also saves energy and helps with carbon sequestration. Its products are fully organic, containing high nutritional value, and can be produced in the off-season. The productivity of this farming system is 3–7 times higher in some cases than traditional land-based agricultural production. This paper will present the potential of a soil-less agriculture farming system as a tool for adapting to climate change, detailing its construction and production mechanisms, maintenance, advantages and disadvantages, and replication; a cost-benefit analysis will also be carried out and the target market segmentation will be examined. Some case studies will also be included to portray the efficiency of this disaster-resilient farming practice.