Bangladesh Landscape Panoramic view
SNU | Professor Kuitert Wybe | 12th June’ 2015
Shamsad Firdous | 2015-22177
CONTENTS • INTRODUCTION • GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND • HISTORY OF FARMING • FARMING IN BANGLADESH • THIS FARMING ECOLOGY • CONCLUSION
Officially name is Republic of Bangladesh
Situated in the South Asia
Geographically its land is flat, low-lying, alluvial plain
230 rivers and rivulets have passed through and has a coastline of about 580 km along the bank of the Bay of Bengal
British-rule period (1757-1947) and East Pakistan period (19471971)
Following a bloody liberation war It achieved independence from Pakistan in 1971.
People’s
One of the most densely populated countries with more than 155 million people
The land area is gradually decreasing because of population growth, industrialization and other infrastructure development
70% of the population depends on agriculture
CONTENTS • INTRODUCTION • GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND • HISTORY OF FARMING • FARMING IN BANGLADESH • THIS FARMING ECOLOGY • CONCLUSION
CLIMATE OF BANGLADESH
REGIONAL OVERVIEW
Climatically, the location is influenced mainly by latitude
The hill region, being comparatively of low altitude
in
tropical
and
subtropical
zones,
http://capitalbd.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/CLIMATE.gif
REGIONAL OVERVIEW 
The annual rainfall varies as low as 1500 millimeters in the western region to as high as 4000 millimeters in the northeast and eastern region

About 80% of the rainfall in the country occurs during monsoons
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/05/bangladesh/bendiksen-photography
REGIONAL OVERVIEW

In spite of being a riverine country, droughts are not uncommon, and are seen to occur in a cycle of five to ten years especially in the northern and northwestern part of the country
REGIONAL OVERVIEW
Bangladesh occupies the delta plain of the Ganges (Padma) and the Brahmaputra (Jamuna) rivers
SOIL TRACTS OF BANGLADESH
SOIL TRACT
Seven Soil Tracts
Madhupur Tract or Red Soil Tract
Barind Tract
Tista Silt
Brahmaputra Alluvium
Gangetic Alluvium
Coastal Saline Tract
Hill Tracts
SOIL TRACT
Madhupur tract
The area is around 10,000 sq. km.
Represents the red lateritic soils, a highland tract above flood level
The soils have clayey texture and large quantity of iron and aluminum
The soils are deficient in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and lime.
Its origin in the late Miocene, when Bengal basin was being filled in rapidly
contain
the
SOIL TRACT
Barind tract
Occupies a total area of around 13,000 sq. km.
The largest Pleistocene era physiographic unit of the Bengal Basin
Lime nodules and pisolitic ferruginous concretions occur throughout the soil.
Locally the soils are rich in lime
Terraced paddies on the border of the “High Barind Tract”
SOIL TRACT Tista Silt Tract
Covers an area of approximately 16,000 sq. km.
The predominant soil texture is sandy loam
The soils are in general fertile and are rich in potassium and phosphorus.
SOIL TRACT
Brahmaputra Alluvium
Covers an area of 40,000 sq. km.
The dominant soil texture is sandy loam
The soils are naturally fertile and are recharged every year by fresh deposition by the floodwaters.
SOIL TRACT
Gangetic Alluvium
This tract occupies an area of 27,000 sq. km.
It represents the riverine lands of the Gangetic plains
Soil is moderately fertile and texture varies from clay loam to sandy loam
SOIL TRACT Coastal Saline Tract
Around 20,000 sq. km area is under this tract
It represents the flat low-lying areas along the coastal belt and the estuarine islands
The soils are saline and are well supplied with potassium and phosphorus
The Sundarbans is located in this tract.
A layer of salt has covered this dried up canal
SOIL TRACT
Hill Tracts
Hill Tracts cover an area of around 15,000 sq. km.
The soils consist of hard red clay with a mixture of fine sand of the same color
The soils are moderately to strongly acidic
The soils have a low natural fertility
Hills are mainly under natural and plantation forests
CONTENTS • INTRODUCTION • GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND • HISTORY OF FARMING • FARMING IN BANGLADESH • THIS FARMING ECOLOGY • CONCLUSION
HISTORY OF FARMING
The farming of Indian sub-continent began by 9000 BCE as a result of early cultivation of plants, and domestication of crops and animals. •
Early history (8000-6000 BCE)
•
Vedic period (1500 BCE – 200 CE)
•
Early Common (200–1200 CE)
Era
–
High
•
Late Middle Ages (1200–1757 CE)
–
Early
•
Colonial British Era (1757–1947 CE)
•
Pakistan Period (1947-1971 CE)
•
Republic of Bangladesh (1971 onwards)
Middle
Ages
Modern
Era
Early history (8000-6000 BCE)
•
Mesolithic Age: use of sharp and pointed tools and the beginning of plant cultivation appeared
•
Neolithic Age: began to domesticate animals and cultivate plants, settling down in villages to form farming communities.
•
The wheel was an important discovery
http://www.indianetzone.com/43/rock_art_mesolithic_period.htm
Vedic period – Post Maha Janapadas period (1500 BCE – 200 CE)
•
There are repeated references to iron
•
Cultivation of wide range of cereals, vegetables and fruits
•
Cow dung provided the manure
•
Irrigation was practiced
Early Common Era – High Middle Ages (200–1200 CE)
Systematic ploughing
Manuring
Weeding
Irrigation
Crop protection
Sustained agriculture was practiced
Water storage systems were designed during this period.
Grand Anicut dam on river Kaveri (1st-2nd Century CE) is one of the oldest water-regulation structures in the world still in use
Late Middle Ages – Early Modern Era (1200–1757 CE)
Agricultural 'zones' were broadly divided into those producing rice, wheat or millets
Mughal period (1526-1707): The cropped area in certain parts of Bengal doubled
Colonial British Era (1757–1947 CE)
The agricultural sector experienced a marked expansion
Colonial British Era (1757–1947 CE)

Certain proportion of the land was sown with commercial crops as sugarcane, rape, mustard and other oilseeds.
Colonial British Era (1757–1947 CE)
Cotton and mulberry plants were the two most important industrial crops of the province
Cotton and silk were the principal industries of Bengal
https://alochonaa.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/bengal-map-21.jpg
Colonial British Era (1757–1947 CE)
The best quality of cotton suitable for the famous muslin, also known as ‘The-Magic-Yarn’, industry was grown in Dhaka and Mymensingh districts.
A woman in Dhaka clad in fine Bengali muslin, 18th-century
Colonial British Era (1757–1947 CE)
John Taylor, an agent of the East India Company around 1800 AD, mentioned that the cotton produced around Dhaka city and along the banks of the Meghna was the ‘finest’ that was to be found in ‘any part of the world’
Marie Antoinette in her famous "muslin" portrait, 1783
Colonial British Era (1757–1947 CE)

With the decline of the cotton textile industry during the rule of the East India Company, cotton and mulberry cultivation virtually came to an end in Bengal
Colonial British Era (1757–1947 CE)
Several new crops were introduced like tea, tobacco, maize and indigo
Similarly, new fruits, for example, pineapple, papaya and guava were received from the west
Colonial British Era (1757–1947 CE)

Towards the end of the 18th century vast tracts of land in Bengal were cultivable wastes due to the famine of 1770, which was caused by the change of dramatic ownership due to colonial policies
Colonial British Era (1757–1947 CE)
Later in 1770 good rainfall resulted in a good harvest and the famine abated
During the succeeding century or so crop acreage expanded fast and by the turn of the 20th century it virtually reached its natural limits
Expansion of farming land was most concentrated in the territories that today constitute Bangladesh during the 19th century.
Pakistan Period (1947-1971 CE)
‘Green Revolution’ appeared in 1960s
New crop variety, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, irrigation was introduced
Republic of Bangladesh (1971 onwards)

During the post-liberation period use of chemical fertilizers, the proportion of irrigation area and the rice land sown with improved varieties of seeds increased
CONTENTS • INTRODUCTION • GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND • HISTORY OF FARMING • FARMING IN BANGLADESH • THIS FARMING ECOLOGY • CONCLUSION
AGRICULTURAL LAND
LAND OVERVIEW

Among the land use categories, agriculture accounts for about 64 per cent of the total land area and forest area, which includes classified and unclassified village woodlots and rubber gardens, accounts for 17.8 per cent of the country’s land area
SCHEMATIC DRAWING
Figure: Schematic profile of a typical landscape in Bangladesh
http://earth.esa.int/workshops/ers97/papers/vanleeuwen1/
AGROFORESTRY OF BANGLADESH
CONTEXT

Agroforestry home gardens are age-old and traditional and sustainable land use systems maintained by at least 20 million people throughout rural Bangladesh
CONTEXT

Deliberate planting and management of multipurpose trees and shrubs is followed in intimate association with annual and perennial agricultural crops and, invariably, livestock, within the compounds of individual houses
CONTEXT

The whole crop-tree-animal unit being intensively managed by family labor
CONTEXT

Usually homegardens occupy the highest flood-free land adjacent to the homestead
CONTEXT 
A typical homegarden consists of bare space, cultivated space, pond and agricultural land.

The cultivated space is located surrounding the house- in front of the house as a front yard and behind the house as a back yard.
BIODIVERSITY AND ITS CONSERVATION
BIODIVERSITY
The homegardens of Bangladesh are the greatest reservoir of biodiversity and thus frequently referred to as ‘Biodiversity Islands’ of the country
The various habitat and vegetation types produce an abundance of plants, animals, birds and insect biodiversity
BIODIVERSITY 
A total of 149 tree species and 419 plant species in 109 families is recorded in homegarden. A detailed taxonomic enumeration of 148 trees and 45 shrubs is, available in Bangladesh homegardens
BIODIVERSITY 
Vegetation of ponds
Eichhornia crassipes

Pistia stratiotes
Lemna perpusilla
Trapa bispinosa
Basella rubra
Tinospora cordifolia
Piper betel
Climbers and twiners
Lablab purpureus
BIODIVERSITY 
Vegetable crops
Colocasia spp

Vigna sinensis
Cucumis sativus
Amaranthus gangeticus
Cestrum nocturnum
Codiaeum variegatum
Jasminum sambac
Ornamental plants
Canna indica
BIODIVERSITY 
Timber producers
Albizia procera

Carallia brachiata
Cassia fistula
Calophyllum inophyllum
Artocarpus heterophyllus
Cocos nucifera
Anacardium occidentale
Edible fruit bearers
Mangifera indica
BIODIVERSITY
Medicinals
Melia azadirachta
Aphanamixis polystachya
Cicca acida
Feronia limonia
Casuarina equisetifolia
Eucalyptus camaldulensis
Bamboos
Fuelwood producers
Areca catechu
BENEFITS OF THE SYSTEM

Homegardens with a number of components such as fruits, vegetables, bamboos, spices, poultry and fishery products ensure a year round supply of a wide spectrum of food and construction materials as well as contributes to income security when sold in the nearby market during economically hard times
Ecosystem services provided by the agroforestry homegardens
CONTENTS • INTRODUCTION • GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND • HISTORY OF FARMING • FARMING IN BANGLADESH • THIS FARMING ECOLOGY • CONCLUSION
SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES
CHARACTERISTICS OF SUSTAINABLE HOMEGARDEN
It should be able to maintain productivity through diverse crops for meeting subsistence and cash needs of the households
Should enhance social and gender equity
Should be based on traditional wisdom
Should ameliorate environment
the
surrounding
http://www.rickshaw-paint.net
SUSTAINABLE HOMEGARDEN
http://www.banglapedia.org/
The homegardens are a result of the traditional human- nature relationship within the rural landscape and their contribution to the country’s overall food security and poverty alleviation through sustainable management and utilization of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, poultry and fishery is immense
SUSTAINABLE HOMEGARDEN

The management of these socioecological integrated production systems is mostly based on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) base that has been passed on from older generations.

In poultry, animal husbandry and fishery, however, modern scientific knowledge has been integrated with TEK.
SUSTAINABLE HOMEGARDEN
Farmer’s dependency on internal inputs is another indicator of system sustainability such as cow dung, corn straw and kitchen and agricultural residues are sources of organic manure for the agricultural lands
http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org
Integration of several components on the farm – a schematic representation
CONTENTS • INTRODUCTION • GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND • HISTORY OF FARMING • FARMING IN BANGLADESH • THIS FARMING ECOLOGY • CONCLUSION
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Major threats underpinning biodiversity and sustainability of homegarden systems include
Land fragmentation due to population increases
An affinity for exotic species
Decreased land area for infrastructure development
homegardening
due
to
household
http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org
The impact of urbanization and migration to urban centers
CONCLUDING REMARKS


As a strategy to halt such transformations in homegarden ecosystems, it is important to raise awareness among the farmers through adequate education on sustainable maintenance, conservation and utilization of the resources
Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) with their strong grassroot-level networks can mobilize their capacity for such awareness-raising and provide environmental education
http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org
NGO school providing free education
CONCLUDING REMARKS

Finally, activities and projects for implementation of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) obligations, now mostly confined in national forests of the country, should be extended to rural landscapes, which are important reservoirs of biodiversity for plants, animals, insects, birds and for human as well.
http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org
REFERRENCES
www.banglapedia.org/
www.fao.org/
www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1579/00447447%282003%29032%5B0307%3APCAFST%5D2.0.CO%3B2
agridr.in/tnauEAgri/eagri50/AGRO101/lec05.pdf
www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/History_of_agriculture
www.rickshaw-paint.net
pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNACA537.pdf
gcs.isp.unu.edu/db/sites/default/files/16.Are%20tropical%20agroforestry %20home%20gardens%20sustainable.pdf
www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/business/energy-environment/bangladeshfarming-on-water-to-prevent-effect-of-rising-waters.html?_r=0
www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2013/124103/
www.agricultureandfoodsecurity.com