Bridging science and society : Tailor-made hydroclimatic information service with farmers in Lower Bengal Delta, Bangladesh

Summary

Farming communities in the Lower Bengal Delta, Bangladesh depend on seasonal rainfall for agriculture and livelihood activities. Available information and technology can potentially assist farmers in managing hydro-climatic risks. Currently, they do not have access to hydroclimatic information services well in advance and in a meaningful way. This research aims to co-produce hydroclimatic information services with smallholders for sustainable agricultural practices in the peri-urban delta areas of Khulna, located in the southwest coastal region. I applied a transdisciplinary research framework to assess farmers’ needs and the merit of co-designing a virtual platform for developing and bringing hydroclimatic information services with and for the peri-urban farmers in the Lower Bengal Delta. Result reveals that the co-production of hydroclimatic information has eventually improved the management of field-crop, livestock, aquaculture, and disaster risks reduction of the smallholder farmers for sustainable agriculture and livelihood practices in the Lower Bengal Delta.