Increasing the resilience of agricultural and aquaculture systems in the coastal areas of the Ganges Delta

1. 9 years of research for development
to improve water & food security of the rural poor
Alain Vidal, Director
CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food

2. Water, food and poverty analyzed in 10 basins
1.5 billion people
50% of the poorest < 1.25US$/day
Niger

3. Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink

4. Drivers for poverty
Not just population increase Not just scarcity
1,800
1,600
Bangladesh (1980-2009) GNI vs Water
1,400 50,000
1,200
40,000
Per capita GNI
1,000
GNI ($/cap PPP)
30,000
800 Per capita GNI
increases with
20,000
600 population
pressure
10,000
400
200 0
-500 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
0 -10,000
500 1,000 1,500 Water availability (m3/cap)
Population (per km2 land)

5. Problems are more nuanced that
scarcity alone
Water & Low
land scarcity productivity
Lack of
Exposure to
access to
hazard
resources

6. Water productivity
remains very low over most areas
WP (estimated potential / typically 1-2 kg/m3)
YR
Ganges
Mekong
Indus
Nile
Limpopo
Volta Niger

7. There is enough water to meet our
needs, it’s how we manage it !
Sustainable intensification
 Beyond a focus on productivity
 Income and ecosystem services
Equitable sharing of benefits
from water
 Finding balanced solutions
Institutional water management
 A holistic approach to avoid fragmentation among actors
Addressed through basin-focused research programs
addressing a major development issue in each basin
Guiding investment to relevant pro-poor interventions

8. CPWF Program on Ganges Delta
in a nutshell
Huge potential to improve food security and
livelihoods through sustainable intensification
Constraints: salinity and equitable access to
freshwater
CPWF Ganges shows salinity not a constraint
everywhere – even an opportunity
Lots of viable cropping systems possible
with crop diversification, fish and shrimp
Upscaling through targeting maps for
decision-makers
Main constraint remains proper water
management requiring policies to change

9. How do such interventions
increase water and food security ?
Enhanced resilience
 Combined technical and institutional
innovations prevent systems from
moving to undesired state when shocked
Water and food security
 Looking beyond the « yield gap » enables diversify food
production (crops, fish and livestock) and ecosystem services
 Additional income alleviates poverty
Empowerment
 Enhanced people’s rights and institutional governance

10. Thank you
a.vidal@cgiar.org
www.waterandfood.org
www.slideshare.net/cpwf

11. The Ganges Basin Development
Challenge (GBDC)
Increasing the resilience of agricultural
and aquaculture systems in the coastal
areas of the Ganges Delta

12. Tasks to Discuss:
• Who works in GBDC?
• Why GBDC?
• What is the GBDC?
• How does it work?
• Where does it work?
• Need your support
Andes • Ganges • Limpopo • Mekong • Nile • Volta
Water for a food-secure world

13. THE BD GANGES TEAM
BAU BUET BFRI BRAC
BWDB LGED IRRI
IWM IWMI PS&TU
SRDI Shushilan WFC
Andes • Ganges • Limpopo • Mekong • Nile • Volta
Water for a food-secure world

14. Why? Poverty in Coastal Zone of
Bangladesh
• Among world’s poorest, most food
insecure, vulnerable
• 75% of households (HH) with 0.2-0.6
ha; HH income ~70,000 BDT or <$100
• 80% of population income < national
poverty line
• Too much water in rainy season
• Salinity and lack of fresh water in
dry season
BBS / WorldBank / WFP (2009)
Andes • Ganges • Limpopo • Mekong • Nile • Volta

15. With advances in sciences, innovation and improved
understanding of socio economic issues ….There are
opportunities for livelihood improvements. GBDC is
optimistic about a more productive and prosperous BD
coastal zone
Reducing poverty, improving resilience through improved water
GBDC
governance and management; and intensified and diversified
agricultural and aquaculture systems in brackish water of the
coastal Ganges.

16. We envision that after 10 years of
GBDC……..
• Livelihood
– Reduce food insecure HHs by 50%; increase HH
income by $100/year
– Disadvantaged groups and women are more
empowered
– Increase resilience (farmers have greater ability to
cope with effects of vulnerability)
• Production
– Annual agricultural/aquaculture outputs increased
by 50%
– 50% of HHs have 2 crops/year, diversified with high
value non-rice crops and/or aquaculture
– Income from “homestead” increased by 50%
• Policy
– Enabling crop diversification and intensification
– Coherent policies and institutions on water
management

17. How?
River
• Develop improved, intensified and
diversified agric and aqua systems among
Inlet to sluice gate and within homesteads
• Better water governance and
management
Polder 31
• Quantify salinity and water dynamics:
present and future
Sluice gate on river side
• Identify extrapolation domains and the
Sluice gate inside
propose land use maps polder
• Enhance impact through Polder 30
coordination, stakeholder participation and
policy advocacy

18. Where?
Barisal: Patuakhali, Barguna
Khulna: Khulna & Satkhira
except the Sundarbans
Andes • Ganges • Limpopo • Mekong • Nile • Volta

19. Land use 2000
To serve you better, we need your
support:
You are the investors
You are the decision makers
Critical feedback
Guidance & collaboration
Frequent interactions
6
3
1S or
3R/U Land use zoning
1S-1R proposed by Land use 2005
project in 2000
2
1S or
1S-1R 5
1
4 3R/U
S+C - F
2R/U
xS: No. of shrimp crops
Andes • Ganges • xR: No.of • Mekong • Nile • Volta
Limpopo rice crop
xR/U: No. of rice or upland crop
S+C-F: Shrimp+Crab - Fish

20. Andes • Ganges • Limpopo • Mekong • Nile • Volta

21. Ganges Basin Development Challenge
Adoption of new technologies- Salinity and
External Drivers

22. Salinity Dynamics in the Peripheral river of Polder-43/2F
POLDER-43/2f
Kharif-2 Rabi Kharif-1

23. Salinity Dynamics in the Peripheral river of Polder-30
Kharif-2 Rabi Kharif-1
POLDER-30

24. Salinity Dynamics in the Peripheral river of Polder-3
POLDER-3
Salinity Level
remain below 2
ppt form end of
July to Early
December

25. Road Network and Change of Drainage Pattern
Polder-30

26. Water flow Models
Water Flow at Pussur River
Q Q
Q
Water Flow boundary
Water Flow Model of
South-West Region
Q
QQ
WL
Water Level at Pussur River
WL WL 2 Dimensional Model (Bay of Bengal Model)
WL WL Water flow boundary from SWRM
Water level from Global Tide Model
WL

27. Average of Peak water level during kharif-2

28. Drivers and Scenarios
Final List of Key External Drivers
Scenarios
Single or combination of
the external drivers
2030 and 2050

29. Participants
• Experts,
• service providers, practitioners and academicians
• Policy planners
• representatives from other G’s
• Stakeholders and community representatives

30. Scenarios from the workshop
1. Change in transboundary flow +Population growth+Land use change+Climate change (including
ppt, temp & SLR)A2+ Urbanization
2. Change in transboundary flow +Population growth+Land use change+Climate change (including
pptn, temp & SLR)A1B+ Urbanization

31. Effects of External drivers on Salinity intrusion and Fresh water availability
 2 PPT Salinity line moves 10-15 km upwards  2 PPT Salinity line moves 12-18 km upwards
 800 Sqkm more area is likely to be affected  1050 Sqkm more area is likely to be affected
15 Km

32. Key Findings
• In the low saline zone freshwater is available for the whole year at present
and future and three crops can be established instead of one crop at
present;
• Gravity irrigation is feasible during Aman Crop;
• Costal polder needs improved water management with additional drainage
and flushing sluices and ensuring proper operation of gates;
• Internal road network needs adequate number of cross-drainage structure
for drainage improvement;
• Excavation of internal drainage khal for drainage improvement and water
storage for agriculture;
• In the high saline zone, unauthorized pipes/structure are used for saline
water supply can be replaced by few number of flushing sluices for better
water and conflict management and safety of the embankment ;
• The effects of external drivers on water resources is significant and needs to
be considered in future plannning.

33. THANK YOU

34. Adoption of improved technologies
requires improved water
management in coastal polders

35. The opportunity
• Tremendous potential to improve food security &
livelihoods in the coastal zone through
– improved crop & aquaculture technologies
– cropping system intensification & diversification
• CPWF Ganges program has demonstrated that with
– new varieties
– timely crop establishment
– improved crop & water management,
cropping system intensity & the productivity of the
coastal lands can be greatly increased - in all
seasons.

36. The opportunity: low saline area
• where freshwater is available in the rivers for 10-
11 months a year, such as parts of Barguna District
– Aman-Grasspea (rice: 3 t/ha, grasspea: 0.5 t/ha)
– Aus-Aman (rice: 6 t/ha)
can be replaced by
– Aus-Aman-Boro (rice: 16 t/ha)
– Aus-Aman-Rabi
(rice: 10 t/ha, sunflower: 3 t/ha, maize: 8 t/ha)

37. Aus-Aman-Rabi Cropping System
A M J J A S O N D J F M A
30 June 15 Nov 05Apr
Aus (100-105 d) T. Aman (130-140 d) Rabi (130-140 d)
10 Apr 10 July 1 Dec

38. The opportunity: moderately saline area
• Where freshwater is limited during the dry
season, such as parts of Khulna District,
– Productivity of the traditional Aman-Sesame
or single Aman systems
(rice: 2 t/ha, sesame: 0.5 t/ha)
can be increased several-fold through
– Aman-Rabi
(rice: 4 t/ha, maize: 8 t/ha, sunflower: 3 t/ha)
– Aman-Boro (rice: 9 t/ha)

39. Aman-Rabi Cropping System
M J J A S O N D J F M A M
15 Nov 30 Apr
Aman (140 d) Rabi (120-140 d)
15 July Dec/Jan
Terminal Drainage

40. The opportunity: high saline area
• where water salinity too high for dry season
agriculture, e.g. parts of Satkhira District,
productivity of shrimp culture can be greatly
enhanced by new technologies for higher
aquaculture production & reduced risk
• Shrimp culture (shrimp: 200 kg/ha) can be replaced
by more resilient systems of
[Shrimp+Fish]-[Rice+Fish]
(shrimp: 200 kg/ha, rice: 3 t/ha, fish: 700-1200 kg/ha)
• Win-win-win: greater food security + cash income
without damaging the environment.

41. Improved aquaculture-rice system
Dry season Wet season
Gher
preparation
Bagda Rice+Fish
Seedling
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Drain out saline water,
expose gher soil to
rainfall to leach down
soil salinity
Poorly-drained gher in polder 3 Well-drained gher

42. Realising the opportunity
Requires ability to:
– drain fields
– intake water of the desired quality
– store fresh water for irrigation
This is NOT the current situation………

43. Aman rice field in Patuakhali

44. Aman rice field in Patuakhali

45. Aman rice field in Patuakhali

46. Aman rice field in Patuakhali

47. Rice-Fish cultivation in Ghers in Satkhira
(inundated due to rainfall during 3-5 September 2012)

48. How to realise the opportunity?
• Successful large-scale implementation of the
opportunities requires
– a change in mind set & investments in agriculture,
aquaculture, & water management.
– Need to focus on polder level water management; a
pre-requisite
• Effective investment in water management requires
fundamental changes in thinking about the roles of
the polders, polder design & infrastructure, & the
institutional set up to manage the water of the
polders

49. Re-defining the roles of polders
• Each polder needs to be considered as an
integrated water management unit, serving the
production systems
• The original role of the polders was to enable one
crop of tall, long duration traditional aman rice
(HYVs did not exist)
• HYVs & improved cropping system technologies
now available, but with different requirements
from traditional aman

50. How will good drainage help?
• Improved drainage will
– enable adoption of HYV in rainy season (aman)
– timely establishment of rabi crops
– ability to grow higher yield/value rabi crops
– adequate leaching of salt from shrimp ghers
prior to transplanting the aman crop
– cropping system intensification

51. How to increase storage volume inside polders?
• Increased fresh water storage capacity during
the dry season requires re-excavation of existing
canal networks (will also improve drainage!)

52. Small water management units in polders
Effective water management at polder level require
separation of lands on the basis of land topography to
form a small water management unit by about 50 cm
high farm levee

53. Small water management unit: Needs replication
River
Drainage Outside
Outside canal sampling area
sampling area
Road
Sluice
gate
Sluice
canal Drainage Rural
outlet road
Outside
sampling area

54. Changing institutional set ups
• Treating the polders as unified water management
units also requires fundamental changes in
institutional set up to govern and manage water in
the polders.
• The present set up is too fragmented and disjoint
– BWDB is in charge of embankment and sluices
– BADC for small scale irrigation systems in/out-side polders
– LGED for structures outside the polders
• There should be one single entity in charge of each
whole polder, servicing the people living within the
polder and their production systems.

55. Key issues in improving land and water
productivity in coastal polders
• Investment: Investment in polder water
management is a must for increasing
productivity and improving livelihoods of the
peoples living in coastal polders.
• Rehabilitation: The polders should be
considered as a single integrated water
management unit servicing the production
systems.

56. Key issues in improving land and water
productivity in coastal polders
• Efficient water management: Small water
management units should be created to
facilitate efficient and improved polder
water management with provision of
drainage and water storage.
• Institutional set-up: One single entity
should be in charge of each polder for water
management.

57. Thank You

58. Adoption of improved technologies:
improved spatial data availability
Andy Nelson - IRRI
On behalf of:
BWDB Bangladesh Water Development Board
IRRI International Rice Research Institute
IWM Institute of Water Modelling
LGED Local Government Engineering Department
SRDI Soil Resource Development Institute

59. 1/13
Why do we need improved spatial data?
The challenge is to identify where and when each
improved technology can be successful in the coastal
polder zone  Technology targetting
The coastal zone is complex, it faces multiple challenges,
and situations change quickly over small distances and
from season to season  A high resolution spatial
database and multidisciplinary partnerships are paramount
for targetting at village level.

60. 2/13
Study sites for improved technologies
Polder 3 Polder 30
Rice/Aquaculture & Intensification from one to
Shrimp/Shrimp two crops
Polder 43/2f
Intensification from
one/two to three crops

61. 3/13
Increasing area affected by soil salinity
Soil salinity
None
Very slight
Slight
Strong
Very strong

62. 4/13
Large changes in salinity through the year
Movement of the 4ppt water
salinity boundary in early 2011

63. 5/13
Improving livelihoods and profitability
Opportunity for rice Aug-Nov and shrimp Feb-Jun
Current practice – shrimp farming in Feb-Jun
Daily water salinity Lower threshold limit of salinity - Shrimp
Upper threshold limit of salinity - Rice
Water salinity (ppt)
Rice Shrimp
Date
Opportunities for targetting additional crop in fallow lands (Polder 3)

64. 6/13
Spatial land use patterns are complex!
Boro rice Aus rice Aman rice
Nov – Apr Apr – Jul Jul – Nov
5m hectares 1.1m hectares 5.8m hectares
There is scope for intensification & diversification in the coastal zone

65. 7/13
Cropping systems are complex!
Extensive Gher based year round brackish water poly culturedry season
Aman - Boro Water quality and availability in
Difference
Minimum air Minimum salinity Land type /
Internal Soil
Aman - Boro temperature Water quality and availability in wet seasonAcidity high
Month when (m) in
Description Fresh (< 4dS/m), (ppt) at PL Inundation
storage (pH)
Description of river water texture
Proximity to water level in
for 1weekwater
ground (C) stocking depth
capacity in
Land use still remain river, canal, Mar and land
availability and relation to land Difference (m) in land
Description of Land
type(technology)
Shrimp PL is stocked fresh Maximum inundation ponds (m) claysurface andsurface for
pumping depth >10 depth S1 0.5 - 0.7
MaximumS1 inundation area low water
S1 6.5 - 7.5
use when there is >25
in Feb (<4 dS/m) depth (m) for more S1 than Loam gravity S1
(m) in August (ML/ha) level in Sep/Oct for
type(technology)
brackish water one week in Sep/Oct irrigation (m)
drainage
adequate and suitable 20 - 25 0.7- 1; 5.5 - 6.5;
Aman HYV rice is Yes, < 6 m S2 5 to 10
S1 March S1S2 >0.3 - 0.5
5 S1 S2 <50Loam S1
S1 > 1 - 8.5 S2
S1
Boro rice is seeded
temperature, brackish < 0.1 S1 < 0.2 S1 >1 7.5 S1
transplanted in July-
water Fish 15 Nov. (MS)
around is stocked
August, to be Yes, 7 -20 Sandy
to 15 Dec (LS). Boro18 -20 – 0.2 S3 2 - Feb
few weeks later. 0.1 S2 5 S2 S2S3 – 0.5 --1.2;
1
0.2 2.5 5 4.5 5.5;
S2 S3 50-100 - 1 S2 0.5 - 1 S2 S2
S2 0.5 S3
harvested by the end m 0 - 0.3 loam 8.5 - 9.5
Water is irrigated with
rice replenished
of November 0.2 – 0.3 S3 0.5 – 0.8 S3 0.2 – 0.5 S3
asriver water (when
needed. Harvest yes, > 20 S3 Jan S3 1> 1.2; no
- 2.5 S3 100-300 S3 0.2 - 0.5 S3
(Moderate Salinity <4.5;
starts after with water <18
fresh) or 2 month SN <2 SN SN Sandy SN SN
zone) or December inundation >9.5
stored in canal
until end of Nov.
(low saline zone). No 0.3
> SN Dec SN SN0.8 <1
> SN >300 0.2 SN < 0.2 SN SN
SN <
networks
S1 = Most Suitable S2 = Suitable S3 = Least Suitable SN = Not Suitable
Detailed data & multi disciplinary expertise needed to define requirements

66. 8/13
Cropping systems are complex
Groundwater Surface water
Depth of Month when Storage Proximity to Suitability for
Fresh GW
Tubewell? prehatic river water capacity fresh SW dry season
(< 4dS/m)
surface (m) (< 3 dS/m) (ML/ha) source (m) rice crop
Yes Shallow S1
<6 S1
Deep 7 - 20 S2
> 20 S3
No Mar S1
Feb 2.5 - 5 < 100 S1
> 100 S2
1- 2.5 < 100 S2
> 100 S3
Jan 2.5 - 5 < 100 S2
> 100 S3
1 – 2.5 < 100 S3
> 100 SN
Dec SN

67. 9/13
Cropping systems are complex!
Existing system for validation
(1) Aman – Rabi crop
(2) Aus - Aman
(3) Aman - Shrimp
(4) Year round aquaculture
Innovative systems for targetting
(1) Aman (HYV) - Rabi (HVC)
(2) Aus – Aman - Boro
(3) Aus - Aman - Rabi crop
(4) Boro - Aman
(5) Aus (HYV) – Aman (HYV)
(6) Year round polyculture
(7) Shrimp - Rice
Each system has different requirements that can be assessed and mapped

68. 10/13
Coastal ecosystems are complex!
Social BWDB
Demographic
IRRI
Economic
Infrastructure IWM
Water
Climate LGED
Soil
SRDI
Land cover
Topography Basin partners
Open sharing of GIS data and expertise across institutes in Bangladesh

69. 11/13
Data held by many different institutes
We need a coordinated approach to facilitate data sharing/access

70. 12/13
Detailed and specific information is needed
Location and time specific constraints
like appropriate sluice gate operation
(community level water management),
and canal siltation (infrastructure
maintenance), need to be
incorporated into the suitability
analysis as critical requirements for
innovative cropping systems.
Incorporating socio economic
constraints to the usual
“climate+soils+topography”
approach is paramount for
realistic suitability maps

71. 13/13
Key messages on spatial data
A framework that encourages institutes in Bangladesh to openly share GIS
data in consistent standards will greatly enhance the ability to respond to
policy makers needs  A Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) for Bangladesh
Socioeconomic, infrastructure and management information need to
included in the targetting approach. They are as important as biophysical
constraints.

72. Thank you

73. Adoption of improved technologies
requires better investments in water
management
Some policy suggestions

74. We studied institutional arrangements in
5 BWDB polders and 4 LGED sub-projects

75. To understand the
actors, communities and institutions
Which institutions,
What are the problems organizations and How is the community
and for which groups? individuals are involved in involved in water
How are they managed? water management? management?
How?
POLICY CHANGE FOR BETTER WATER
MANAGEMENT

76. Qualitative methods
Over 3000 people were interviewed

77. Polders and sub-projects vary widely
• Salinity and fresh water availability
• Cropping systems and livelihoods
• Procedures for closing and opening of gates
• Role of Water Management Organizations

78. Diverse cropping pattern depending on salinity levels

79. Institutional Arrangements of Water Management
Variation across and within polders
Polder/Sub- WMO Gher UP Gate Local
Project owners Chairman committee elites
and appointed by
Members UP or BWDB
Polder 3 - × × × ×
Polder 31 × × × × ×
Polder 30 × - × - ×
Polder 43-2F × - × - ×
Latabunia × × - - ×
Jabusha × × × -
Jainkathi - - × - ×
Bagarchra × × × - ×

80. But all sites have three things in common
• Poor condition of
embankments, khals and
gates due to poor
maintenance
• Conflicts surrounding water
management and land use
• UP Chairman and Members
are de-facto decision
makers, but do not
necessarily have a formal
role

81. Why are water infrastructures not maintained?
• WMOs were created for
solving ‘deferred
maintenance’
• Why communities don’t
maintain?
 Public goods dilemma
 Even so called ‘minor’ repair
and maintenance may be
beyond the capacity of
communities
 Incentive problems: if
communities don’t fix it in
time, government or donor
will in a few years time

82. ‘Deferred maintenance’ as an incentive problem
• Why can’t the governments
do regular repair and
maintenance?
– Allocation from Non-Revenue
Field evidence
Development Budget is less
shows communities
than 10% of total requirement
cannot do
– Belongs to communities, they maintenance
must do it expected of them.
• Why don’t donors pitch in?
– Belongs to GOB and
communities, they must do it

83. How can we help communities to better
maintenance?
• Give WMOs access to
income generating
But communities can not assets like lease of
do it alone! common land or micro-
credit
• Devise fair rules for
collection of
maintenance funds
• Coordination between
existing WMOs and UP

84. Solutions beyond community levels
• Use existing social safety net
funds of UP, like 40 days
work, KABHIKA for polder
maintenance
• Twin benefits of employment
creation (LCS) and infrastructure
maintenance
• Coordination between
UP, BWDB, LGED and Central
Government

85. Solutions by donors and central government
• Create of Donor-
Government Trust Fund for
Maintenance of Water
related infrastructure in Donors
Bangladesh
GoB
• All polder/sub-projects get
allocations for repair and
maintenance every year
from interest amount of
Trust Fund
Donor Government Trust Fund

86. Trust fund money is allocated to every polder
each year for Repair and Maintenance

87. How to reduce drainage problems and conflicts?
Divide polders into smaller
hydrological units (SHU).
Use LGED rural roads as
hydrological boundaries
For even smaller
boundaries, use UP social
safety funds for ail
construction

88. Some of these are already happening…
• Constitution of Union Development Coordination
Committee (UDCC) launched under Local Government
Support Project to oversee all developmental activities.
• Using rural roads as hydrological boundaries for
forming smaller hydrological units.
 LGED is already doing it in SSWDRP III and IV phases
• Delineating smaller hydrological units within BWDB
polder with help of LGED
 Already happening in Narail Chenchury Bil project
where LGED is doing 30 sub-projects within BWDB polder.

89. So, what can policy makers and donors do?
Devise better ways of maintaining
existing infrastructure:
• Through Donor-Government
Joint Maintenance Trust Fund
• Use social safety net programs
for construction of rural
roads, small ails, and repair of
internal canals and
embankments

90. So, what can policy makers and
donors do?
Devise ways to reduce
water conflicts:
• Divide larger polders
into smaller
hydrological units by
using rural roads and
ails as hydrological
boundaries
• Formal involvement of
UP’s and WMOs

91. Thank you