Cyclones, Salinity, and the Fight to Save Farming in Bangladesh

Associated Press

15 hours ago

Published by Action Against Hunger.
July 3, 2025 New York, NY
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Bangladesh has been repeatedly battered by cyclones, droughts, tidal surges, and floods, with each disaster leaving a deeper mark than the last on both the landscape and the people who live there. Since May 2024, Bangladesh has been severely impacted by four devastating climate-related disasters, including Cyclone Remal, flash floods in the Haor Region, riverine floods in the Jamuna Basin, and unprecedented floods in the eastern regions. These events have had a catastrophic impact, affecting 18.4 million people. In 2022 alone, over 7.1 million Bangladeshis were displaced due to climate change.
Climate disasters in Bangladesh are only expected to worsen. Temperatures are projected to rise rapidly in the coming years, threatening more than 170 million people's homes, safety, and livelihoods. Action Against Hunger is working to build resilience in Satkhira, a district in the south-west region of Bangladesh where most families rely on agriculture to survive — and are struggling to deal with the nature's growing unpredictability.
Climate Disasters are Destroying Livelihoods in Satkhira
Satkhira borders the Bay of Bengal, one of the most vulnerable areas to increasingly intense and frequent cyclone activity. The region once was thriving with farm fields, but repeated cyclones and tropical storms have mixed saltwater with freshwater, decimating the soil and water sources and making crop farming impossible. The ensuing poverty and food insecurity have forced many farmers to leave their fields. Those who remain struggle with increasing economic and livelihood challenges, as crop yields and availability of arable land dwindle.
Khaleda Hossain Moon, an Action Against Hunger expert based in the coastal area of Satkhira, raises awareness about the risks created by changing weather patterns in Bangladesh stating, 'Due to the high salinity of the soil, crop production is very low, and people with low incomes cannot afford to buy food. Thus, many suffer from malnutrition, especially small children.' With no other choice, farmers have abandoned rice cultivation. Men often work as day laborers, leaving their homes for months at a time to find work. At home, women have turned to fish farming to survive, but they frequently suffer from health problems caused by prolonged exposure to highly salty water.
With expertise in improving food security around the world, Action Against Hunger was well-suited to step in. We started offering training on climate-smart farming as part of our extensive Food Security and Livelihoods work. The program was developed with an approach tailored to Satkhira's specific needs, harnessing its unique resources for contextualized and sustainable change.
Community at the Heart of Climate Resilience
Action Against Hunger launched a climate-smart agriculture program in 2021 to support farmers affected by climate disasters in Satkhira. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) explains that climate-smart agriculture aims to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes; adapt and build resilience to climate change; and reduce and/or remove greenhouse gas emissions. In the context of Bangladeshi farming, a climate-smart agriculture program includes adapting to a new environmental context in which flooding and waterlogging [when soil becomes saturated with excess water] is more common, and the soil is increasingly salinized [salty] soil. 'The food security program we launched in Satkhira creates a solution for those communities who remain in these disaster-prone areas,' explains Sumon Homaun Kabir, Action Against Hunger's Program Manager who supervises food security and livelihoods projects in Bangladesh.
Action Against Hunger's training goes beyond improving agricultural productivity with sustainable farming methods; it puts the local people and environment at the heart of the program by embedding agroecological principles. Agroecology is 'a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems', says FAO. By incorporating these principles, Action Against Hunger's program is designed to be farmer-centered, regenerative, and nature-based. The methods taught in our program aim to:
Programs like these prioritize eco-friendliness and community involvement for long-term results that strengthen community self-resilience. Our goal in Satkhira is to support families adapting to climate change — a deeply stressful experience that threatens their homes, health, and livelihoods — with the best knowledge and resources available. We work alongside local farmers to ensure that solutions are not only technically effective but also culturally relevant, affordable, and owned by the community.
Five Key Methods for Farming in Salinized Soil
When floods and cyclones soak soil in salty water, the damage is long-lasting. Even after the water recedes, the salt remains, accumulating more and more with each recurring climate disaster. Salt is highly toxic to plants, even being considered the most dangerous substance for rice, Bangladesh's predominant crop. Salinized soil disrupts plant nutrient uptake and causes stress that can damage the plant on the cellular level, reducing crop growth. 'It is very difficult to produce any vegetables because of the water and soil salinity,' says Sumon. 'Action Against Hunger provides technical knowledge to reduce soil salinity and improve soil fertility through agroecological practices.'
Here are five agroecological methods Action Against Hunger's program uses for combatting salinized soil in Satkhira:
Action Against Hunger teaches program participants how to make and use fertilizer with natural products like manure and compost. The fertilizer helps restore soil health by reintroducing organic matter that supports plant growth and health. Sumon believes that the best results come when traditional practices blend with a scientific approach. 'We don't use chemicals,' he says. 'Instead, we rely on organic fertilizers to preserve soil quality and boost production.' Action Against Hunger opted for training on organic fertilizer because extensive or improper use of chemical fertilizers can degrade soil structure over time and lead to nutrient imbalances. Organic fertilizers are more suitable for Satkhira's farming context because they have microbial benefits that boost the long-term fertility of the soil and can be produced locally.
Monoculture farming [the practice of planting only one type of crop] used to be the standard in Satkhira. Farmers would plant exclusively rice, using the harvest to feed their families and sell for income. When climate change brought recurring tidal surges, saltwater intrusion, and unpredictable rainfall, however, rice farming became unreliable.
A single crop is particularly vulnerable to total crop failure; a single climate disaster, pest, or disease could wipe out everything. Crop diversification is an alternative method, in which multiple crops are planted at the same time, creating a safeguard against pests and plant disease s. Similarly, crop rotation is when farmers plant different crops from one year to the next. It introduces a greater variety of nutrients into soil, which can result in 10% greater crop yields than monoculture. Action Against Hunger offers training on crop rotation and diversification strategies to open income-generating opportunities and enhance food security. Action Against Hunger encourages the rotation of rice with saline-resilient crops like sunflower, and promotes intercropping vegetables such as okra, spinach, and chili—many of which can withstand moderate salinity and grow in short cycles.
This approach is particularly effective in empowering women, who are increasingly involved in homestead gardening and alternative crop production. Training sessions focus on locally adapted techniques, using indigenous knowledge alongside modern agroecological principles. As a result, families can better manage soil salinity, reduce dependency on single-season harvests, and build a more stable livelihood system that is adaptive to Bangladesh's changing climate.
In Satkhira, where groundwater is highly saline and unsuitable for irrigation, fresh rainwater is one of the few reliable water sources available to farmers. Rainwater harvesting is an ancient practice that has been used by people around the world to combat water scarcity, and it is ideal for Bangladesh's current environmental context. Action Against Hunger teaches farmers efficient methods for harvesting and using rainwater to best combat water and soil salinity. For example, training is offered on how to dig small ponds or reservoirs on homesteads to collect and store rainwater during the monsoon season. This stored freshwater is then used for irrigation during dry months, enabling year-round vegetable production even in saline-rich environments.
Mulching is a powerful method for keeping water trapped in soil, preventing it from evaporating and leaving behind salty, dry soil that harms crops. Mulching is the practice of putting a protective layer over the soil. In Action Against Hunger's program, farmers are trained on how to use mulching to increase crop yields using organic materials like manure. The 2022 study ' Mulching as a Sustainable Water and Soil Saving Practice in Agriculture: A Review ' found that mulching reduces soil deterioration by limiting runoff and soil loss. It helps manage soil temperature for better water retention and reduces the amount of water needed to irrigate crops. Organic materials are prioritized because they are eco-friendly and increase soil nutrients.
In the flood-prone area of Satkhira, vertical elevated structures can help protect plants from the onslaught of salt they face on the ground. Action Against Hunger supports farmers in building structures with locally available materials like bamboo, on which they can install hanging containers or raised beds. Not only is this method effective for reducing salt exposure, but it also maximizes land use, making it suitable for small backyard gardens.
Rekha's Garden
Rekha joined Action Against Hunger's agroecological training in May last year. A wide variety of vegetables now grow around her house. 'I want to grow more vegetables to increase my income,' she says with an enthusiastic smile. 'I already planted seedlings of chili peppers, brinjal (eggplant), tomato, and spinach seeds. I am not leaving any space empty.' Using sustainable, organic techniques, Rekha's garden has become bountiful. She has plant beds rigged with hanging bottles of rainwater to keep her vegetables hydrated. Mulch made with compost from kitchen waste and livestock manure helps Rekha conserve water and preserve soil moisture.
Rekha's gardening success inspired her to volunteer with Action Against Hunger and train other women in her village in climate-smart techniques. Her leadership is key to the long-lasting success of the program. Community engagement ensures that Action Against Hunger's training can be integrated with existing knowledge from Bangladesh's centuries of agricultural production and innovation. As time goes on, the passing of peer-to-peer information should become increasingly rooted in local experience and adaptable to climate changes in the region.
Beyond the Harvest: Building Financial Safety Nets for Climate Resilience
Action Against Hunger's goal is to provide families in Satkhira with as many tools as possible to overcome major setbacks caused by climate disasters. While climate-smart farming can increase the chance of a successful harvest, disasters can still strip away crops and leave families vulnerable to financial and food security difficulties. Livelihood diversification is one strategy for increasing the financial security of households, offering a safety net and an alternative income source. A major success of the program is that all households in Simul Baria, a village in Satkhira, now engage in multiple livelihood activities. These include:
Multiple streams of income give farmers in Satkhira a level of insurance against climate disasters. By not relying solely on crop yields, families are better equipped to withstand and recover losses when floods, droughts, or cyclones strike. Diversified livelihoods also bring new skills and opportunities for growth that contribute to long-term resilience.
Local Solutions, Lasting Impact
Each of the five agroecological methods taught in Action Against Hunger's program is useful for overcoming salinized soil and water. Together, they offer a powerful agricultural approach that can bolster the livelihoods of farmers in Bangladesh for years to come, even in the face of growing climate challenge. As cyclones become more frequent and severe, these practices, as well as livelihood diversification, will become increasingly crucial for families who rely on farming to survive. Action Against Hunger's program uses methods that not only enhance food production in salinized soils but also reduce dependence on external inputs like aid organizations by promoting locally available and eco-friendly solutions—making farming in Satkhira both more sustainable and self-reliant.
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Action Against Hunge r leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across over 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
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