River Waste to Goldmine: A Tale of Floating Agriculture in Vulnerable Southern Regions of Bangladesh
ABSTRACT Floating agriculture transforms marshy lands into productive resources, enhancing food security and rural incomes in climate‐vulnerable areas. While prior research highlights its potential as a climate‐resilient practice, gaps remain in understanding the determinants of adoption and long‐te...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Food and Energy Security |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.70062 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850154962923814912 |
|---|---|
| author | Mou Rani Sarker Nanda Dulal Kundu Md. Hayder Khan Sujan Md. Salman Andrew M. McKenzie Md. Monjurul Islam Md. Alimur Rahman Md. Taj Uddin Humnath Bhandari Md. Abdur Rouf Sarkar |
| author_facet | Mou Rani Sarker Nanda Dulal Kundu Md. Hayder Khan Sujan Md. Salman Andrew M. McKenzie Md. Monjurul Islam Md. Alimur Rahman Md. Taj Uddin Humnath Bhandari Md. Abdur Rouf Sarkar |
| author_sort | Mou Rani Sarker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Floating agriculture transforms marshy lands into productive resources, enhancing food security and rural incomes in climate‐vulnerable areas. While prior research highlights its potential as a climate‐resilient practice, gaps remain in understanding the determinants of adoption and long‐term livelihood impacts. Our study addresses these gaps by examining farming procedures, profitability, impacts, and the key drivers and challenges influencing floating agriculture adoption in southern Bangladesh. Data was collected from 158 farmers using a pre‐tested questionnaire between October 2018 and April 2019. Profit function and logit regression models were applied to analyze profitability and socio‐economic determinants, complemented by qualitative methods and causal loop diagrams to assess impacts. Findings reveal that farmers employ both intercropping and monocropping, with a preference for seedling raising (156.37 USD/100 m2) over vegetable cultivation (121.56 USD/100 m2) due to higher profitability. Despite its labor‐intensive nature (73% labor costs for seedling rising vs. 85% for vegetable cultivation), floating agriculture boosts household income, meets local vegetable demand, and reduces reliance on external markets during shocks. Additionally, it provides ecological benefits such as waterweed management and reduced environmental pollution. Floating agriculture also alleviates poverty by enhancing agricultural production and generating a positive feedback loop of increased income, food availability, and improved nutrition and health. Adoption is influenced by age, experience, family size, income diversity, credit access, extension services, and market proximity. However, high capital costs, limited credit, market volatility, and biotic/abiotic stresses pose challenges. To scale up floating agriculture, policy measures should focus on financial support, technical training, cost‐effective innovations, and fostering cooperative farming. Institutional backing is crucial for promoting this sustainable cleaner production practice in flood‐prone regions of Bangladesh and similar global contexts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-50a859f1e6014b3ea53e2c5c9991d2d5 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2048-3694 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Food and Energy Security |
| spelling | doaj-art-50a859f1e6014b3ea53e2c5c9991d2d52025-08-20T02:25:07ZengWileyFood and Energy Security2048-36942025-03-01142n/an/a10.1002/fes3.70062River Waste to Goldmine: A Tale of Floating Agriculture in Vulnerable Southern Regions of BangladeshMou Rani Sarker0Nanda Dulal Kundu1Md. Hayder Khan Sujan2Md. Salman3Andrew M. McKenzie4Md. Monjurul Islam5Md. Alimur Rahman6Md. Taj Uddin7Humnath Bhandari8Md. Abdur Rouf Sarkar9Sustainable Impact Platform International Rice Research Institute Dhaka BangladeshAgricultural Economics Division Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, RPRS Madaripur BangladeshDepartment of Development and Poverty Studies Sher‐e‐Bangla Agricultural University Dhaka BangladeshAgricultural Economics Division Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Gazipur BangladeshDepartment of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness The University of Arkansas Fayetteville Arkansas USADepartment of Rural Development Gazipur Agricultural University Gazipur BangladeshAgronomy Division Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute Gazipur BangladeshDepartment of Agricultural Economics Bangladesh Agricultural University Mymensingh BangladeshImpact, Policy, and Foresight Department International Rice Research Institute Dhaka BangladeshAgricultural Economics Division Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Gazipur BangladeshABSTRACT Floating agriculture transforms marshy lands into productive resources, enhancing food security and rural incomes in climate‐vulnerable areas. While prior research highlights its potential as a climate‐resilient practice, gaps remain in understanding the determinants of adoption and long‐term livelihood impacts. Our study addresses these gaps by examining farming procedures, profitability, impacts, and the key drivers and challenges influencing floating agriculture adoption in southern Bangladesh. Data was collected from 158 farmers using a pre‐tested questionnaire between October 2018 and April 2019. Profit function and logit regression models were applied to analyze profitability and socio‐economic determinants, complemented by qualitative methods and causal loop diagrams to assess impacts. Findings reveal that farmers employ both intercropping and monocropping, with a preference for seedling raising (156.37 USD/100 m2) over vegetable cultivation (121.56 USD/100 m2) due to higher profitability. Despite its labor‐intensive nature (73% labor costs for seedling rising vs. 85% for vegetable cultivation), floating agriculture boosts household income, meets local vegetable demand, and reduces reliance on external markets during shocks. Additionally, it provides ecological benefits such as waterweed management and reduced environmental pollution. Floating agriculture also alleviates poverty by enhancing agricultural production and generating a positive feedback loop of increased income, food availability, and improved nutrition and health. Adoption is influenced by age, experience, family size, income diversity, credit access, extension services, and market proximity. However, high capital costs, limited credit, market volatility, and biotic/abiotic stresses pose challenges. To scale up floating agriculture, policy measures should focus on financial support, technical training, cost‐effective innovations, and fostering cooperative farming. Institutional backing is crucial for promoting this sustainable cleaner production practice in flood‐prone regions of Bangladesh and similar global contexts.https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.70062Bangladeshclimate adaptationfloating farmingframing systemincome potentialityprofitability |
| spellingShingle | Mou Rani Sarker Nanda Dulal Kundu Md. Hayder Khan Sujan Md. Salman Andrew M. McKenzie Md. Monjurul Islam Md. Alimur Rahman Md. Taj Uddin Humnath Bhandari Md. Abdur Rouf Sarkar River Waste to Goldmine: A Tale of Floating Agriculture in Vulnerable Southern Regions of Bangladesh Food and Energy Security Bangladesh climate adaptation floating farming framing system income potentiality profitability |
| title | River Waste to Goldmine: A Tale of Floating Agriculture in Vulnerable Southern Regions of Bangladesh |
| title_full | River Waste to Goldmine: A Tale of Floating Agriculture in Vulnerable Southern Regions of Bangladesh |
| title_fullStr | River Waste to Goldmine: A Tale of Floating Agriculture in Vulnerable Southern Regions of Bangladesh |
| title_full_unstemmed | River Waste to Goldmine: A Tale of Floating Agriculture in Vulnerable Southern Regions of Bangladesh |
| title_short | River Waste to Goldmine: A Tale of Floating Agriculture in Vulnerable Southern Regions of Bangladesh |
| title_sort | river waste to goldmine a tale of floating agriculture in vulnerable southern regions of bangladesh |
| topic | Bangladesh climate adaptation floating farming framing system income potentiality profitability |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.70062 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mouranisarker riverwastetogoldmineataleoffloatingagricultureinvulnerablesouthernregionsofbangladesh AT nandadulalkundu riverwastetogoldmineataleoffloatingagricultureinvulnerablesouthernregionsofbangladesh AT mdhayderkhansujan riverwastetogoldmineataleoffloatingagricultureinvulnerablesouthernregionsofbangladesh AT mdsalman riverwastetogoldmineataleoffloatingagricultureinvulnerablesouthernregionsofbangladesh AT andrewmmckenzie riverwastetogoldmineataleoffloatingagricultureinvulnerablesouthernregionsofbangladesh AT mdmonjurulislam riverwastetogoldmineataleoffloatingagricultureinvulnerablesouthernregionsofbangladesh AT mdalimurrahman riverwastetogoldmineataleoffloatingagricultureinvulnerablesouthernregionsofbangladesh AT mdtajuddin riverwastetogoldmineataleoffloatingagricultureinvulnerablesouthernregionsofbangladesh AT humnathbhandari riverwastetogoldmineataleoffloatingagricultureinvulnerablesouthernregionsofbangladesh AT mdabdurroufsarkar riverwastetogoldmineataleoffloatingagricultureinvulnerablesouthernregionsofbangladesh |