Crop diversification in Bangladesh: Public policy provisions, practices, and insights for future initiatives

Bangladesh's agriculture and diet are highly rice-centric, although rational, risky, and arguably unsustainable. This necessitates a focus on crop diversification to enhance food security, build resilience, and promote environmental sustainability. This study provides a comprehensive analysis o...

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Main Authors: Ravi Nandi, Timothy J. Krupnik, Wais Kabir
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154324005234
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author Ravi Nandi
Timothy J. Krupnik
Wais Kabir
author_facet Ravi Nandi
Timothy J. Krupnik
Wais Kabir
author_sort Ravi Nandi
collection DOAJ
description Bangladesh's agriculture and diet are highly rice-centric, although rational, risky, and arguably unsustainable. This necessitates a focus on crop diversification to enhance food security, build resilience, and promote environmental sustainability. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of crop diversification policy provisions, programs, projects, and trends in Bangladesh from 1971 to 2023, highlighting their evolution, implementation, and impacts. The objective is to inform future policy and operational decisions to enhance the effectiveness of crop diversification efforts. An integrated analytical framework is utilized, incorporating a review of historical agriculture policies, Five-Year Plans (FYPs), and 1223 project reports. The study employed the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) to quantify crop diversification and conducted Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders using a snowball sampling method. The analysis identified eight FYPs, 12 specific policies, and 81 projects, with 19 explicitly focusing on crop diversification. Despite significant policy support, implementation has faced challenges due to historical policy biases, insufficient funding, and market and project implementation challenges. The study reveals that despite numerous initiatives, crop diversification remains low, with a need for better infrastructure, market linkages, and incentives for farmers. To achieve sustainable agricultural growth, the Government of Bangladesh should mainstream crop diversification through annual budgets, enhance institutional capacities, and foster public-private partnerships, alongside strengthening the effective implementation of projects. This research provides valuable insights and practical guidelines for policymakers and development practitioners to promote sustainable agriculture in Bangladesh through specific policy and operational initiatives.
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spelling doaj-art-b5b73d28077a428b85edf4cba5c24d682025-08-20T01:56:41ZengElsevierJournal of Agriculture and Food Research2666-15432024-12-011810148610.1016/j.jafr.2024.101486Crop diversification in Bangladesh: Public policy provisions, practices, and insights for future initiativesRavi Nandi0Timothy J. Krupnik1Wais Kabir2Corresponding author.; Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) Asia Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), BangladeshSustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) Asia Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), BangladeshSustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) Asia Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), BangladeshBangladesh's agriculture and diet are highly rice-centric, although rational, risky, and arguably unsustainable. This necessitates a focus on crop diversification to enhance food security, build resilience, and promote environmental sustainability. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of crop diversification policy provisions, programs, projects, and trends in Bangladesh from 1971 to 2023, highlighting their evolution, implementation, and impacts. The objective is to inform future policy and operational decisions to enhance the effectiveness of crop diversification efforts. An integrated analytical framework is utilized, incorporating a review of historical agriculture policies, Five-Year Plans (FYPs), and 1223 project reports. The study employed the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) to quantify crop diversification and conducted Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders using a snowball sampling method. The analysis identified eight FYPs, 12 specific policies, and 81 projects, with 19 explicitly focusing on crop diversification. Despite significant policy support, implementation has faced challenges due to historical policy biases, insufficient funding, and market and project implementation challenges. The study reveals that despite numerous initiatives, crop diversification remains low, with a need for better infrastructure, market linkages, and incentives for farmers. To achieve sustainable agricultural growth, the Government of Bangladesh should mainstream crop diversification through annual budgets, enhance institutional capacities, and foster public-private partnerships, alongside strengthening the effective implementation of projects. This research provides valuable insights and practical guidelines for policymakers and development practitioners to promote sustainable agriculture in Bangladesh through specific policy and operational initiatives.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154324005234Crop diversificationPublic policyProjectsSustainable agricultureBangladesh
spellingShingle Ravi Nandi
Timothy J. Krupnik
Wais Kabir
Crop diversification in Bangladesh: Public policy provisions, practices, and insights for future initiatives
Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
Crop diversification
Public policy
Projects
Sustainable agriculture
Bangladesh
title Crop diversification in Bangladesh: Public policy provisions, practices, and insights for future initiatives
title_full Crop diversification in Bangladesh: Public policy provisions, practices, and insights for future initiatives
title_fullStr Crop diversification in Bangladesh: Public policy provisions, practices, and insights for future initiatives
title_full_unstemmed Crop diversification in Bangladesh: Public policy provisions, practices, and insights for future initiatives
title_short Crop diversification in Bangladesh: Public policy provisions, practices, and insights for future initiatives
title_sort crop diversification in bangladesh public policy provisions practices and insights for future initiatives
topic Crop diversification
Public policy
Projects
Sustainable agriculture
Bangladesh
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154324005234
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AT timothyjkrupnik cropdiversificationinbangladeshpublicpolicyprovisionspracticesandinsightsforfutureinitiatives
AT waiskabir cropdiversificationinbangladeshpublicpolicyprovisionspracticesandinsightsforfutureinitiatives