Climate Change Renews Interest in Homegrown Rice Varieties
Dr. Shamim Mia and his team are completing a “genetic mapping and analysis” that could demonstrate the potential yield—and financial returns—of indigenous seeds, especially in coastal regions. [Photo: Zakir Hossain, Policy LINK Regional Coordinator, Barishal]
Known as germplasms, the indigenous varieties are more resilient to climate change than their hybrid and high-yielding cousins.
With a history of rice cultivation that goes back centuries, Bangladesh boasts more than nine thousand indigenous varieties of the staple food. Known as germplasms, each of these varieties is registered and preserved through a handful of state-run gene banks.
In the fields, though, so-called hybrid and “cultivar” germplasms, which are selectively bred to generate high yields, have crowded out indigenous varieties. And that, say scientists at one of the country’s leading research institutions, could be causing more harm than good.
At issue is the indigenous varieties’ ability to “withstand a high level of biotic and abiotic stresses.” That’s according to a team of agronomists at the Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), named after the southern coastal district where it is located. Put simply, homegrown germplasms are more resilient to climate change than their hybrid and high-yielding cousins.
Add to that the indigenous varieties’ more nutrient-rich profile, and it’s clear that what Bangladeshi rice farmers have been relying on to feed the country may be pitting quantity against quality, leaving the nutritional intake of the average household at risk.
That’s why the team at PTSU, through a collaboration with Texas Tech University, has been busy researching the tolerance of coastal rice varieties to submerged conditions. Their research, say Policy LINK experts, could prompt policy changes that would renew interest in indigenous germplasms—among both farmers and consumers.
How Climate Change Is Impacting Agricultural Production in Bangladesh
Many of the regions where Policy LINK works face severe threats from climate change. Experts estimate that, in just the last 35 years, climate change-induced salinization of soil and water increased by an estimated 26 percent across Bangladesh, adversely affecting production of various crops—both around coastal areas and deeper inland.
Getting there, says PTSU Associate Professor Dr. Shamim Mia, will mean building the business case for indigenous varieties. He and his team are completing a “genetic mapping and analysis” that, Dr. Mia believes, could demonstrate the potential yield—and financial returns—of indigenous seeds, especially in coastal regions.
Similar research, including on jute—of which Bangladesh produces up to a third of the world’s supply—has failed to appeal to buyers and mass consumers, who place a premium on bulk production and low prices. With private seed companies flooding the market with hybrid varieties, Dr. Mia worries that a move back to indigenous rice might also fall flat.
He says that the only way indigenous seeds will stand a fighting chance is if the government can incentivize the private sector to actively produce and market them while also supporting awareness-building efforts among farmers.
Strengthening the capacity of agricultural actors and institutions like PTSU to press for policy change is a key pillar of the Feed the Future Bangladesh Policy LINK Agricultural Policy Activity. By engaging a wide range of stakeholders, the team is working to ensure more inclusive policy formulation and implementation, including in the seed sector.
On November 15 and 17, 2021, for example, the Policy LINK activity convened consecutive workshops with a total of 67 public- and private-sector representatives on national seed policy in Cox’s Bazar, the southeastern coastal district hosting a displaced Rohingya population, and Bandarban, the hilly southeastern district that makes up one-third of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Many of the regions where Policy LINK works face severe threats from climate change. Experts estimate that, in just the last 35 years, climate change-induced salinization of soil and water increased by an estimated 26 percent across Bangladesh, adversely affecting production of various crops—both around coastal areas and deeper inland.
To learn more about Policy LINK’s work in Bangladesh, please see here.
Resources
Check out the website of the Department of Agronomy at the Patuakhali Science and Technology University.