How Climate-Resilient Short-Duration Cold-Tolerant Rice is Securing Farmers’  Livelihood in Haor Region of Bangladesh

by Nusrat Jahan, Muhiuddin Faruquee, and Mohammad Rafiqul Islam

The Haor wetlands in northeastern Bangladesh stretches across the horizon, playing a critical role in national rice production. Spanning the districts of Habiganj, Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, and Brahmanbaria, the Haor basin supports large-scale cultivation of Boro rice during the dry season.

These low-lying marshlands contribute 25% of the country’s total Boro rice production and 15% of its annual rice output (BBS, 2023). In this region, rice is the primary livelihood for millions and a key component of national food security.

Early-season flash floods are emerging as a major threat to Boro rice production in Bangladesh’s Haor wetlands, disrupting the traditional agricultural cycle and endangering national food security. Once a predictable seasonal challenge, these floods now arrive as early as the first week of April, submerging fields before harvest and wiping out months of labor in hours.

For generations, farmers have traditionally followed a predictable cycle of planting and harvesting rice based on the natural seasonal patterns of rain and flooding in the Haor wetlands to grow Boro rice, using more than 80% of the land for this crop. However, this natural rhythm is now being disrupted. Floods, which once came later in the season, now arrive much earlier due to unpredictable rainfall and climate change. Fields that were once full of rice are now flooded, leaving farmers with no harvest and significant losses. The balance between the land and rain that has supported farming for centuries is at risk. As the floods increase, the need for a solution becomes more urgent.