Unravelling coastal people's adaptation to salinity: evidence from Bangladesh

Abstract

Salinity as a slow onset climate change induced disaster is affecting coastal agriculture in multifarious ways. This study intends to explore various adaptation strategies that coastal people adopt to cope with the increasing saline water intrusion. To serve this purpose, the study conducted a survey with 318 landless people, 195 women and 123 men, selected purposively from two southwest coastal villages of Bangladesh. A five-point ordinal level Likert scale has been used to analyse data. Change in land use pattern, use of modern technology in agriculture, diversification of crops and income sources, using savings and harvesting rainwater were some of the adaptation strategies common in the study areas. The study found that women's ability to adapt is seriously compromised by their limited access to capital. So it is vital that the government take up specific programmes to enhance their adaptation capacity through increasing income generating activities and credit opportunities.