Floods and fluvial erosion, storms and cyclones, drought and extreme temperatures – this events not only affect the region where they happen, but also have consequences in the production of aliments of the population. In many parts of the country, the agricultural territories and the soils quality had entered a process of deterioration and the productivity is decreasing. This reduces the production of the most important agricultural products, such as rice and wheat.

 What is destroying the agricultural lands is the salinity intrusion, a process that is increasing.

For example, the victims of the extreme events of the agricultural sector do not receive any rewarding for the loss of their lands or crops. Instead of protecting the small farmers and ensure the sustainability of subsistence farming, the government promotes investment in seed production on a large scale, the use of fertilizers, chemicals and machinery.

The government calls this strategy “food security”, in contrast to the plaint of the “food sovereignty” by the Federation Krishok. This means to optimize the agricultural production through prioritizing the industrialization of the agricultural sector, the introduction of variety of high efficiency and genetically modified organisms.

To ensure the growth of the artificial seeds, they are needed chemical inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides. The principal interest of the government is to export agricultural products to earn foreign exchange. This strategy is supported by multilateral funds provided by the World Bank and other international donors, which provide donations for ¾ of this seeds and chemicals to the agricultural sector.

Millions of farmers now, share the negative effects of this concept of “food security”: The seeds are very expensive and have to be bought again every year because the ones produced by the crops are infertile and cannot be used for the next plating season. The fertilizers and the pesticides are expensive too, and they destroy the soil fertility.

According to these experiences, the farmers and small producers ask for another strategy, the “food sovereignty”. This means the right of being owner of the land, the right of being owner of the seeds and to produce for the own consume in the local market. In the context of the climate change this is seen as an important alternative against the current agricultural policies of Bangladesh:

• Maintain low investment in the agricultural production, so that natural disasters do not leave the peasants indebted.

• First of all, ensure the food supply to the local market, which also help to balance the losses of crops within the country, without relying on the external supply of aliments.

In conclusion, an agricultural policy which focuses first in the local agricultural sector so the local market will be better prepared for the needed adaptation to the climate change to be ready to face the increase of natural disasters in the following decades.