Drought is an extreme and frequent event in the north-west region of Bangladesh and it adversely affects the livelihood of the farming community. Identifying the coping strategies that farmers use in the face of drought is crucial in order to understand how farmers minimize the effects of drought on their production, especially in the face of climatic changes that may impact the occurrence of extreme weather events. The purpose of this study was to assess farmers’ coping strategies for droughts by identifying which strategies are used and the influencing factors. A mixed methods approach using qualitative and quantitative data was employed. Preliminary data were collected using structured interviews and focus group discussions in which the findings were triangulated in order to design a questionnaire. The study respondents were 100 farmers operating in north-west Bangladesh. The findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics, coefficient of correlation, multiple linear and step-wise regressions. The results reveal that the respondents have limited drought coping strategies, even though the region is prone to frequent droughts. Among the fourteen identified drought coping strategies, the use of deep tube wells for irrigation water was the most widely reported and the farmers perceived it as the most important coping strategy. Shallow tube wells closely followed as the second most commonly used coping strategy reported by the respondents. Among the identified coping strategies, the least practiced was the use of treadle pumps. The findings from the study showed that age, education, farm size, annual family income, extension media contact, and organization participation were significantly associated with the choice of coping strategy that the farmers employed. Additionally, farm size, age, and education were identified as influential factors that affected the farmers’ choice of which drought coping strategies to use. The study identified important issues for policy makers engaged with governmental programs that aim to enhance the farmers’ drought coping mechanisms. The methods employed and the results of this study could be usefully applied in other districts of Bangladesh, or other areas of the world suffering from the negative effects of drought on agricultural production.

Low vaccination coverage of livestock is one of the major challenges to control anthrax in Bangladesh. This study was conducted to assess an alternate approach to maximize vaccination coverage. The method included traditional vaccination campaigns, livestock census, interviews, focus group discussions of cattle farmers, vaccination and livestock personnel, and validation workshops. It was observed that a mass vaccination program covered only 44% of the cattle population. It was found that 54.1% of the respondents did not bring their cattle to mass vaccination programs due to the difficulties of handling cattle and that there was no male member in the household. Only 12.5% of respondents acknowledged that they were not aware of the vaccine, and 3% of the respondents claimed that they ignored vaccination due to cost. All of the respondents from livestock personnel agreed that manpower was not enough to cover the total area. Further, 20% of vaccinators mentioned that they did not get enough vaccines. For an effective vaccination program, 58.33% of respondents recommended door-to-door service, and 54.16% of respondents suggested to arrange regular vaccination campaigns in six-month intervals. Thus, regular campaigns with door-to-door vaccination services are suggested to control anthrax outbreaks in Bangladesh.

Agriculture is responsible for giving rise to huge quantities of degradable and non-degradable waste during various farming activities. A deeper understanding of farmers’ perceptions and levels of agro-waste management capacity is essential in developing locally accepted strategies for agro-waste management. This study was framed to analyze vegetable farmers’ perception and capacity for Bangladesh’s 3Rs waste management concept (reduce, reuse, and recycle). A total of 125 farmers were selected following a stratified proportionate random sampling technique and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The findings of this study indicate that intercultural and harvesting practices produce a large variety of bio-degradable and non-degradable waste materials compared to other stages of vegetable production and marketing of produce. The overall score showed that the vegetable farmers’ have a medium (39.2%) to high (60.8%) perception of the 3Rs waste management concept, but they possessed a low perception of recycling agro-waste. However, the overall capacity score for 3Rs waste management was low (67.2%) to medium (31.2%), indicating a low capacity of vegetable growers to recycle different types of waste. This study offers suggestions for a development program that includes special training facilities for vegetable growers to strengthen their waste management capabilities based on the 3Rs concept.

The purposes of this study were to determine the present state of use of eco-friendly crop production practices by the beneficiaries of “safe crop production through eco-friendly approaches” project and non-beneficiary smallholder farmers and to explore the factors that may influence their use. The study’s population was the smallholder farmers of 2 villages (Darirampur and Birrampur Uzanpara) of Rampur union under Trishal upazila (sub-district) of Bangladesh. 60 beneficiaries and 60 non-beneficiaries were randomly selected as samples from a population of 270 beneficiaries and 585 non-beneficiaries. Thus, the total sample was 120 smallholder farmers. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The respondents were asked to give responses regarding their use of 21 practices following a 4-point rating scale. The highest proportion (95%) of the beneficiaries had medium extent of use, whereas highest proportion (85%) of the non-beneficiaries had low extent of use. The multiple linear regression analysis showed educational level, annual income, training experience, extension media contact, knowledge, and attitude toward eco-friendly crop production practices were the influential variables for the beneficiaries explaining 81.8% variation. However, for the non-beneficiaries, annual income, training experience, organizational participation, and credit received were the influential variables explaining 78.1% variation. The beneficiaries are more environmentally conscious than the non-beneficiaries, which highlights the need for authorities to involve more farmers in future projects to ensure safe crop production and better environmental health.

The growing threats of climate change are extremely acute for the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Understanding the use of adaptation strategies is crucial for overcoming these challenges and formulating effective adaptation policies. This study's goals were to find out the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents in coastal areas, to find out their use of adaptation strategies, and to find out the reasons of using and not using them. We collected data through surveys conducted in four villages within the Patharghata and Barguna Upazilas specifically targeting farmers who had implemented at least two adaptation strategies. The highest number of respondents moderately uses adaptation strategies in both areas. In terms of adoption rates, the salt-tolerant rice seeds and training were highest in both areas. However, barriers to adoption were also prevalent, with insufficient support and time constraints identified as significant challenges. The study highlights the importance of education and extension services in promoting adaptation strategies, alongside institutional support for overcoming barriers to adoption. To improve coastal Bangladeshi farmers' resilience against climate change, educational programs, strengthened agricultural extension services, collaboration between government and non-governmental organizations, community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation systems are recommended. J Bangladesh Agril Univ 23(2): 157-165, 2025

Drought is a natural phenomenon linked to reduced rainfall, affecting crop husbandry in Mediterranean semi-arid conditions like the northwestern region of Bangladesh. A study was conducted in three upazilas, Chapainawabganj Sadar, Lalpur, and Godagari, involving 180 farmers. The results showed that most farmers had a vulnerability level ranging from slightly to moderately vulnerable to crops. However, a small number of people were in low vulnerability, indicating they practiced coping strategies during drought severity. The vulnerability of crops increased with exposure and sensitivity index and lower adaptive capacity. The study found that farmers experienced high severity of drought, with 78.9% experiencing medium effects, crop damage, high irrigation costs, and low income. To reduce crop vulnerability, the government and development agencies should provide technical support, such as re excavation of ponds and canals, rainwater storage facilities, new irrigation projects, extension services, education, income-generating opportunities, and water conservation measures. This will help reduce the vulnerability of crops to drought and improve crop management. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 14(1&2): 72-80, 2025