An Assessment of Inclusion in the Governance of Bangladesh’s Agri-Food System to Face Climate Crisis

This exploratory study relied on secondary data review relating to inclusive governance in agri-food systems, as well as an analysis of Bangladesh’s contemporary agriculture, food systems, climate change, conservation, and natural resource management policies and interventions. Based on the literature review, key practices/initiatives were mapped against an analytical framework consisting of seven dimensions of inclusive governance, namely representation, participation, capacity and skills, accessibility, financial resources, knowledge system, and innovation. This review also helped to identify governance challenges and gaps based on four dimensions of food systems: environment, economy, society and culture, and policy and governance, which were mapped against seven dimensions of inclusive governance. Finally, to identify the opportunities to address the governance challenges in a more socially inclusive and gender equitable way, this research focused on several issues which will contribute to transforming the agri-food system of Bangladesh making it more resilient under changing climate

Comparative limnology of waters in a coniferous forest: is a generalisation possible?

The high density of meres and mosses in the Delamere area comes from numerous moraine-hollows formed after the melting of stranded ice-blocks following last glaciation. The main vegetation is of conifers along with some deciduous species and the area was designated as a National Forest Park in 1987. It has been managed since the beginning of the 19th century and is a popular tourist area with walking, orienteering, cycling and educational activities. In recent years this forest park has been attracting over half a million people per year. This paper studies the limnology of different aquatic habitats in the Delamere Forest area in order to give some insight into the waters of a coniferous, temperate forest area, which has so far been largely unexplored. The authors assume therefore, thought that despite apparent large variability in origin, age, surface area, morphometry, catchment size and hydraulic regime, the waters of Delamere Forest might share some revealing chemical and biological features. Seven water-bodies in the Delamere Forest Park area, namely, Black Lake, Blakemere Moss, Delamere Lake, Delamere Quarry, Hatchmere, Windyhowe Farm Spring and Fir Brook were sampled, their water chemistry and dissolved organic carbon and the occurrence of phytoplankton and zooplankton species examined. In a final chapter the authors analyse their findings for patterns

Comparative limnology of waters in a coniferous forest: is a generalisation possible?

The British Isles have several well-known lake districts: the Scottish lochs, Irish loughs, Cumbrian Lake District and the Broads in Norfolk and Suffolk. The West Midland region (including Cheshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire) also has a high concentration of lakes. These lakes (mostly known as meres) share some common features. They are lowland, glacial in origin, with high pH, high Ca content and usually fertile. They appear to be more frequently limited by nitrogen than in other areas. Descriptions of these meres and mosses (raised peat mires developed on former meres) can be found in Lind (1949), Tallis (1973) and Reynolds (1979) but the emphasis has been given on the central and southern parts of the region. Delamere Forest (ca. 970 ha, latitude 53°13’45”N and longitude2°40’15”W, National Grid Reference (NGR) SJ550706) is located to the  north-west of the region and its lakes have had less attention. It is situated on the glacial sand and gravel deposits overlying the Mercia Mudstone Group (mostly Lower Mudstone, but also Northwich Halite and Tarporley Siltstones) in the north Cheshire Plain. The high density of meres and mosses in the Delamere area comes from numerous moraine-hollows formed after the melting of stranded ice-blocks following last glaciation. The main vegetation is of conifers along with some deciduous species (Fairhurst 1988) and the area was designated as a National Forest Park in 1987. It has been managed since the beginning of the 19th century and is a popular tourist area with walking, orienteering, cycling and educational activities. In recent years this forest park has been attracting over half a million people per year

Social-ecological vulnerability to climate change and risk governance in coastal fishing communities of Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, fishing communities are one of the most climate-vulnerable groups, though they play an important role in economic development. The main objective of this study was to identify vulnerability by exploring exposure (i.e., lack of regulating services or household capitals), susceptibility (i.e., lack of access to provisioning services), and lack of resilience (i.e., lack of alternative livelihoods and capacity) and to explore adaptation options, and challenges to understand risk governance. The study considered 45 published research articles for analysis following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Keywords were used in combinations (e.g., fishing communities and Bangladesh) to identify and screen published articles. Articles published in English focusing on vulnerability and/or risk governance, published between 2011 and 2022, featuring original empirical data or a comprehensive systematic review, and published in peer-reviewed journals were included. Articles were excluded if vulnerability and risk governance were evaluated but did not fit or match the definition used in this study. The study found frequent disasters and ocean warming caused different stresses, such as reduced fish catch and income, and resulted in an increased risk of fisheries conflict. Moreover, fishing communities have limited access to properties, modern fishing equipment, financial institutions, and fisher-centered organizations. Adaptation strategies include ecosystem-based (e.g., plantation, payment for ecosystem services) and non-ecosystem-based (e.g., temporary migration, getting help from neighbors) approaches. To boost fish production, the Government of Bangladesh instituted fishing restrictions and social safety net programs (e.g., distributing rice during the fishing restrictions); both initiatives were helpful. However, the conservation policies are not being implemented properly, and there is no particular social welfare, such as banking systems, and low- or no-interest loans being provided that may support fishers to buy fishing equipment or generate alternative income sources. Considering the previous evidence of risks, this paper recommends that fisheries conservation policies be implemented properly, and fishing communities be provided with insurance services and no- or low-interest loans. This will contribute to reducing the climate-induced social-ecological risk and improve sustainable livelihoods that can withstand any regional, national, or local crisis

Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience (SHEAR) scoping study: Annex 3 - Early warning system and risk assessment case studies

This report provides case studies of Early Warning Systems (EWSs) and risk assessments encompassing three main hazard types: drought; flood and cyclone. The case studies are taken from ten countries across three continents (focusing on Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean). The case studies have been developed to assist the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to prioritise areas for Early Warning System (EWS) related research under their ‘Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience’ (SHEAR) programme. The aim of these case studies is to ensure that DFID SHEAR research is informed by the views of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and communities engaged with Early Warning Systems and risk assessments (including community-based Early Warning Systems). The case studies highlight a number of challenges facing Early Warning Systems (EWSs). These challenges relate to financing; integration; responsibilities; community interpretation; politics; dissemination; accuracy; capacity and focus. The case studies summarise a number of priority areas for EWS related research: • Priority 1: Contextualising and localising early warning information • Priority 2: Climate proofing current EWSs • Priority 3: How best to sustain effective EWSs between hazard events? • Priority 4: Optimising the dissemination of risk and warning information • Priority 5: Governance and financing of EWSs • Priority 6: How to support EWSs under challenging circumstances • Priority 7: Improving EWSs through monitoring and evaluating the impact and effectiveness of those system

Comparative studies on two unusual shallow lakes

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Tobacco cultivation in Bangladesh: is it a threat to traditional agro-practice?

481-485The impacts of tobacco cultivation on traditional agro-practices and knowledge, food security, agro-biodiversity and socio-economic conditions of a remote hilly tribal community of Bangladesh were investigated. Sixty per cent households were found practicing shifting cultivation compared with 10 yrs back changing local food availability. Local crop varieties were being lost due to low cultivation and weak seed preservation system. Despite better benefits from traditional cultivation, 90% people now fully depended upon tobacco cultivation for significant cash flow at a time. Increasing dependency upon tobacco cultivation is apparently making people economically vulnerable due to potential low sustainability

Reading Nature’s Mind: Disaster management by indigenous peoples of Bangladesh

80-90The paper summarizes the traditional means of forecasting and preparing for 17 natural hazards by the indigenous communities of the Southeastern hilly region of Bangladesh, a region not well-understood in terms of impacts of natural disasters. The study records communities’ perceptions of the frequency and severity of hazards over the last decade and identified

Cornell University Webinar Series: How academic libraries can contribute to global development

Speaker bios are also included.Speakers: Gerald Beasley, Cornell University Librarian (Host); Ellen Tise, Senior Director, Library and Information Services at Stellenbosch University; Haseeb Irfanullah, Independent Consultant – Environment, Climate Change, & Research System, and Visiting Research Fellow, CSD, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), Bangladesh; Mary Ochs, Director, Albert R. Mann Library (Webinar moderator)Webinar on the topic: How does the research supported by academic libraries help move the SDGs forward? Please join us on Thursday December 5th, 2019 at 9am EDT to hear about the perspective from Africa and South Asia on what academic libraries are doing to help enhance the work towards the 2030 SDGs.1_ptzvnuo

Vulnerability and ecosystem-based adaptation in the farming communities of droughtprone Northwest Bangladesh

Agriculture is sensitive to climate change as it depends on temperature and rainfall patterns for crop production. Though Bangladesh's recent growth in its agriculture sector is remarkable, the farmer community living in the northwest region of Bangladesh faces drought every year that negatively affects agriculture, ecology, and society. However, studies focusing on farmer communities' vulnerability to drought and adaptation options through a social-ecological lens are limited. The present study used a framework that combines social-ecological vulnerability (i.e., exposure, sensitivity, and lack of resilience) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) strategies and linked them with risk governance (i.e., organization, planning, and implementation) to understand social-ecological risk and adaptation. Data was collected through 50 in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions with the farmer communities of the Tanore sub-district of Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. We found that increased temperature, lack of water availability, change in rainfall pattern, and limited availability of drought-resilient crop seeds increased farmers’ vulnerability to drought. Farmers were shifting from traditional farming practices to more ecosystem-based, integrated farming practices that are less climate-sensitive. Combined agriculture, selecting drought-tolerant rice varieties, and shifting cropping patterns were some strategies that farmers adopted to address risks. However, the adaptation of these strategies was not well-governed. Farmers opined some strategies that could be initiated at the organization (e.g., local government support), planning (e.g., planning farming skill development), and implementation (e.g., restoring water bodies) levels to help the community to reduce risk. The study would aid in framing governance measures to reduce vulnerability and risk in agriculture-dominated social-ecological systems