| Author | Akter, Arifeen |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.NR-10-04 |
| Subject(s) | Sea level--Bangladesh
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| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Natural Resources Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. NR-10-04 |
| Abstract | Bangladesh, being a low lying developing country, is already recognized by the global community as one of the most adversely affected countries by climate change consequences. In the context of climate change impacts, the large coastal belt of Bangladesh is predicted to be highly vulnerable to sea-level rise during the coming days. This research, therefore, aims to understand the patterns and factors of households’ vulnerability in the south-eastern coastal part of Bangladesh in face of sea-level rise induced risks. At the very beginning, the study puts the evidence of sea-level rise risks from existing researches and meteorological reports regarding the historical reports as well as the future prediction. To get the level of perception of the coastal farming community about the risks they are subjected to, the randomly selected respondents were provided with a comprehensive list of potential risks of sea-level rise. They were asked for their perception of observed changes during the household survey. The research finds that the farmers do have some perceptions on the observed changes and the potential impacts of these changes on their crop fields. They could identify the major risks for their real world situation and which they are extremely vulnerable to. Heavy and erratic rainfall and storm surge flood were identified as the major risks by the farmers. The study also looked into the knowledge base of the farmers regarding the climate change issues and the factors that influence their knowledge and perception. Different demographic as well as socio-economic features of the farmers are analyzed to get their association with perception. The research looked in details into the household strategies to explore the adaptation behavior and options of the farmers and the factors that influence adaptation intention as well. It is found that some of the farmers are adapting with the changed conditions by reducing farming scale and diversifying their livelihoods into other non-farm jobs. While other farmers are taking different initiatives, both short term and long term, to adjust their farming practices with the observed environmental changes. As a final point, the study developed a typology of farmers based on the criteria of their farming based adaptation measures. This typology aims to group the farmers into different categories, each of which would have similar characteristics and interests. The study has also discussed the existing national policy structure regarding climate change adaptation and analyzed the potential implications of this policy in the real world situation. This policy analysis would help find out the gaps and barriers between the policy formulation and implementation process. Finally, the study concludes by giving some recommendation with a view to facilitate future policy makers by providing them with the information of problems, needs and demands of each type of farmers so that they could set actions for each group addressing specific problems and needs. |
| Year | 2010 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. NR-10-04 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Natural Resources Management (NRM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Cochard, Roland;Perret, Sylvain R.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Ahmad, Mokbul Morshed; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2010 |