Challenges in Modern Agriculture

^{26 November 2024
#Bangladesh 🇧🇩}

As-salamu Alaikum.
Hello Steemians! This is @arjinarahman .
Hope you all are doing great. Today, I’m taking part in an awesome contest in the "Steem-Agro" community, organized by @muhammad-ahmad Sir .
Here is: Contest Link .
Let’s begin!

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◉ What are some of the biggest challenges faced by farmers today?

	Challenges in Agriculture

Many problems affect crops, income and livelihood of Bangladeshi farmers. Climate Change is one of the biggest problems because it has increased the occurrence of natural disasters such as heavy rain, floods, cyclones, droughts and heatwaves. These events ruin crops and put farmers in big losses. cyclones are especially harmful to coastal areas is that they often destroy fields and homes. Soil salinity is another serious problem in coastal areas. That is because salty water from the sea mixes with the soil, so that land becomes less fertile to grow crop like rice and jute. Water shortages to irrigate are also the farmers' headache. Farms are going dry as rivers and canals are drying up, farmers can't get enough water for field. During the dry season, this is a big problem.

Our Paddy Field

Another problem is that farmers don’t get fair prices for their production. However the middlemen control the market and consequently the farmers are forced to sell off their crops at a very low price. As a result, they have hardly any cash left to pay their costs or do anything to enhance their farm methods. Most farmers can't avail modern tools and seeds as well as the required farming knowledge which makes it harder to increase productivity. All of these issues come together, making farming a very difficult profession in Bangladesh.

◉ How does climate change impact agricultural productivity?

Impact of Climate Change

Farming in Bangladesh is already facing some serious challenges related to climate change. Among the country's farmers, most depend on seasonal rain to grow crops. But now climate change makes the weather unpredictable; there’s too much rain or not enough rain. If it rains too much, floods and waterlogging of fields happen. It damages crops and sometimes it destroys entire harvests. It creates financial trouble, since farmers lose first their crops and then the money they invested in them. One the other hand, we are seeing more frequent droughts and heatwaves. Crop growth during the summer is hampered by high temperatures, which cuts down the amount of food farmers can grow.

It's making things even worse in coastal areas. Salts in farmland are increasingly high because salty water from the sea is seeping in. Most crops don’t grow well in salty soil which makes it bad for farming. So farmers in these areas are producing less than they used to. Farmers are having a harder time growing crops, making money or sustaining a livelihood because of climate change overall.

◉ What innovations or technologies are emerging to help farmers address these challenges?

Technologies in Agriculture

New technologies and innovations have started solving the problems of farmers in Bangladesh. One example is that of drones. But this number is small. Drones are used by farmers, who take pictures of their fields from above. This aids in helping them to find out where it will need some water, fertilizer or pest control. Drones are used by farmers to help them tend to their crops more efficiently, reducing the time and money wasted when managing the largest farms. Solar powered irrigation pumps are another important innovation. As opposed to electricity or fuel, these pumps run on sunlight. This is great for farmers where electricity is not available. Solar powered pumps make it easy to water their crops, especially when the dry season kicks in.

Better seeds are also used by farmers now, that are more resistant to droughts, floods, or pests. These improved seeds enable farmers grow crops even under harsh weather conditions. Additionally organic fertilisers and environmentally friendly farming techniques are also aiding improve soil quality that increase crop yields. Other organizations and the government are however giving farmers training on modern farming techniques. With mobile apps, farmers can now receive advice on when to plant crops, how to deal with pests, and how to improve productivity. Many of the challenges farmers face are being overcome with these technologies and innovations which are helping them to farm more efficiently.

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