Agriculture is the lifeline of Bangladesh economy, with its contribution to GDP
at more than 25 percent, and providing the livelihood of 51 percent of the civilian
labour force. High population growth has doubled the population in the last 35 years
to 123 million and arable land per capita has shrunk to 0.06 ha, one of the lowest in the
world. This pressure, combined with the growing demand for food, fuel and fodder,
has begun to disrupt the natural resource base in Bangladesh. Land degradation has
resulted in the loss of plant nutrients and germplasm base because of the lack of proper
management and conservation measures. The problem has been aggravated by the
increased frequency and severity of natural disasters such as floods, drought, cyclones
and tidal surges.