The impacts of increasing climatic variability and change are global
concerns but in Bangladesh, where large numbers of people are
chronically exposed and vulnerable to a range of natural hazards,
they are particulary critical. Agriculture is the largest sector of the
economy, but agricultural production is already under pressure from
increasing demands for food. Increasing climate variability and
climate change are expected to aggravate vulnerabilities further by
causing more frequent and intense droughts and increasing
temperatures. Within this context, FAO and the Asian Disaster
Preparedness Center are guiding the project "Livelihood adaptation
to climate variability and change in the drought-prone areas of
Northwest Bangladesh", which is implemented under the
Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme and in close
collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Extension. It is
specifically designed to characterize livelihood systems, profile
vulnerable groups, assess past and current climate impacts, and
increase understanding of local perceptions of climate impacts,
coping capacities and existing adaptation strategies.
As part of this initiative, a series of capacity-building and training
activities on climate change impacts and adaptation to drought has
been undertaken for national and local-level technical working
group members, disaster managers and community representatives.
This resource book, Climate variability and change: adaptation to
drought in Bangladesh, has been tested and prepared as a reference
and guide for further training and capacity building of agricultural
extension workers and development professionals to deal with
climate change impacts and adaptation, using the example of
drought-prone areas of Bangladesh. It also presents suggestions for a
three-day training course that would be readily adaptable for any
areas of Bangladesh affected by climate-related risks. The
information presented on climate change adaptation would enable
participants to prepare, demonstrate and implement location-specific
adaptation practices and, thus, to improve the adaptive capacity of
rural livelihoods to climate change in agriculture and allied sectors.