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Prioritization of adaptation measures for improved agricultural water management in Northwest Bangladesh

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Abstract

Adaptation strategies are essential to manage water demand and ensure optimal use of available water resources under climate change. Identification and prioritization of adaptation options would greatly support decision-making in drought-prone Northwest Bangladesh. This study identified climate adaptation options by literature review and stakeholder consultation, then used multi-criteria analysis to evaluate and prioritize the options. The complexity of the options was also evaluated, specifically social, institutional, and technical obstacles to their local uptake. Seventy-two adaptation options were identified, spanning six sector categories. The options were further classified as in-system dependent, i.e., options that could be implemented by local actors, or as out-system dependent, i.e., options reliant on actions by external actors. Finally, they were defined as on-farm or off-farm strategies. Transboundary cooperation to increase surface water flows was ranked as the overall top-priority option, though this option is very complex and out-system dependent. Integrated water resources management and integrated crop management were the top-ranked options in the water management and crop production management sectors, respectively. Clustering scattered households and offering training programs in on-farm water management were the most and least complex measures, respectively. Stakeholders exhibited a clear preference for higher scale out-system dependent strategies, rather than in-system dependent options focused on changing the agricultural system itself to cope with climate change. Nonetheless, it is recommended that short-term and medium-term planning focus on opportunities to implement achievable adaptation measures within the local agricultural system. Investment in complex, externally dependent strategies is important for long-term planning.

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Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely acknowledge the Nuffic NICHE-BGD-155 project for granting the fellowship to Tapos Kumar Acharjee for his PhD study at Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands. We would also like to acknowledge Michelle Luijben for proofreading the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Irrigation and Water Management, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

    Tapos Kumar Acharjee & Md. Abdul Mojid

  2. Water Resources Management Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Petra Hellegers & Gerardo van Halsema

  3. Water Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Fulco Ludwig

  4. Wageningen Environmental Research (Alterra), Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Catharien Terwisscha van Scheltinga

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  1. Tapos Kumar Acharjee
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  2. Petra Hellegers
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  4. Gerardo van Halsema
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  5. Md. Abdul Mojid
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  6. Catharien Terwisscha van Scheltinga
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Correspondence to Tapos Kumar Acharjee.

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Appendix

Appendix

Table 5 Adaptation options under crop production management category
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Table 6 Adaptation options under land use management category
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Table 7 Adaptation options under water management category
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Table 8 Adaptation options under environmental management category
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Table 9 Adaptation options under social and institutional management category
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Table 10 Adaptation options under education and research category
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Acharjee, T.K., Hellegers, P., Ludwig, F. et al. Prioritization of adaptation measures for improved agricultural water management in Northwest Bangladesh. Climatic Change 163, 431–450 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-020-02852-w

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