Netrokona: A public dialogue titled “South Asian Public Dialogue on Addressing the Climate Crisis: From the Himalayas to the Haor Wetlands” was held here in the district today. The event aimed to tackle the pressing issues of climate change affecting the region, particularly focusing on the hilly and haor areas.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the dialogue took place at the Parimal Rema Agroecology Centre in Chandigar village, located in the border area of Kalmakanda upazila. It was a collaborative effort between the non-governmental research organisation BARCIK and the Green Coalition. Participants included development workers from Nepal’s Social Work Institute and farmers from Bangladesh, who gathered to discuss the increasing impacts of climate change.
For generations, communities in these regions have contended with natural challenges such as droughts, floods, flash floods, hill torrents, and other extreme weather events. The dialogue highlighted how climate change has exacerbated these issues, particularly affecting farmers.
Speakers at the event stressed the importance of agroecology as a potential solution to the climate crisis, extending from the Himalayas to Bangladesh’s hills and haor wetlands. The discussion included contributions from six development workers from Nepal, alongside 31 male and female farmers from Bangladesh’s border regions, and BARCIK development workers. Notable attendees included BARCIK Director Syed Ali Bishwas, Regional Coordinator Ahidur Rahman, Gunjun Rema, and Md Alamgir.
During the dialogue, farmers voiced concerns about climate-related risks such as hill torrents, sand deposition, and agricultural crises. They shared indigenous coping strategies and expressed their commitment to implementing agroecological practices at the household level.
The dialogue identified several key issues, including flash floods, sand accumulation, lightning, dependency on market-based vegetables during monsoons, crop damage from dense fog, losses from cold weather, rising crop diseases and pests, heat damage, excessive pesticide use, and irrigation water shortages.
Members of the Nepali delegation shared insights into initiatives being implemented by farmers and communities in Nepal to combat the effects of climate change, offering valuable perspectives on potential adaptive strategies.