Syed Navid Anjum Hasan
Bangladesh is a land of green fields. But it is also a mirror of the history, culture, food habits, and ways of life of the people. Every paddy field is a source of rice and is tied to festivals, rituals, and culinary traditions. There was a time when the country was a treasury of countless indigenous varieties of rice. Kanakchur, Maul, Kelas, Nolpai, Kanchali, Gandharaj, Malshira, Kalobadshabhog, Sitabhog, Hironmoyee, Hironmoni, and so on were names that were not just crops but living parts of the Bengali culture. Varieties such as Pankhiraj, Gobindobhog, Mogai Balam, Rupkotha, Radhunipagol, and Pangash are mostly cultivated in the Barind region. These were varieties of rice cultivated by farmers and inspired by creativity and resilience.
Unfortunately, climate change is making the disappearance of this rich agricultural heritage a reality. In the southern coastal belts, rising salinity, prolonged droughts in the northwest and frequent cyclones along the coast have destroyed the ecosystems that nurtured these varieties. The balance these varieties depended on for centuries is gone due to erratic rainfall, extreme heat, and flooding. What was once culture rooted in the fields, is now facing severe threat. The precedented bond developed over centuries between rice farmers, local ecology and rice, will be lost forever, along with food security, cultural identity, and biodiversity, if not addressed with urgent conservation.
The threat of disappearance
The loss of indigenous rice varieties represents a loss of food security, nutrition, and a portion of cultural history. Many rice varieties that once sustained many generations are now completely gone or are in the process of disappearing. Farmers in Satkhira remember Gandharaj rice, now so rare, being sold 3 times the modern rice price during festivals only. In Rajshahi, Malshira and Hironmoyee were delightful rice to eat, but are now completely unknown to this generation.
The effects of climate change on these varieties are undeniable. Long dry spells, erratic floods, and salinity intrusion only worsen the challenges faced by already vulnerable rice strains. Indisputably, indigenous rice varieties are more nutritious, lower in glycemic index, and high quality than most high-yielding varieties (HYVs). The loss of these rice varieties is a most understated problem that is worsening climate-induced malnutrition during times of rice abundance.
The modern rice revolution
The Green Revolution of the 1960s was based on “high-yielding varieties” (HYVs), which promised quick turnarounds on farm fields. Farmers with the pressures of food security and loans with government subsidies embraced them swiftly. However, in short order, they began requiring more chemical fertilizers and pesticides to boost productivity, and highly depended on irrigation, leaving the soil degraded, and groundwater depleted. Furthermore, their short straw rendered them useless for traditional practices such as fodder for cattle and roofing.
Climate change has exacerbated these inherent weaknesses; as temperatures rise, they require increased water use, while rainfall requires more planning and becomes riskier. Salinity and drought further limit water availability and reduce productivity, unlike many of the indigenous varieties used historically that produce well under difficult conditions. Climate models estimate Bangladesh has already lost over 80% of its traditional rice biodiversity in only 50 years- a legacy of modern farming and climate change.
Climate change worsens the crisis
The climate crisis has brought indigenous rice to the brink. In coastal areas such as Barguna and Satkhira, seawater intrusion has increased soil salinity so much that varieties like Kanchali and Gandharaj can no longer survive. In the drought-prone Barind region, heat and erratic rainfall affect the flowering of indigenous varieties such as Hironmoyee, Malshira, and Kalobadshabhog. Cyclones and storm surges damage standing crops and can wash away the seeds stored by farmers, removing the climate resilience built by generations of cultivation and seed-saving.
In Bogura, once a cranberry oasis, the rain is unpredictable and can cause wet and dry flowering. Ansar Ali, a farmer, said that the seed is alive, but the climate isn’t the same. Ali’s words reflect the deep frustration of generations of farmers who see their ancestral knowledge fail to help them adapt to climate change.
A call for local action and conservation facing climate change
The battle for indigenous rice is about more than simply agriculture; it is about identity, culture, and resilience to climate change. Conserving these varieties is about conserving biodiversity, nutrition, food sovereignty, and hundreds of years of indigenous knowledge. Climate stresses, from rising salinity to erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and cyclones, have already driven many traditional rice varieties to the edge of extinction. It is time for swift action to protect our crops, and the cultural and ecological heritage they embody, before they are gone.
Notwithstanding these challenges, conservation of this crop is gaining traction. NGOs, research organisations, and farmer collectives are using community seed banks, education, and creation of niche markets for indigenous rice varieties. Experts emphasise the need for government stimulation to preserve biodiversity in addition to high-yielding varieties. The introduction of Geographical Indication (GI) tags for varieties such as Gandharaj or Sitabhog may protect these varieties as cultural assets and provide farmers with new income streams.
Moreover, while building on these efforts Bangladesh thirdly needs to incorporate climate adaptation strategies to enable not just indigenous rice, but also the youth, institutions, and ultimately the resilience of farmers’ agricultural practices to flourish in a changing environment. Conservation is not just about preserving seeds, it is about securing food, culture, and identity for future generations.
The writer is a development worker
