Abstract

This paper focuses on agricultural adjustment inclination in flood-prone areas in Comilla, Bangladesh. The study’s area is located in a tropical and rivers’ oriented developing country in Southeast Asia. It has a huge potential of agricultural activities, such as fertile soils of deltaic plains, vast rainfall of monsoon climate, and available labors. On the other hand, natural hazards, for examples, floods, cyclones, droughts and arsenic contaminations make a common hazardous phenomenon at this distinctive geographical location of the Bengal Basin. The study was done based on a primary survey from June 2008 to May 2009 at household levels. Moreover, an empirical field observation was carried out to decipher the trend of floods, such as river flood, flash flood, and flood due to rainfall in the study area. Also, an interview questionnaire survey was done by the experts and farmers to collect information about indigenous knowledge, traditional beliefs, and perception of agriculture and climatic trend to decrease the damages of crops from floods. In addition, farmers grow vegetables and fruits at medium and high lands (bhiti), Transferee Aman and Aus at medium and lowland, and Aman at very lowlands. Furthermore, farmers devise some strategies, such as cultivating crops for a short length growing period (LGP), and sowing hybrid seed to harvest them within an expected time. Besides these, farmers take some previous initiatives; for instance, make social networks, conduct special training for collection of crops in a short time, and arrange preservation preparation on the availability of supporting resources, types of floods, and characteristics of rainfall. However, farmers of this study area are excluded from modern technologies and information systems. Finally, the application of indigenous techniques, such as observation of flood trends, and variation of monsoon winds of farmers to adjust agricultural activities in flood prone areas, bears an enormous significance for this study.

Key words: Adjustment process, crop diversification, land levels, perception.