Soil Management and Food Security Through Climate-Smart Agriculture in Drought-Prone Barind Area, Northwest Bangladesh

Abstract

Climate change is an enormous challenge to food security and sustainability in agriculture, especially in dry areas like the Barind Tract of Bangladesh. The low resilience of smallholder agricultural systems can be attributed to the production risk associated with the degradation of the soil, a reduction in organic content, and a reduction in groundwater. Against this backdrop, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has come out as a combined strategy that at the same time increases productivity, builds resilience to changes, and avoids negative effects on the environment. This review paper evaluates the importance of sustainable management of soils in the context of CSA and how it will impact enhancing food security in the Barind region. It is a review of literature that is currently available on the practice of CSA, soil fertility management, and climate adaptation to semi-arid agroecologies. Some of the most important soil management interventions are conservation agriculture, organic amendments, biochar application, agroforestry systems, and moisture conservation. All of these practices aid in better soil structure, higher levels of water retention, and improved nutrient cycling, thus ensuring more stable crop production under climate stress. These interventions are necessary in the Barind Tract that experiences a lot of differences in rainfall and drought, thereby guaranteeing a good yield. These findings indicate that food security directly relates to the health of the soil in crop production, the predictability of agricultural incomes, and coping with climate-related shocks. But CSA practices are still strained by a lack of sufficient financial resources, extension services, and lack of access to climate-resilient technologies. The review highlights the need to support the policy jointly, to develop the capacity, and to invest in the development of sustainable soil and water management systems. Overall, sustainable management of soil in CSA systems is a potential solution to resilient agroecology and increased food security in the Barind region in the face of increased climate variability. Keywords: Sustainable Soil Management, Food Security, Climate-Smart Agriculture, Drought, Barind Tract