Bangladesh is a disaster prone country due to its geographical location. North-eastern Haor region in Bangladesh is susceptible to flash flood and high waves. The people living in Haor region are helpless to the Mother Nature. They have to cope with natural calamity to harvest crops, to acquire food security, livelihood security even to protect their tiny homestead. Flash flood occurs in Hoar region in mid-April when farmers wait to harvest boro crops. Flash flood causes huge damages to dry season boro crops just before harvesting. As a result, farmers lose their all properties for the whole year. It is estimated that about 4% (1.2 million hactors of rice, 7300 hactor of jute, and 7000 hactor of other crop area) of total cropped area was damaged due to flash flood from 1993 to 2010. From 1993 to 2010, farmers could not harvest about 2.44 million tons of rice, 64000 tons of jute and 40000 tons of other crops because of the flash flood hazard. Possibility of early flash flood causes extensive damage of crops that leads farmers to starvation. Thus, the disaster events make these poor people poorer. They need financial support to cope with post-disaster shocks. The research intends to identify the appropriate financial support system for the people of haor region so that they can withstand through securing food and livelihood.
To attain the objective, the researcher has collected data both from primary and secondary source. The researcher carried out a discourse analysis of existing finanancial support systems after a flash flood heat in the case study. Relevant policy papers, journal articles are studied for analyzing the existing financial support system for poor farmers in haor Region. The researcher has also taken some semi-structured telephone interviews of government officials who are involved in financial support provision to validate the data collected from secondary sources.
The research found out the local adaptive strategies to cope with disaster risks in agricultural sector at the case study area. The study also found the existing financial support system in haor region such as crop-insurance, Social Safety Net Program, community based financial institutes. After analyzing each financial support system the researcher has come to a conclusion that, cooperative societies as a financial institutes can play the most sustainablerole to support haor-people so that they can cope with the sudden shocks induced by natural disaster in agricultural sector. The study findings can be replicated to other parts of the country as Bangladesh is a country living with floods and farmers lose their crops very often due to annual floods and flash floods.
Key-words: Haor, climate change and flash flood, food security, adaptation strategies
3c Climate change adaptation strategies (preparing for sea level rise, flooding and drough
