Land Salinity Effect on Farmers Adaptation Strategies for Sunflower Cultivation in Southwestern region of Bangladesh
Abstract
Purpose. To examine the impact of land salinity on farmers’ adaptive strategies for sunflower cultivation in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh and to identify key socio-economic determinants influencing adaptive capacity.
Method. A quantitative approach was employed using a multistage random sampling technique. Data were collected from 200 sunflower farmers in Borguna district between February and April 2025. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to evaluate the influence of independent variables on farmers’ adaptive capacity.
Findings. The results indicate that age, sunflower cultivation area, training, and NGO membership have a statistically significant positive effect on adaptive capacity. Farmers primarily adopt fertilizer management, pesticide use, and irrigation techniques to mitigate salinity stress. However, excessive input use was observed, reflecting potential inefficiencies in adaptation practices.
Theoretical implications. The study contributes to adaptive capacity and resilience theory by empirically linking socio-economic variables with behavioral adaptation strategies under environmental stress conditions.
Practical implications. The findings suggest the need for targeted policy interventions, including farmer training, sustainable land management, and institutional support to enhance resilience against salinity intrusion.
Paper type. Empirical.
Downloads
References
Acemoglu, D. (2003). Labor- and capital-augmenting technical change. Journal of the European Economic Association, 1(1), 1–37. https://doi.org/10.1162/154247603322256756
Adger, W. N. (2000). Social and ecological resilience: Are they related? Progress in Human Geography, 24(3), 347–364. https://doi.org/10.1191/030913200701540465
Agrawal, A. (2010). Local institutions and adaptation to climate change. World Bank Social Development Papers, 118(1), 1–38. http://documents.worldbank.org
Ahammad, R., & Stacey, N. (2016). Forest and livelihood dynamics in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Anthropocene, 13, 67–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2016.01.002
Barro, R. J. (2000). Inequality and growth in a panel of countries. Journal of Economic Growth, 5(1), 5–32. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009850119329
Bernier, Q., et al. (2016). Gender and institutional resilience: Water management in coastal Bangladesh. Journal of Rural Studies, 44, 115–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2016.01.012
Bhuiyan, M. A., et al. (2021). Determinants of household resilience to floods in coastal Bangladesh. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 54, 102115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102115
Black, R., et al. (2011). Migration, immobility and displacement in the context of environmental change. Applied Geography, 31(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2010.09.001
Boyer, P., & Morel, L. (2015). Long-term growth and resilience in resource-based communities. Journal of Rural Studies, 42, 110–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.10.001
Chakraborty, N., & Haque, M. (2018). Mental health and disaster recovery: Evidence from coastal Bangladesh. Disaster Prevention and Management, 27(4), 415–429. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-06-2017-0132
Dey, S., & Pal, S. (2019). Livelihood diversification as a survival strategy in disaster-prone areas. World Development, 115, 210–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.11.012
Fothergill, A., & Peek, L. (2017). Poverty and disasters in the context of social vulnerability. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 25(2), 120–135. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12146
Ghosh, R., & Sharma, P. (2015). Land use strategies for economic security in post-disaster scenarios. Land Use Policy, 48, 215–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.05.012
Gray, C. L., & Mueller, V. (2012). Natural disasters and population mobility in Bangladesh. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(16), 6000–6005. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1115944109
Grohmann, T., & Patt, A. (2005). Adaptive capacity and human cognition. Global Environmental Change, 15(3), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2005.01.002
Halter, N., et al. (2014). Economic growth and inequality in disaster-prone regions. Ecological Economics, 105, 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.06.001
Herzer, D., & Nunnenkamp, P. (2015). FDI and income inequality. Review of World Economics, 151(2), 245–273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10290-014-0202-4
Hossain, M. S., et al. (2020). Multi-decadal environmental change in the Bangladesh Delta. Regional Environmental Change, 20(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-020-01630-0
Huq, S., & Khan, M. (2006). Equity in adaptation to climate change. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 11(3), 587–603. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-006-9050-7
Islam, M. R., et al. (2019). Social-ecological systems in transition. International Journal of Environmental Research, 13(4), 653–668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41742-019-00215-7
Khan, A. E., et al. (2014). Drinking water salinity and maternal health. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(5), 462–470. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307074
Khan, M. S., & Ahmed, S. (2015). Community-driven recovery models. Natural Hazards, 75(3), 2105–2120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-014-1410-4
Lázár, A. N., et al. (2015). Agricultural livelihoods in coastal Bangladesh. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 17(6), 1018–1031. https://doi.org/10.1039/C5EM00018K
Mason, R., & Turner, J. (2018). Education and skills in post-disaster employment. Education and Training, 60(4), 340–355. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-10-2017-0146
Miller, K., et al. (2017). Adaptable business models. Journal of Business Research, 70, 112–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.08.021
Mollah, M. A., & Rahman, S. (2016). Resilience of microenterprises. Journal of Small Business Management, 54(2), 430–445. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12163
Muenielo-Gallo, P. A., & Roca-Sagales, O. (2013). Tax policy and inequality. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 75(6), 890–905. https://doi.org/10.1111/obes.12009
Parvin, G. A., et al. (2017). Climate change and livelihood resilience. Journal of Coastal Conservation, 21(1), 129–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-016-0479-3
Pelling, M., & Uitto, J. I. (2001). Small island developing states. Environmental Hazards, 3(2), 49–62. https://doi.org/10.3763/ehaz.2001.0306
Perotti, R. (1996). Growth, income distribution, and democracy. Journal of Economic Growth, 1(2), 149–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00138861
Pouliotte, J., et al. (2009). Adaptation to climate change. Regional Environmental Change, 9(1), 31–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-008-0059-3
Rahman, M., & Ahsan, R. (2015). Asset management and livelihood reconstruction. Ocean & Coastal Management, 110, 55–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.03.001
Rao, N., et al. (2019). Gendered vulnerabilities to climate change. Climate and Development, 11(1), 14–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2017.1372266
Singh, A., & Das, S. (2020). Mental health and disaster recovery. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(5), 390–405. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30069-1
Talukder, M. R., et al. (2016). Drinking water salinity and hypertension. Epidemiology, 27(3), 374–382. https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0000000000000451
Wolf, J., et al. (2010). Social capital and adaptation. Coastal Management, 38(2), 151–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/08920751003615543
Zaman, S., et al. (2018). Economic impacts of soil salinity. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 18(3), 800–815. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-95162018005002302
Zoysa, M. (2008). Coastal resources management. Marine Policy, 32(3), 415–423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2007.07.001
Abstract views: 0 PDF Downloads: 0
Copyright (c) 2026 Танбір Хоссейн, Шакіл Ахмед, Sabit Al Farabi, Md. Sohel Hossain, Milton Sarder, Nur Alom Hossain
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The authors agree with the following conditions:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication (Download agreement) with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2. Authors have the right to complete individual additional agreements for the non-exclusive spreading of the journal’s published version of the work (for example, to post work in the electronic repository of the institution or to publish it as part of a monograph), with the reference to the first publication of the work in this journal.
3. Journal’s politics allows and encourages the placement on the Internet (for example, in the repositories of institutions, personal websites, SSRN, ResearchGate, MPRA, SSOAR, etc.) manuscript of the work by the authors, before and during the process of viewing it by this journal, because it can lead to a productive research discussion and positively affect the efficiency and dynamics of citing the published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
