It is somewhat alarming that Bangladesh is at risk of losing almost one-third of its arable land over the next 25 years unless we take measures to protect it. Given our dependence on agriculture, preserving arable land should be made a policy priority.
Authorities concerned must study the reasons behind the dwindling of arable land -- before 2000, Bangladesh was losing arable land at an annual rate of 13,413 hectares, but since 2000, the rate of loss has jumped five-fold to 68,890 hectares per year.
The government needs to have a more long-term view of land, and not let greed and short-sighted interests take over
It is imperative that we not only correctly identify the reasons for this crisis, but work on them accordingly. The conversion of arable land for other purposes must be prevented if it is down without a good reason. We must also stop the usage of new detrimental fertilisers that decrease the fertility of the land, thus increasing desertification.
The government needs to have a more long-term view of land, and not let greed and short-sighted interests take over and destroy our precious land. To this end, it is hoped the government takes steps to work towards land degradation neutrality by 2030.
Land degradation neutrality will not only be a boon to food security nationally, but will also increase our potential to export food abroad, thus having a positive impact on the rest of our economy.
