Stories from the Frontlines of Climate Change

The Southwestern Coast: Where Crisis Meets Community

Bangladesh’s southwestern coastal belt is facing a climate emergency. Over 1.056 million hectares of agricultural land are now affected by salinity and flooding, impacting the lives of 10 million farmers, nearly a quarter of whom are women. These communities are living through what many only read about: the real, immediate consequences of climate change.

We don’t just study these challenges. We work alongside these communities, documenting their struggles and co-creating solutions.

Salinity Intrusion: When Fertile Land Turns Barren

Walk through coastal villages today, and you’ll see fields that shimmer white with salt deposits. Land that once grew three crops a year now lies abandoned. Salinity intrusion has transformed the agricultural landscape, making traditional farming nearly impossible.

Farmers tell us their soil has changed. Seeds that once sprouted reliably now fail. Crops wither weeks after planting. Drinking water tastes bitter. The salt doesn’t just affect their land, it affects their futures.

Mr. Chinmoy, a farmer we work with, put it simply: “Before your solution, I could only harvest during monsoon. The rest of the year, my land was useless.”

The economic impact is staggering. According to government reports, salinity and flooding cause over USD 9 billion in annual losses in coastal Bangladesh alone.

Flooding: When Water Becomes the Enemy

Floods used to follow a pattern. Farmers knew when to plant, when to harvest, when to prepare. Not anymore. Climate change has made flooding unpredictable, intense, and destructive.

Communities face repeated inundation that destroys crops, contaminates freshwater sources, and erodes valuable agricultural land. Traditional farming calendars have become obsolete. Planning is nearly impossible when the land beneath you is uncertain.

One woman farmer in Khulna told us: “The water comes when it wants now. We used to know the land. Now we just hope.”