Hello Delta Forum Community,
I am happy to join this platform dedicated to sharing knowledge about the Bangladesh Delta Program (BDP2100). As a student from Wageningen University pursuing a BSc in International Land and Water Management, I am currently doing an internship at the campus of United International University in Dhaka, as well as research on local gher practices in the southwest of Bangladesh. After spending my first 2 months in Bangladesh, I would like to share my perspectives on my experiences in the field of water management in Bangladesh so far.
In the first few weeks, I got the opportunity to visit the International conference of Water and Flood Management, as well as a scoping workshop organized by NWO and EKN on adaptive delta management (ADM). Besides, I also attended a regional stakeholder workshop on salinity in Khulna, for research of Wageningen University & Research. These knowledge sharing events brought together water and agricultural management experts. It gave me a worthy kick start to my journey in Bangladesh, as I was inspired by all the information that was shared on recent research and project activities related to the field of water and flood management.
The purpose of my stay is to conduct research for my bachelor’s thesis, as well as pursuing an internship in the discipline of Bangladeshi water management. I have the privilege to be hosted at the institute of development studies and sustainability at United International University, where I get support in shaping my research and for going to the field.
The focus of my study is in Dumuria, Khulna in polder 29. In this area, the local practice of pocket gher will be explored as an approach to water management in crop agriculture. Pocket gher consists of a small pond created by building dykes around a rice field, that essentially creates a small polder on the farmers own land. Farmers protect the rice from tidal saline water with the established dykes. In the channel in the dyke trench, rainwater is collected during the monsoon, and in the dry season the channel is closed to keep the water inside, and use it for irrigation purposes. I think this practice is related to delta management, as farmers developed pocket gher as a local innovation, adapting to the changing conditions of the dynamic delta in the coastal zone of Bangladesh. It is an example of local practices that provide insights of what adaptive delta management in the field looks like.
The highlights of my time here so far have been the field visits for my research. I have found these moments valuable in helping me to give more specific direction to my research, as I got to see the reality of the field implementations of local farmers practices. I was impressed by the amount of experience local people had in their farming activities, and their way of adapting to changing circumstances in the field. In addition, I could also observe locations from the NGO’S Solidaridad and Ashroy foundation. This contributed to my understanding of how development projects that work together with different types of farmers implement and operate their work. I became exited from seeing how many people on the ground are putting effort in collectively building more resilience in agriculture in a changing deltaic environment. Still, I could observe some challenges in collaboration between actors in the field, even though this might not be obvious at the surface.
I am looking forward to the coming up 7th edition of the International conference on sustainable development. During the remaining of my time in Bangladesh, I hope to be able to contribute in the facilitation of this event that hopefully brings together many experts and young scientists from the field of sustainable development in Bangladesh. I am excited for attending/participating in this knowledge sharing event, and hope to return with more insights on a good translation of the Bangladesh delta plan 2100.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all the people who have helped me in my stay so far, and who have accommodated me in getting familiar with both the Bangladeshi field of delta management, as well as the Bangladeshi culture. I am curious to see what the remaining of my time will bring, and hope to be able to complete it with a modest contribution from my Bsc thesis research for the community of concerned researchers and practitioners.
Hope to see many of you in the forthcoming ICSD!
Indira Bijl, student International Land and Water Management, Wageningen Univeristy and Research
