Low-tech solutions plus improved coordination for climate resilience in coastal Bangladesh

Cyclone Amphan hit the coast of Bangladesh in May, and was followed in July by the worst monsoon floods in a decade, which left one-third of the country under water. Clearly, there has been no lack of climatic disasters in Bangladesh in the past few months, and the COVID-19 pandemic constrains relief efforts.

For years, farmers in the coastal zone of Bangladesh have continually braced for a multitude of challenges: cyclones, storm surges, tidal fluctuations, salinity intrusion and land erosion. As climate change impacts intensify, these shocks reinforce each other in vicious circles and wreak havoc on the natural environment as well as on peoples’ lives, livelihoods and food security.

This year, two major development programs aimed at increasing the resilience of the coastal zone and its inhabitants are coming to an end…