Situation of Vegetable Cultivation in the Khulna Region of Bangladesh Due to Shrimp Farming

Abstract

The main purposes of the study were to determine the present situation of vegetable cultivation due to shrimp farming and climate change. Data were collected from randomly selected 120 vegetable growers of three selected Upazila under Khulna district through personal interview method by using an interview schedule during October 2012 to July 2013. Data were collected on total cultivable land, land suitable for vegetable cultivation, land under vegetable cultivation, types of vegetable cultivated, use of fertilizers and manures, diseases and insect infestation, intercultural operations, experience in agriculture, experience in vegetable cultivation and knowledge in vegetable cultivation to determine the situation of vegetable cultivation. Besides, data were collected on eleven selected characteristics of the vegetable growers and the problems confronted by them. Most of respondents had medium to high experience in agriculture and vegetable cultivation and they belonged to medium knowledge category in cultivation of vegetable. Among the 19 confronted problems, unavailability of good quality seed, salinity, diseases and insect infestation were some of the major problems. Among the 11 selected characteristics of the respondents only cosmopoliteness and knowledge of vegetable cultivation showed a negative significant relationship. Total cultivable land area is high in shrimp farming and the average amount of suitable land for vegetable cultivation and land under vegetable cultivation in non-prawn farming area is high. In case of non-shrimp farming area and shrimp farming area, diseases and insect infestation is higher than prawn farming area and non-prawn farming area. The average yields were higher in case of prawn farming area and non-prawn farming area than shrimp farming area and non-shrimp farming area. Among the selected 10 causes of changing of choosing vegetables, the most important was introduction of prawn culture for prawn farming area, increase of high demand of vegetables for non-prawn farming area, increase of salinity for shrimp farming area and non-shrimp farming area. There was a trend to increase in the total number of cropping patterns from 1980 to 2013 and showed a distinct figure of changing vegetables cropping patterns at different years. Among the selected 9 causes of changing vegetables cropping patterns, the most important was introduction of prawn farming for prawn farming area, increase of vegetables yield in a unit area for non-prawn farming area, increase of salinity for shrimp farming area and natural calamities for non-shrimp farming area.