Capacity Building Training on Climate Change, Mangrove Conservation and Adaptation-MFCCL Project

On 12, 18, and 23 December 2024, this training program was held with the active participation of Sundarbans' dependent Community Munshigonj, and Sutarkhali Union respectively. Upazila Agriculture Officer of Dacope Upazila facilitated part of the training sessions in which he aware the participants of climate-smart agriculture. The officer also shared the specific agricultural support allocated for forest-dependent communities and the process with requirements. The officer informed the necessity and benefits of the salt-tolerant variety of rice grains in the saline soil of most coastal regions. The participants shared the issues they faced regarding agricultural practices, as well as their thoughts on the current condition of their harvesting fields. Some of them inquired about the reasons for the lower yields in their recent harvests. The agricultural officer encouraged them to cultivate crops in four seasonal periods throughout the year. Specific varieties like BIRRI 87, Mug Dal, and mustard cultivation grow more than others and benefit farmers. MFCCL project team discussed climate change impacts and how the impacts reshaped the landscape of the Sundarbans' adjacent human settlements. They also talked about the role of mangroves in mitigating global warming and how the world's largest mangrove forests safeguard the coastal land from more intense climatic disasters. The team organized a vital discussion on how the forest-dependent communities can actively conserve the Sundarbans, ensuring their survival and the preservation of this unique ecosystem.