Sustaining groundwater irrigation for food security in the northwest region of Bangladesh

The northwest region has the largest areas of cropping in Bangladesh and is crucial to Bangladesh’s recent attainment of rice grain food security. The northwest region alone supplies about 35% of the irrigated Boro rice and more than 60% of the wheat and maize of the whole country. The northwest region is also the region of greatest concern over falling groundwater levels, particularly in the Barind area, which have resulted in a lack of access to water for drinking and irrigation in some areas. However, it is not clear whether the declining groundwater levels result from an observed decline in rainfall, or from excessive use, or from some combination of these and possibly other factors. To address this challenge, the Australian Government, through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio, is funding a project involving CSIRO and several Bangladeshi partners.