A study was conducted in the haor areas of Bangladesh to assess the land utilization status, delineate the productivity and profitability of growing modern rice, evaluate the existing cropping patterns and assess the prospect of possible cropping patterns. Both primary and secondary data were used in the study. Applying the conventional descriptive statistics, the study revealed that, there are about 1.26 million hectares of cultivated lands in seven haor districts, of which 66% falls under haor area. In Kishoregonj and Hobigonj, nearly 94 and 87% areas were devoted to MV Boro rice production. Both BRRI dhan 28 and 29 were being the widely adopted rice varieties. On an average, about 33% of the haor areas were under mechanized irrigation, but in Kishoregonj, the coverage of mechanized irrigation was 87% that helped increasing cropping intensity. The cost of production for MV Boro was almost double than that of LV rice. The yield of MV Boro was 79% higher than that of LVs and the return from MVs was 82% higher. Rabi-Fallow-T. Aman, Vegetable-Aus-T. Aman and Rabi-B.Aman patterns were the potential cropping patterns in some selected areas and this could increase both cropping intensity and productivity in those areas. According to the farmers' assessment, lack of flood control dam and lack of short duration varieties etc. are the major hindrance to the adoption of potential cropping patterns. Construction of community harvest and threshing facilities and flood control devices could be the important public interventions for enhanced agricultural productivity in the haor areas.

This study assesses the impact of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) released modern wet (Aman) season rice variety adoption on farmers‟ well-being in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS) data collected by IFPRI were used for this study. The study applied difference-in-difference treatment effect and difference-in-difference quantile treatment effect models using unbalanced panel data to achieve the set objectives. Analysis revealed that BRRI released wet (Aman) season rice technology has a robust and positive effect on small farmers‟ welfare in Bangladesh as indicated by the level of increases in per capita household real income, increases in real aman rice income, and also increases in yield and decreases both in poverty gap and squared poverty gap over time. The marginal and near landless farmers have not gained significantly through adopting BRRI released modern variety over non-adopters in terms of all the indicators except aman rice yield. However, only yield of BRRI released modern wet (Aman) season rice technology has positive and significant impact on the marginal and near landless farmers. As such, BRRI variety adoption seemed to be conducive in increasing the level of yield of marginal and near-landless farms but it hardly helps them to overcome the poverty level, unless other equity-enhancing policy measures are undertaken. Overall, there was large scope for enhancing adoption of BRRI released rice variety in order to reduce the poverty level in rural areas. The current rice policy (rice self-sufficiency) appears to be supportive to help Bangladesh rice sector for achieving food security in the country. Bangladesh Rice j. 2019, 23(1): 1-11

Northwestern part of Bangladesh plays an important role to supply rice for national food security. However, wet season (WS) rice cultivation in the area is highly vulnerable to moisture stress and severe pest infestation. Therefore, it is very much important to evaluate the adoption situation of wet season rice cultivars and their drivers and drawbacks of adoption in order to delineate the possible ways of rapid dissemination of modern rice varieties to cope with the existing vulnerability and minimize yield gap. Two important wet season rice-growing districts, namely Rangpur and Dinajpur were selected purposively for the study. Focus group discussion (FGD) and key informant interview (KII) were conducted using semi-structured questionnaire to gather qualitative and quantitative data for the study. In addition, structured questionnaire was used in the FGD for generating data on input use patterns, outputs and seasonal variability of yield and price of different rice cultivars for estimating costs and returns. The findings of the study reveal that farmers mainly adopted exotic WS rice cultivars to reduce unexpected yield loss due to abiotic and biotic stresses. Diffusion status of exotic cultivars was ranged between 76-85% of total WS rice area in the study locations. The drivers of widespread diffusion of exotic cultivars are stability in yield performance, compatibility to fit into local cropping systems, potentiality to recover from biotic and abiotic stresses and ensured market demand. However, farmers are dreaming for higher yield potential and more stress tolerant cultivars for fitting into two and three crops-based systems in the areas. Rice breeders may use the findings of this study to develop and disseminate suitable rice cultivars for the northwestern part of the country. Bangladesh Rice j. 2019, 23(1): 81-106

Agrarian Bangladesh relies heavily on rice. Since independence, many varieties have been released and targeted to increase productivity, farmers' income, and food security. However, few gained widespread adoption. Moreover, farmers in the border regions are adopting exotic cultivars, and it's gradually spreading throughout the country. But, the reasons for adopting exotic rice cultivars are still unexplored. Using field data from 1,260 farm households and 42 focus group discussions, this study analyzes farmers' preferences for domestic and exotic rice varieties and identifies the factors of adoption linked to design national breeding programs and farmers' welfare. Findings show, exotic varieties (69%) monopolized the area coverage in the dry season, whereas in the wet season, domestic varieties (58%) dominated. Farmers select exotic varieties for their better yield and price, low production costs, high grain quality, resistance to pests and diseases, and ability to withstand stresses. Risk analysis shows domestic varieties adoption is riskier with lower returns. The empirical findings indicate that household characteristics, access to institutions and infrastructure, varietal characteristics, and weather condition, all play a significant role in adoption decisions. National breeding should focus on developing rice varieties in response to market demands and farmer preferences toward sustainable food security in Bangladesh.

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