TC0A1552x1a
Bangladesh became rice-self sufficient in 2015, and areas like Thakurgaon have contributed significantly to reaching this goal. A combination of technologies and changes in land use have been requires to get this possible. Underlying all this, in Thakurgaon and much of the Northwest and North is groundwater given that the high yielding Boro rice crop is a dry season crop, when surface water is in limited supply. After years of groundwater extraction, and just as the rice self-sufficiency was met, concerns are surfacing about the sustainability of the aquifers that need to be replenished by the monsoon rains.
The image is of one of the older wells in the village, and the children and their expressions reflect the connection between water and their futures. With rainfall becoming less predictable, these futures are becoming less certain.
TC0A1552x1a
Bangladesh became rice-self sufficient in 2015, and areas like Thakurgaon have contributed significantly to reaching this goal. A combination of technologies and changes in land use have been requires to get this possible. Underlying all this, in Thakurgaon and much of the Northwest and North is groundwater given that the high yielding Boro rice crop is a dry season crop, when surface water is in limited supply. After years of groundwater extraction, and just as the rice self-sufficiency was met, concerns are surfacing about the sustainability of the aquifers that need to be replenished by the monsoon rains.
The image is of one of the older wells in the village, and the children and their expressions reflect the connection between water and their futures. With rainfall becoming less predictable, these futures are becoming less certain.