Crop Diversification to Mitigate Flood Vulnerability in Bangladesh: An Economic Approach

It is hypothesized that more vulnerable farming households are more likely to choose traditional crop varieties over riskier but more profitable new ones. The analysis is based on a cross sectional survey of 1050 rural households, being conducted just two weeks after monsoon and flash floods had occurred in four districts of Bangladesh in 2005. After estimating vulnerability based on the expected poverty method, results show that 58 percent of the rural flooded households are estimated to be poor while 67 percent are estimated to be vulnerable. The monsoon flood causes more damage to cash crops whereas flash flood is riskier for staple crops. This study suggests a mixed cropping system in rural Bangladesh to minimize households' vulnerability to floods.