Rural livelihoods in the South Asian countries will be more exposed to natural calamities in the future because of changes in climate that is already increasing salinity in soil and changing farming patterns, experts said at a seminar yesterday.

They suggested making the rural people familiar with the modern technologies that can help increase agricultural productivity and getting them engaged in non-farm activities to increase their income level.

They were speaking at a seminar styled 'Changing rural livelihoods in the Cirdap member countries: Opportunities and constraints' organised by Cirdap (Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific) at its auditorium in the city.

"We see more dangers for livelihoods in the rural areas thanks to the impacts of climate change. We must leam from experiences of other countries and frame policies accordingly,” said Cirdap Director General Dr Durga PPaudyal.

He said as the climatic change would affect the regions, "We have to address the issue together, regionally."

Professor Dr SI Khan of Brae University said Bangladesh will be seriously affected by salinity if water in the rivers in the upstream is withdrawn, while there will be water shortages during summer with the glaciers melting in the Himalayas.

It is alarming for Bangladesh that per capita land here is only 21 decimals, which is very insufficient, especially for the rural people to sustain growth, he said.

Most people depend on

natural resources, Dr Khan said, adding that people must be provided with more vocational trainings for better employments in non-farm activities.

They should also learn modern technologies to increase productivity in agriculture, he noted.

Cirdap Director Dr SK Singh said India enacted a law -- National Rural Employment Guarantee Act -- ensuring 100-day job for the unemployed people a year. The law established job as a right, meaning any unemployed

person of a family can demand job or unemployment allowance.

He said this has helped the rural infrastructures, and water conservation through renovating water bodies, which contributed to increase underground water level and flood control systems.

“We have to develop such mechanisms so that natural calamities do not affect the rural livelihoods," Singh said.

Asian Institute of Technology Assistant Professor Mokbul Morshed Ahmad presented a paper.