STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Bangladesh is drifting away from its agrarian roots as farmland shrinks due to infrastructure projects and young people turn away from farming, speakers said at a conference yesterday.

They called for urgent measures to reverse the trend and protect the environment at the conference titled “Protection of Rivers, Forests, Hills, Agricultural Land, Environment and Natural Resources,” held at Parjatan Bhaban in the capital.

The event was jointly organised by the Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), and the Water Rights Forum.

In her address, BELA Chief Executive Advocate Taslima Islam said Bangladesh is losing rivers, forests, hills, and farmland every day, with marginalised communities suffering the most.

She said Bangladesh ranked 175th out of 180 countries in the 2024 Environmental Performance Index, compared to 177th in 2022. “This conference must provide guidance on how we can overcome the environmental crisis.”

Chief guest Justice Ainun Nahar Siddiqua of the High Court Division said the country’s obsession with “two-bigha plots” has led to rivers being filled, hills cut, and forests cleared.

“Without farmland, agriculture cannot survive,” she said, calling for a shift in mindset.

She said young people are increasingly turning away from farming, with many risking their lives to migrate abroad. “We are losing our next generation,” she said, describing it as the country’s biggest bleeding point.

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