Why Gher Cannot Serve as a Climate Change Adaptation Model: A Case Study on Shrimp-Rice Intercropping in Joymoni, Mongla, Bangladesh

With the intricate and growing impacts, it has become obvious that adaptation is one of the keys to combat with climate change in Bangladesh. Many strategies are implemented in response. In 2014, the Government of Bangladesh identifies a four decades of intercropping method of cultivating paddy, shrimp and fin fish, called gher as an adaptive model. Massive scale commercial shrimp farming that began in the90 s has made shrimp the second largest export item by volume. Researches show that gher already caused much harm to croplands and waters affecting vegetation, livestock and livelihoods of the people. It continues to degrade the environment, estuaries, forests, and biodiversity. It furthers the existing threats of Sea Level Rise, salinity intrusion, and erosions. Taking Vulnerability (Adger, 2006) and Theory of Access (Ribot & Peluso, 2003) as research framework, this Human Geography study explores the limitations of gher as an adaptive model in Joymoni, Mongla, Bangladesh.