Opportunities and Challenges of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture to Face Climate Change: A Critical Analysis of Policy and Urban Governance of Dhaka City

Abstract

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, with a current population of 14.64 million, is one of the fastest growing megacities of the world. With already over saturated population density; some 300,000 to 400,000 new migrants, mostly poor, arrive at the city annually from coastal and rural areas after experiencing some kind of environmental hardship. At present, these uprooted people constitute almost one-third of the city’s population. Along with the burden of massive population, the problems of Dhaka City are manifold. In the face of additional challenges resulting from the changing climate and increasing intensity and frequency of extreme climatic events; the overall situation is getting worse. On the other hand, poor urban governance and absence of a comprehensive policy on urbanisation have resulted in an unliveable metropolitan area with acute land scarcity and excessively high land prices, poor housing, traffic congestion, water shortages, poor sanitation and drainage, irregular electric supply, unplanned construction and environmental degradation. Now, the biggest challenge is to explore the opportunities to feed the ever-increasing urban population of Dhaka. Hence, with a particular focus on the urban food security situation, this paper has critically analysed the existing policies, strategies, urban governance system and practices; and has eventually identified the loopholes that hinder the promotion and expansion of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture (UPA). This analysis has also proposed some strategic directions for mainstreaming UPA in the existing policies and urban governance system.