Sheikh Selim
Oniket Research Group
Bangladesh is experiencing rapid urbanization, with an annual rate of 3.3%, making it one of the fastest urbanizing regions in South Asia. This urban growth is predominantly driven by rural-to-urban migration, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the total urbanization. It is estimated that 80,000 hectares of arable land are absorbed by construction sites, industrial zones, brick kilns, and housing projects on an annual basis.
From 2000 to 2020, the country experienced a loss of 1.6 million hectares of farmland out of a total of 8.82 million hectares, representing a yearly disappearance of approximately 1 percent of the cultivable base (all data are from BBS). The transition from paddy and jute fields to brick and cement production in the areas surrounding Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Sylhet is not just a change in appearance; it represents a significant loss of a vital resource that provides sustenance to 170 million people.
How Urban and Industrial Expansion Consumes Arable Land
The largest share of converted farmland goes to private housing and real estate projects. Mountains of bricks and sand now stand where vegetables and rice once grew. Roads, government facilities, and infrastructure follow close behind. Industrial zones, whether planned or spontaneous, consume additional tracts.
In peri-urban belts surrounding major cities, multi-story buildings, shopping malls, and wide roads have replaced recently productive fields. Land brokers and housing companies are offering farmers lump sum cash offers that significantly exceed the annual income from crop production, making it an attractive proposition. Poverty, lack of awareness, and the younger generation’s declining interest in agriculture are contributing to the rapid sell-off.
The 2011 Agricultural Land Protection and Land Use Policy were designed to prevent precisely this conversion. However, enforcement remains practically non-existent. There is no comprehensive, overarching plan that determines which zones should remain agricultural, which should accommodate housing, and which should be reserved for industry. In instances where master plans are in place, the implementation of these plans can appear to lack urgency and coordination.
Impact on Human Resources and Rural Livelihoods
The consequences extend far beyond the loss of soil. The loss of farmland can have severe economic consequences for the households that depend on it for their livelihoods. Displaced farmers, lacking alternative skills or formal education, migrate to cities and join the informal economy as rickshaw pullers, construction laborers, or street vendors. Their earnings are volatile and typically less than what they earned from farming. Research in comparable peri urban settings confirms that households near expanding urban centres experience significantly lower consumption expenditure on food, health, and education compared with households in more distant rural areas.
Agriculture still employs roughly 44 per cent of the national workforce, yet its share of trained human capital is shrinking rapidly. Young adults, seeing no future in a profession where land is disappearing and returns are low, move to cities. This drain reduces the labour pool available for food production and weakens the intergenerational transmission of agricultural knowledge. Women farmers, who contribute substantially to post harvest processing and seed preservation, face marginalization when land is sold without their consent.
At present, Bangladesh imports approximately 6 million tons of food grains per year. If the rate of farmland loss continues unchanged, dependence on imports could double by 2040, placing severe strain on foreign exchange reserves and exposing the population to the risks of global supply disruption, price shocks, or geopolitical conflict.
Policy Reforms to Reverse the Trend
It is now high time to enact and enforce the Land Zoning and Protection Act 2024. The Ministry of Land has already drafted this legislation, which classifies land into ten categories including agricultural, residential, industrial, wetland, forest, and hill, and proposes penalties of up to five years imprisonment and fines of 10 lakh taka for violations. Passing the law and creating a dedicated enforcement unit under the Ministry must be treated as a national emergency.
Completing the mosaic and plot-based digital land zoning map is also essential. The scientific classification of every plot will be made available to the public, preventing any illegal reclassification and ensuring the verifiability of enforcement. Local public monitoring committees involving farmers, women, and indigenous communities should oversee implementation.
The government should implement policies that encourage vertical expansion within urban areas. Urban growth should be addressed through high-rise construction and densification, rather than through horizontal expansion over fertile fields. To ensure effective management of land use, planning regulations should include vertical incentives and penalties for the conversion of agricultural land to lower density use.
The government should also implement market reforms to ensure that farming is financially viable and competitive with land sales. Simplified credit, guaranteed minimum crop prices, subsidized modern equipment, and crop insurance will reduce economic pressure on farmers to sell. The transition to agroecology-based production using native seeds, compost, and cost-effective methods can restore soil health while reducing input costs.
It is necessary to create alternative livelihood pathways before displacement. Expanded vocational training in agro processing, horticulture, aquaculture, and digital agriculture should be offered in peri urban areas so that farmers who lose portions of land can add value to what remains instead of migrating penniless to city slums.
The establishment of a specialized tribunal for land encroachment cases is imperative. Ordinary courts are often unable to effectively deter powerful real estate interests. The state should implement a fast-track adjudication process and mandatory ecological restoration orders against encroachers. This will demonstrate that the protection of farmland is not just a goal, but an irreversible state policy.
Without these reforms, the equation is stark: a nation that paves over its fields while importing its food surrenders both sovereignty and security. The concrete may rise, but the soil beneath it dies forever.
