Date of Graduation

5-2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Dynamics (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Environmental Dynamics

Advisor/Mentor

Nalley, Lawton L.

Committee Member

Feng, Song

Second Committee Member

Tullis, Jason A.

Third Committee Member

Jagadish, Krishna S.

Fourth Committee Member

Yadav, Sudhir

Keywords

Bangladesh; Climate Change; Food Security; Remote Sensing; Rice; Sustainable Agricultural Intensification

Abstract

This dissertation investigates three unique aspects of sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) in the context of Bangladeshi rice production. The first article presents a qualitative analysis of SAI and farmer surveys in the embanked polder region of coastal Bangladesh. The second article investigates the global food security and environmental impacts of already adopted High Yielding Variety (HYV) rice and double-cropped rice systems in Bangladesh using a spatial partial equilibrium trade model and a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The final article demonstrates a remote sensing methodology for monitoring dry season rice production at 30 m resolution in Bangladesh using a harmonic time series model, the Landsat archive, and Google Earth Engine. Major findings from this dissertation include: (1) agrarian communities in the polder region face food insecurity during the peak of monsoonal paddy rice production and could improve production by adopting HYV or second season crops, (2) agrarian communities in the polders identify water management issues as the primary agricultural concern, followed by pest infestation and soil salinity, (3) HYV rice provides enough additional production in Bangladesh to feed nearly 26 million Bangladeshis per annum and is more environmentally efficient than traditional rice in terms of global warming potential, land use, water use, and fertilizer use, and (4) the combination of a harmonic time series model, spectral indices, and rice phenology can produce relatively accurate predictions of dry season rice in Bangladesh compared to district-level reference information. Overall, the findings from this investigation of SAI support continued efforts to improve food security, increase agricultural output, and decrease environmental impacts in Bangladesh.

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