Once hailed as the granary of northern Bangladesh, Rangpur is witnessing a steady erosion of its agricultural backbone, with 1,500 hectares of arable land lost to non-agricultural development over the past five years, according to data from the Rangpur District Agricultural Extension Department.
The conversion of fertile farmland into housing complexes, industrial zones, and commercial institutions is raising serious concerns among agricultural experts and civil society about the long-term sustainability of food production and rural livelihoods in the region.
From surplus producer to shrinking farmland
Historically, Rangpur played a pivotal role in national food security, producing surplus crops that supplied not only its own population but also other districts. Today, the district’s agricultural output feeds approximately 3.2 million people, but this achievement is increasingly being undermined by the rapid decline in cultivable land.
Five years ago, the total arable land in Rangpur stood at 191,100 hectares. By 2024, it has dwindled to 189,514 hectares, a net loss of 1,586 hectares, with much of the converted land previously used for three-season (boro, aman, aus) cultivation.
While only 280 hectares are currently classified as temporarily fallow, officials stress that nearly all cultivable land is now under some form of seasonal production. “There is no fallow land left in Rangpur,” said Sirajul Islam, Deputy Director of the Rangpur District Department of Agricultural Extension. “Farmers are cultivating the same plots two to three times a year to maximise output.”
Drivers of land conversion
The primary drivers of farmland loss are urbanisation, industrialisation, and infrastructure expansion. In Rangpur City Corporation’s Ward 13, once a vast expanse of green fields, residential buildings, roads, and commercial centres now dominate the landscape.
“Fifteen to twenty years ago, you could see endless stretches of farmland,” said Mominul Islam, a local farmer. “Now, every available plot is being used for construction.”
In Mithapukur Upazila, the expansion of highways and the establishment of government and private institutions have led to the acquisition of high-yielding agricultural plots. “The land on both sides of the highway used to be entirely agricultural,” said Bablur Rahman, a resident of Kafrikhal Union. “Now, factories, homes, and offices have replaced them. These were not marginal lands, they were productive, multi-crop fields.”
Agricultural resilience amid decline
Despite the shrinking land base, agricultural production in Rangpur has not declined, thanks to technology-driven farming practices and intensified cropping patterns.
Farmers are increasingly adopting high-yielding varieties (HYVs), mechanised farming, precision irrigation, and integrated crop management to boost productivity. The Department of Agricultural Extension has prioritised short-duration, high-output crops such as boro season rice, potatoes, and vegetables, enabling farmers to grow multiple harvests annually on the same plot.
“This is how we are compensating for the loss of land,” said Deputy Director Sirajul Islam. “But this model has its limits. Without policy intervention, we risk over-exploiting soil health and water resources.”
Structural challenges in the farming community
The agricultural sector in Rangpur faces deeper structural issues. According to the Agricultural Extension Department, one in five farmers in the district is landless, and only around 6,000 can be classified as large or wealthy farmers.
With a population of 3.17 million (2022 census), up from 3.07 million five years ago, pressure on land resources continues to grow. The total geographical area of the district is 240,060 hectares, of which only about 79 per cent is currently under cultivation.
Warnings from civic forums
Advocate Palash Kanti Nag, adviser to the Rangpur Homestead and Arable Land Protection Committee, warned that unchecked land conversion poses a direct threat to food security and rural livelihoods.
“The rate at which farmland is being consumed for industrial and urban development is alarming,” he said. “Rangpur’s economy is fundamentally agro-based. Farmers work tirelessly to feed the nation, yet their land is being taken away without sustainable planning. This will lead to an agricultural crisis in the near future.”
He called for strict land-use zoning, incentives for vertical urban development, and legal safeguards to protect multi-crop farmland from conversion.
Govt response and awareness campaigns
The Agriculture Department has launched awareness campaigns through deputy assistant agricultural officers (DAAOs) and community meetings with farmers’ groups and local leaders.
The focus is on promoting sustainable intensification and discouraging the sale of agricultural land for non-farm use.
“We’re urging farmers not to sell their land,” said Sirajul Islam. “Instead, we’re encouraging technology-based farming to increase yield on existing plots. But long-term, the government must create a policy framework to protect arable land, especially high-productivity zones.”
The road ahead
While Rangpur continues to defy the odds with rising yields on shrinking land, experts caution that intensification cannot replace land indefinitely. Soil degradation, groundwater depletion, and climate variability could soon erode these gains.
To safeguard the region’s agricultural future, stakeholders are calling for: A moratorium on converting high-yield cropland for non-agricultural use; incentivising industrial development on non-arable or degraded land; strengthening land-use planning at the district and upazila levels; and expanding access to agri-tech and credit for small and marginal farmers.
“Rangpur once fed the nation,” said Advocate Nag. “If we don’t act now, we may soon struggle to feed ourselves.”