Hard and soft climate-smart investments in aquaculture in Bangladesh: Conditioning factors and decision space
Climate change and its’ associated weather variabilities and extremes are posing significant risks to aquaculture productivity, particularly in the coastal regions of Bangladesh. Concurrently, the increasing population and shifting consumption patterns are driving higher demand for aquacultural products. This study investigates the impact of floods, heavy rainfall, tidal surges, high temperatures, droughts, erratic rainfall, and water quality parameters (Dissolved Oxygen, ammonia, pH) on investments in “hard” assets, such as specific fish-farm equipment (aquaculture nets, fish cages, thermometers, irrigation pumps), to enhance climate resilience. Additionally, the study explores “soft” investments in information services that provide advanced forecasts on monsoon onset, heavy rainfall, dry spells, high temperature and cold spells.