Multi-Cropping Practices in Bangladesh: Present Status, Impact and Challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68050/JAMS.2026.674Keywords:
Multi-cropping, cropping intensity, crop productivityAbstract
Multi-cropping is an important agricultural practice in Bangladesh that enables farmers to grow two or more crops sequentially or simultaneously on the same piece of land within a year. It contributes to increasing cropping intensity, land-use efficiency, crop productivity, farm income and food availability. This paper reviews the present status, major patterns, impacts and challenges of multi-cropping practices in Bangladesh. The review indicates that multi-cropping is widely practiced in different agro-ecological regions, particularly where irrigation facilities, suitable soil conditions, improved crop varieties and market opportunities are available. The practice can enhance annual production from limited land, generate additional employment and income, improve household food security and increase the efficient use of land, water and other farm resources. However, farmers face several constraints, including limited access to irrigation, rising input costs, labor shortages, pest and disease problems, soil fertility depletion, climate variability, inadequate technical knowledge, fragmented landholdings and unstable market prices. Sustainable promotion of multi-cropping therefore requires improved irrigation and input management, access to quality seed, extension services, appropriate cropping-pattern recommendations, market support and climate-resilient technologies. Strengthening these enabling conditions can help farmers utilize limited agricultural land more efficiently while improving the sustainability and economic viability of crop production in Bangladesh.
References
1. BBS, (2026). Statistical Year Book of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Ministry of planning, Government of the people's Republic of Bangladesh.
2. Begum, F., Rahman M.T. and Roy, P.(2013). Four crop based cropping pattern studies for increasing cropping intensity and productivity. ORC Annual Research Report for 2012-2013. Oilseed Research Centre, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701. pp.113-121.
3. Cardinale, B. J., Wright, J. P., Cadotte, M. W., Carroll, I. T., Hector, A., Srivastava, D. S., Loreau,
4. M. and Weis, J. J. (2007). Impacts of plant diversity on biomass production increase through time because of species complementarity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 104, 18123–18128.
5. Crabtree, R.J., J.D. Prater, and P. Mbolda. 1990. Long-term wheat, soybean, and grains orghum double-cropping under rainfed conditions. Agron. J. 82:683-686.
6. Degla P K, S A Adekambi, P Adanhoussode. 2016. Drivers of Multiple Cropping-Systems as Adaptive Strategy to Climate Econometric Methods, International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 2015, 5(3), 851-868.
7. Fuad M. A. F., Rahman M. H. S. , Johara F. T., Jui K. F., and Flora U. M. A. 2023 Trend Analysis and Prediction of Cropped Area of Bangladesh. Asian Journal of Research in Agriculture and Forestry Volume 9, Issue 4, Page 81-90, 2023.
8. Haque, M.M. and Hoque, M.Z. (2021) Vegetable production and marketing channels in Bangladesh: Present scenario, problems, and prospects. Seminar paper. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
9. Hoque, M.E. 2000. Crop diversification in Bangladesh. In: M.K. Papdemetriou and F.J. Dent (eds.). Crop diversification in the Asia-Pacific region. Bangkok, Thailand: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
10. Hossain, M. S., Kader, M. A. and Islam, N., (2017). Multiple cropping for sustainable and exaggerated agricultural production system. Journal of Bioscience and Agriculture Research, 14(02), 1202-1209.
11. Inal, A., Gunes, A., Zhang, F. and Cakmak, I. (2007). Peanut/maize intercropping induced changes in rhizosphere and nutrient concentrations in shoots. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 45, 350–356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2007.03.016
12. Jana, T. K., Mandal, B. K., Saha, S. and Saha, S. (1999). Effect of rice (Oryza sativa) groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) intercropping on yield complementarity. Indian Journal of Agricultural Science, 69(7), 513-515.
13. Joshi M. 2007. Multiple cropping systems. Agronomy Division, Khumaltar, NARC Pp-12.
14. Mandal, B. K., Dhara, M. C., Mandal, B. B., Das, S. K. and Naandy, R. (1990). Rice, mungbean,
15. soybean, peanut and blackgram yields under different intercropping systems. Agronomy Journal, 32(6), 1063-1066.
16. Moorthy, B. T. S. and Das, T. K. (1999). Performance of the intercropping systems of seasame with green gram and groundnut in rice-fallows in summer season under irrigated condition. Ann. Agric. Res. 20(3), 384-385.
17. Musa, M., Azad, A.K. and Gurung, T.R (Eds.). 2013. Popularizing multiple cropping innovation as a means to raise crop productivity and farm income in SAARC countries.
18. P. Huss, K. D. Holmes, and C. K. Blubaugh, Benefits and Risks of Intercropping for Crop Resilience and Pest Management, Journal of Economic Entomology, 115(5), 2022, 1350–1362
19. Paudel M. N., Multiple Cropping as a Means to Raise Productivity, Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council; Vol. 2:37-45, December 2016
20. Pullins, E.E., R.L. Myers, and H. C. Minor. 1997. Alternative crops in double-crop systems for
21. Missouri. University Extension, University of Missouri G40090.
22. Rezitis A N. 2016. Empirical Analysis of Agricultural Commodity Prices, Crude Oil Prices and
23. US Dollar Exchange Rates using Panel Data
24. Wang, S.; Zhu, Z.; Yang, R.; Yang, L.; Ge, B. Land-use conversion altered topsoil properties and stoichiometry in a reclaimed coastal agroforestry system. Agronomy 2022, 12, 1143.
25. Zaman, S. S., Maleque, M. A. and Basak, N. C. (1999). Intercropping of brinjal, radish and red amaranth. Bangladesh Journal of Training Development, 12 (1&2), 121-125.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ummey Habiba, Muhammad Humayun Kabir, Md. Mahbubul Alam, Muhammod Shofi Ullah Majumder, Mizanur Rahman Sarker (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Articles published in the Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Studies (JAMS) are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), unless otherwise stated. Authors retain copyright of their work and grant JAMS the right of first publication.
