As climate change continues to disproportionately affect nations such as ours, and as we look towards wealthier nations to put their money where their mouths are and ensure climate justice, we too can not sit idle with regard to the growing challenges we are facing.

To that end, we agree with the diverse panel of experts speaking at a seminar this week that effective water management is a central component to food security, rural livelihoods, and climate resilience in Bangladesh.

With Bangladesh continuing to develop, and with food demands only rising exponentially with each passing year, it is essential that our agricultural practices remain updated to meet this growing demand. Yet, salinization, erratic rainfall, and rising temperatures as a result of the climate crisis are all but eroding productivity and threatening rural livelihoods.

However, inking water governance with nutrition, climate adaptation, and market access has the potential to yield transformative results; field evidence already shows rehabilitated canals and flood protection dykes boosting crop yields by up to 37%, and we must build from these findings to ensure sustained and diversified production in the country's most vulnerable areas.

In addition, we must have the foresight to invest in modern irrigation systems and focus on more coordinated seasonal planning. While the government's Agriculture Outlook 2050 strategy is a noteworthy start, long-term plans mean nothing if not sustained through sound and transparent governance and policy integration.

The way we manage our resources today will determine whether our food systems can withstand the shocks that tomorrow will bring. We have long been held back by reactive measures, and a new and better Bangladesh must instill proactive, evidence-based action as its default.