In Bangladesh where agriculture is the largest sector of the economy, agricultural production is under pressure from increasing demands for food. A large percentage of the population is already vulnerable to a range of natural hazards with increasing climate variability and climate change expected to aggravate the situation further by causing more frequent and intense droughts and increasing temperatures.This resource book presents a reference and training guide for building the capacity of agricultural extension workers and development professionals to deal with climate change impacts and adaptation, specifically targeting drought-prone areas of Bangladesh. It also presents suggestions for a three-day training course that would be readily adaptable for any areas of Bangladesh affected by climate-related risks.The book is broken down into six modules:

understanding climate variability and climate change - the aim is to familiarise participants with climate variability and climate change in Bangladesh
drought and its impacts - discusses how droughts, periods of unusual dryness, are a natural climatic occurrence and the key impacts of drought in Bangladesh
impacts of climate variability and change in drought-prone areas - aims to familiarise participants with vulnerability and impacts of climate variability and change on natural resources and agriculture
climate risk assessment at community level in the agriculture sector - identifies the tools and methods needed for assessing climate-related risks at community level, focusing on the agriculture sector
agricultural adaptation options to climate variability and climate change in drought-prone areas- aims to guide participants in developing agricultural adaptation options to manage climate variability and climate change in drought-prone areas of Bangladesh
climate forecast application to improve adaptive capacity - looks at the forecast products currently available in Bangladesh and their utility for improving the adaptive capacity of rural livelihoods to climate risks.