Abstract
The present study is an attempt to assess the impact of SSS (Society for Social Service) credit on women beneficiaries of Gouripur upazila at Mymensingh district in Bangladesh. The study revealed that both annual income and expenditure of the respondent households have increased after joining the micro credit program of SSS. Average family size of agriculture and petty business enterprises were 4.69 and 4.21. Average annual income of agriculture and petty business enterprises were Tk 80726.57 and 74864.14 respectively while average annual expenditure of agriculture and petty business enterprises were Tk 78776.65 and 67912.37 respectively. It was evident in the case of children education (60.00 percent), labor employment (40.00 percent), crop production (55.00 percent), taking care of children (30.00 percent) and rearing poultry birds. The highest (66.67 percent) proportion of the respondents reported insufficiency of credit supply was a moderate problem and only 33.33 percent of them reported this not at all a problem to them. The interest rate charged by the SSS as a major problem, 36.67 percent of the respondents opined as high. About 48.49 percent of the respondents reported that burden of old debt was not at all a problem while 1.67 percent said that it was a great problem to continue their existing activities. The finding shows that SSS credit program encouraged the women beneficiaries to participate in the social development activities in the study area.
 Asian Australas. J. Food Saf. Secur. 2019, 3(2), 53-62
Highlights
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries of the world with a population of 159.9 million
The main reasons for selecting the villages were: (i) poverty reduction and women development program of SSS were in operation in these areas and SSS officials were more or less known to the researcher; (ii) credit receivers were available in the study area; (iii) the selected area is well served by roads and rickshaw services; and (iv) perfect cooperation with the respondents so that reliable data might be obtained (Alam, 2005)
Socio-economic characteristics of the beneficiaries This section has been made to identify the main socio-economic characteristics of the selected beneficiaries in the study area because of the fact that the receipt and utilization of credit might have been influenced by the socio-economic characteristics of the credit receivers
Summary
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries of the world with a population of 159.9 million. The current population growth rate is 1.05 percent per annum (BBS, 2016). Among the 177 countries of the world, the position of Bangladesh is 142 in terms of Human Development Index (UNDP, 2016). According to most of the usual indices of quality of life and of economic development, women in Bangladesh are disadvantaged in comparison to men. About 70 percent of its total population live in rural areas and are directly or indirectly engaged in wide range of agricultural activities (MoF, 2016). At present more than 10000 micro finance institutions are operating in the country. These NGOs are one of the most important income generating
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