Abstract
As an agrarian economy, more than half of the population in Bangladesh belongs to small and marginal farm holding families. We cannot ignore their contribution to the national food supply and agricultural GDP. But in reality, they receive inadequate attention from the agricultural extension services compared to the well-off farmers. To investigate the socio-economic condition of the farmers, 200 farmers from Sholakury village under Madhupur Thana in Tangail District—where 56% of the farmers are landless and marginal, and 42% of the farmers are small—are chosen randomly as the source of data for the current study. This study aims to seek answers to the following question, Why can the marginal farmers not be able to improve their economic status and why can they not increase the productivity of their cultivable land?” In searching for the answers the study discovers that a majority (83%) of the farmers in this area do not have any training on cultivation. About 75% of farmers use hybrid seeds but 82% of them have never received any training on it. Also, noticeably, 56% of farmers do not have any savings and about 86% of the farmers are unable to use smart-phones and internet. We are ague that among others these are the major factors that worsen the economic status and decrease their productivity. Keywords: Agriculture, Cultivation, Pesticides, Marginal farmers, Land-distribution DOI: 10.7176/DCS/11-5-05 Publication date: May 31 st 2021
Highlights
In Bangladesh a large portion of household income is directly related to agricultural production
This study aims to seek answers to the following question, "Why can the marginal farmers not be able to improve their economic status and why can they not increase the productivity of their cultivable land?” In searching for the answers the study discovers that a majority (83%) of the farmers in this area do not have any training on cultivation
It is apparent that landless, marginal and small farmers account for a large fraction of the total farmers at Madhupur Sal forest area
Summary
In Bangladesh a large portion of household income is directly related to agricultural production. Bumper productions of agricultural goods have been a common scene in Bangladesh for many decades since the independence. Despite this the farmers have always been struggling to meet the production costs. This raises the question, “Are the farmers properly getting paid at all?” Farmers in Bangladesh still face many challenges like loss of arable land, poor management of fertilizers, water, pest control, crop and livestock diseases, training on cultivation using modern techniques etc. The country's farm sector is dominated by smallholders but the small and marginal farmers get the least access to the credit and agricultural extension services provided by the state (The Daily Star, 2017).
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