Farmers In Bangladesh Research Articles

Homestead tree species diversity and its impact on the livelihood of the farmers in Bangladesh

The study was conducted in twelve villages of four unions under Gopalpur upazila in Tangail district of Bangladesh to explore the diversity of multipurpose tree species in the homesteads and its impact on the livelihood of the farmers in 2016. Study sites were selected purposively as the location. A total of 3334 farmers of the 12 villages constituted the population of study. A sample of 12% farm families was selected based on stratified random sampling procedure. Thus 400 farmers were selected. However, 80 farmers were selected from 400 sampled farmers by using Yamane formula. Therefore, these 80 farmers constitute the sample for this study. Five percent (0.05) level of probability was used as the basis for rejection of any null hypothesis throughout the study. Data for the study were collected through personal interview by the researcher himself during 15 May to 25 December, 2016 using the interview schedule. Farmer’s opinion regarding multipurpose tree species in the homesteads and its impact on socio-economic development was the dependent variables of the study. Ten characteristics are age, education, occupation, family member, farm size, homestead area, annual income, socio-economic aspects, knowledge on Multipurpose Tree Species (MPTs) in homestead agroforestry and problem confrontation constituted the independent variables of this study. Species diversity of MPTs in the homesteads agroforestry was measured by Shannon-wiener index (H). In case of all species, highest index (H) value found in Jhaoail union (H=3.017) and lowest index (H) value found in Dhopakandi union (H=2.967). Among these 75 different plant species, Akashmoni (12.53 %), Jackfruit (18.28 %), Neem (1.45%), Bamboo (3.72%), Mander (2.03%) were found as dominant trees for timber, fruit, medicinal, fodder and fuel wood species respectively. MPTs had direct impact on income of the farmers. Small farmers had average income 13.21 thousand taka, Medium farmers had average income 29.33 thousand taka and large farmers had average income 45.79 thousand taka from MPTs in homesteads.

Assessing the impact of fertilizer subsidy on farming efficiency: A case of Bangladeshi farmers

Abstract The study has been conducted to assess the micro level impact of fertilizer subsidy on farming efficiency given the heterogeneous farm structures and universal subsidy policy in Bangladesh. The research utilizes primary data, which were collected through personal interview of 300 farm households located in three districts from northern part of Bangladesh. Multistage purposive sampling was followed for selecting the sampling units based on concentration of rice farming. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) reveals that the farms are inefficient in combining inputs in a cost minimizing way, although they are technically more efficient. Results from Tobit models for different farm size groups prove that fertilizer subsidy has significant impact on improving farming efficiencies for marginal and small farms in study areas while leaving insignificant impact for medium and large farms. Further increases in fertilizer subsidy will bring significant productivity increases for these smallholder farmers. Therefore, policy interventions should favor these farms for acceleration of agricultural growth.

Agricultural Microcredit for Tenant Farmers: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Bangladesh

AbstractWe study the impact of an agricultural microcredit program on the livelihoods of small, marginal, and landless tenant farmers in Bangladesh based on a Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Twenty percent of eligible households acquire at least one loan from the program within two years of the start of the intervention. Results show that access to credit has positive but imprecisely estimated effects on adoption of modern varieties (MV) of rice as well as rice yield. The microcredit program increases crop farm income but has no significant effect on total income or expenditure. Although the program does not have a significant effect on most economic outcomes, it demonstrates an increase in farm activities among the targeted farmers. Our study suggests that facilitating access to credit without addressing other constraints may not be enough to increase investment and profits of tenant farmers.

Alternate wetting and drying in Bangladesh: Water‐saving farming practice and the socioeconomic barriers to its adoption

AbstractWater saving in irrigated agriculture is a critical issue for global food security, and much research has suggested substantial benefits of management systems designed to achieve it. Yet there are likely to be socioeconomic barriers which must be understood if these systems are to be adopted. Here, we highlight one example, Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, almost half of the workforce is engaged in agriculture and many people are dependent on rice as their staple food, sometimes consuming it three times per day. Rice production, therefore, is central both to economic well‐being and to food security in Bangladesh. However, this sector also faces a number of troubling problems. These include an electricity supply over‐stressed by irrigation pumps during the dry season, the gradual depletion of groundwater as a result of unsustainable use, the consumption of rice grains with elevated arsenic content, and the significant emission of rice‐based methane into the atmosphere. Interestingly, for more than a decade, evidence has indicated that AWD—an innovative farming practice—holds the promise of mitigating each of these threats to some degree and has been promoted by the Bangladeshi government. However, evidence seems to indicate that it has not been widely adopted in Bangladesh. This paper reviews the existing literature on AWD, related policies in Bangladesh, and the barriers to its uptake among farmers. The complicated relationship between agricultural and socioeconomic systems represents a key barrier to the successful use of AWD among Bangladeshi farmers. Similar barriers to water‐saving strategies are likely to exist in other countries and regions, and overcoming these barriers will be essential for AWD to be adopted. The case of Bangladesh provides important indications of how this might be achieved.

An experimental approach to estimating the value of grain moisture information to farmers in Bangladesh

In the developing world grain storage losses are high and in humid areas inadequate grain drying is often a source of storage problems. Farmers and traders depend on traditional grain moisture estimation methods which are subject to a wide error margin. Grain storage decisions could be improved if farmers and traders had a low cost grain moisture meter that fit their needs. The goal of this study was to determine the desired grain moisture meter functionality and to estimate the value of grain moisture measurement for small holder farmers and for small-scale grain traders, using Bangladesh as a case study. This study was based on interviews with 140 randomly selected Bangladeshi rice farmers in 2016 and 2017, discussions with millers at 30 rice mills and a voucher based moisture meter sales program. It shows that except for rice kept for seed and home consumption, most Bangladeshi farmers sell their rice shortly after harvest to satisfy cash needs and to eliminate storage risks. They say that they would store more rice on-farm if they had better storage methods including cost-effective grain moisture testing. Survey results show that the average farm storage loss was 52 kg or 563 Taka (US$6.78) annually. Using experimental economics methods, farmers were given the opportunity to purchase a probe type grain moisture meter through vouchers with a range of prices. Twenty three of the 140 of the participants (i.e. 16%) purchased at an average of price of 374 Taka (i.e. US$4.67). No farmer purchased a voucher price over 800 Taka (US$10.00). Those who purchased moisture meters had larger farms and produced more rice than those who did not exercise the voucher. They were also younger on average, have more education and more off farm income than non-purchasers.

Ex ante and ex post effects of hybrid index insurance in Bangladesh

This study assesses both the demand for and effectiveness of an index insurance product designed to help smallholder farmers in Bangladesh manage crop production risk during the monsoon season. Villages were randomized into either an insurance treatment or a comparison group, and discounts and rebates were randomly allocated across treatment villages to encourage insurance take-up and to allow for the estimation of the price-elasticity of insurance demand. Among those offered insurance, we find demand to be fairly price elastic, with discounts significantly more successful in stimulating demand than rebates. Purchasing insurance yields both ex ante risk management effects as well as ex post income effects on agricultural production practices. The risk management effects lead to an expansion of cultivated area with concomitant increases in agricultural input expenditures during the monsoon season. The income effects lead to more intensive rice production during the subsequent dry season, with more intensive use of both irrigation and fertilizers, resulting in higher yields and higher total rice production.

Broilers of live bird markets at Mymensingh city carrying H9N2 Avian influenza virus in their respiratory tract

Avian influenza (AI) caused by Type A influenza virus is a global zoonosis, infecting vast majority of mammalian and avian species. Broilers are meat type birds and randomly reared and sold by the farmers in Bangladesh with poor biosecurity. This study was aimed to identify the Type and subtypes of AI viruses in the broilers of two live bird markets, Mymensingh. A total of 10 birds from each of the market were randomly selected, investigated by clinical, pathological, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR), sequencing and sequence analysis. Out of 20 birds investigated, 06 were sick, 02 were dead and 12 were apparently healthy. Clinically, the sick/dead birds did not reveal any changes typical to AI. During necropsy, the sick/dead birds showed congested lungs and moderate hemorrhages in the trachea. Such lesions was absent in the lungs of apparently healthy birds. Following histopathological examination interstitial pneumonia with bronchitis was seen in sick/dead birds. The RT-PCR protocol was adapted to identify matrix protein gene of Type A influenza virus and amplified 430bp fragment is even cases. To identify the sub types of AI viruses involved, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) gene specific RT-PCR was carried out. 1475bp and 1089bp amplicons specific to HA and NA genes of AI viruses were generated in 07 cases. The cDNAs of HA and NA genes were sequenced, edited and revealed that the AI virus circulated in the live bird market of Mymensingh city is H9N2 subtype. Two sick, one dead and four apparently healthy birds found to carry H9N2 AI virus. The H9N2 virus is naturally low pathogenic for poultry, has got public health significance, and may donate partial or even whole cassette of internal genes to generate novel human-lethal reassortants of AI viruses; this was main concern for AI viral outbreak investigation in this study. It needs to examine large number of samples from wider sources to trace the rate of mutation and subsequent reemergence of pandemic AI viruses.Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.5(2): 225-233, August 2018

Pesticide exposures towards health and environmental hazard in Bangladesh: A case study on farmers’ perception

Abstract The levels perception and behavior of farmers on pesticide uses and its relevant risks to the environment and human health were surveyed among the farmers of Bangladesh in two areas: Savar Upazila (SU) and Mehendiganj Upazila (MU). Significant differences were observed between the farmers’ regarding information of pesticides (χ2 = 19.679 at p

Impact of climate-smart agriculture adoption on the food security of coastal farmers in Bangladesh

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a suggested pathway to the improvement of food security in a changing climate. The Department of Agricultural Extension under the Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture has been promoting CSA with farmers through climate field schools since 2010. This study investigated the impact of adoption of CSA practices on the household food security of coastal farmers in southern Bangladesh. Factors determining household food security were also explored. Data were collected from 118 randomly selected farmers of Kalapara sub-district in Patuakhali, Bangladesh. We identified 17 CSA practices that were adopted by the farmers in the study area. Those practices were saline-tolerant crop varieties, flood-tolerant crop varieties, drought-resistant crop varieties, early maturing rice, vegetables in a floating bed, ‘sorjan’ method of farming, pond-side vegetable cultivation, the cultivation of watermelon, sunflower or plum, relay cropping, urea deep placement, organic fertilizer, mulching, use of pheromone trap, rain water harvesting and seed storage in plastic bags or glass bottles. The farmers adopted on average seven out of these CSA practices. Among the sampled households, 32% were assessed as food secure, 51% were mildly to moderately food insecure and 17% were severely food insecure. Adoption of CSA practices was positively associated with household food security in terms of per capita annual food expenditure (β = 1.48 Euro, p = 0.015). Households with a better educational level, farming as a major occupation, a larger pond size, greater number of cattle, higher household income, smaller family size and less difficulty with access to markets were likely to be more food secure. Increasing the adoption of CSA was important to enhance food security but not a sufficient condition since other characteristics of the farmers (personal education, pond size, cattle ownership and market difficulty) had large effects on food security. Nevertheless, increased adoption of saline-tolerant and flood-tolerant crop varieties, pond-side vegetable cultivation and rainwater harvesting for irrigation could further improve the food security of coastal farmers in southern Bangladesh.

Sustainable Adaptation to Multiple Water Risks in Agriculture: Evidence from Bangladesh

Water is the most important input for agricultural production. Smallholder agriculture in Bangladesh is highly dependent on the natural water supply and is prone to water risks. Farmers in Bangladesh are facing major challenges from flooding, arsenic contamination, and other water stress. This research aims to understand how smallholder agriculture in Bangladesh adapts to the multiple water risks by crop selection. By using the panel data model, we identify that crop selection is a sustainable tool to adapt to the water risks in Bangladesh. Flood risk guides farmers to cultivate flood-tolerant monsoon season rice, wheat, and sugarcane in the high-risk areas. Natural arsenic contamination stops them from producing rice in the arsenic contaminated land to avoid the grain toxicity effect on human health. Extreme rainfall and temperature events also influence the crop selection decision. These crop choice techniques reduce the crop damages in smallholder agriculture in Bangladesh.

Modeling and forecasting of climatic parameters: univariate SARIMA versus multivariate vector autoregression approach

Agriculture sector throughout the world including Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to the negative consequences of climate change as evident in a good number of studies. Accurate climate forecasting may prove a valuable resource in mitigating these consequences in agriculture. The study aims to identify the best performing forecasting method by comparing the forecasting abilities of univariate seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) and multivariate vector autoregression (VAR) models in forecasting monthly maximum and minimum temperatures, humidity, and cloud coverage in Bangladesh. Though the univariate time series investigate the influence of the past values of a single time series on the future values of that specific series, the VAR approach forecast multivariate time series simultaneously incorporating the interrelationship among the groups of variables. Monthly forecasts of climatic parameters for in-sample over the period 1972-2008 and out-of-sample from 2009-2013 were generated via a univariate SARIMA and a VAR approach. Different forecast accuracy measures reveal that VAR model give better forecast than univariate SARIMA model. The forecast results using VAR(9) model from January 2014 to December 2021 show that maximum and minimum temperature, as well as humidity are increasing while the cloud coverage is decreasing, that is, consistent with global warming. Moreover, the impulse response function results exhibit the fluctuated and significant dynamic relationships in future among the foresaid climatic variables. Thus, findings of the study can potentially allow Bangladeshi farmers and other actors in the agriculture sector to make proper planning to abate unwanted impacts or reap the expected benefits of favourable climate.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(1): 131-143, April 2018

Development of a Low Cost Coconut Tree Climber for Small Farmers in Bangladesh

Development of a Low Cost Coconut Tree Climber for Small Farmers in Bangladesh

Effects of Fertilizer Broadcasting on the Excessive Use of Inorganic Fertilizers and Environmental Sustainability

The excessive use of inorganic fertilizers causes serious environmental degradation, resulting in lower crop yields in Bangladesh. Seventy percent of Bangladesh farmers practice traditional fertilizer broadcasting. In the 1960s, the Bangladesh state authority launched a ‘Grow More Food’ campaign to feed the country’s increasing population. Farmers were supplied with chemical fertilizers and pesticides at a subsidized price. Farmers increased the frequency of fertilizer applications to enhance yields. These practices are still used and have caused significant environmental degradation. In this study, we examined the effects of fertilizer broadcasting on excessive use of fertilizer and environmental risks. We collected data from 211 Bangladesh infield farmers in 2016. Respondents were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by applying a binary logistic regression model to test the degree of effects between the testable variables. The study found that the effect of broadcasting on the excessive use of fertilizers is strongly significant, at 1%. It also found that younger farmers have a significant effect at 10% on the excessive use of fertilizers. Bangladesh policymakers can formulate policy on sustainable fertilizer management, introducing different placement methods on the basis of this finding. After that, the Directorate of Agricultural Extension (DAE) can carry out the policy at the field level.

Evolving and Strengthening the Cooperative Approach for Agroforestry Farmers in Bangladesh: Lessons Learned from the Shimogo Cooperative in Japan

Although an agro-based country, the farmers of Bangladesh do not receive significant returns from their products, due to some obstacles blocking the achievement of this ultimate goal. This study tries to identify the major challenges of the agroforestry product supply chains in Bangladesh, and offer an alternative solution through the involvement and experiences of farmer cooperatives within a Japanese cooperative model. The objectives were outfitted by two case studies, and the Bangladesh case clearly showed that the involvement of many intermediaries in agroforestry product supply chains was one of the main obstacles that stunted the outcomes of the agroforestry programs. The intermediaries have maximized their profit by buying the farmer products at low prices and selling them back at higher prices, which resulted in high marketing margins. Meanwhile, the Japanese case study had articulated that the farmer-driven cooperative approach, with its good marketing strategies and service functions, could successfully eliminate the intermediaries’ involvement in farmer products, and make a cooperative a strong economic organization. Despite a few challenges, the farmer-driven Japanese cooperative approach would be a good solution that could tackle the middleman problem, and make agroforestry a sustainable production system in Bangladesh.

Productivity and Profitability of Jackfruit-Eggplant Agroforestry System in the Terrace Ecosystem of Bangladesh

Multistoried agroforestry systems as a form of jackfruit-eggplant based is increasingly recognized as a promising option to counteract the catastrophic effects of climate change through providing multifaceted benefits. Unfortunately, farmers of Bangladesh did not manage their jackfruit orchard in a scientific manner. Therefore, the present study was aimed to assess the productivity and profitability of jackfruit-eggplant based agroforestry system after modification from a traditional jackfruit orchard during the period of July 2012 to December 2013. Five treatments covering four orientations of jackfruit tree and an open field was used as a control treatment. To observe the growth and economic performance of the system; soil moisture and temperature, DBH, number of fruits per tree, fruit length, fruit width, fruit weight, total yield, BCR, and LER were calculated following different established methods. The yield of jackfruit dramatically increased by 81% in the agroforestry system in compared to sole cropping, while eggplant shows inverse trend. Soil moisture was high in agroforestry system than that of control plot while soil temperature shows reverse pattern. Indeed, agroforestry system had some negative effects on growth performance of understorey crops. Despite, net return and BCR from jackfruit based agroforestry system were 5.58 lakh and 4.56, which was 66 and 45%, respectively higher than sole cropping systems. The LER of jackfruit-eggplant based agroforestry system was 2.17. Considering the main findings, we can elucidate that jackfruit orchards can be transformed to agroforestry system for maximizing production, generating income and conserving environment.

Application of a bias-corrected meta-frontier approach and an endogenous switching regression to analyze the technical efficiency of conservation tillage for wheat in South Asia

Conservation tillage (CT) options are among the most rapidly spreading land preparation and crop establishment techniques globally. In South Asia, CT has spread dramatically over the last decade, a result of strong policy support and increasing availability of appropriate machinery. Although many studies have analyzed the yield and profitability of CT systems, the technical efficiency impacts accrued by farmers utilizing CT have received considerably less attention. Employing a DEA framework, we isolated bias-corrected meta-frontier technical efficiencies and meta-technology ratios of three CT options adopted by wheat farmers in Bangladesh, including bed planting (BP), power tiller operated seeding (PTOS), and strip tillage (ST), compared to a control group of farmers practicing traditional tillage (TT). Endogenous switching regression was subsequently employed to overcome potential self-selection bias in the choice of CT, in order to robustly estimate efficiency factors. Among the tillage options studied, PTOS was the most technically efficient, with an average meta-technology ratio of 0.90, followed by BP (0.88), ST (0.83), and TT (0.67). The average predicted meta-frontier technical efficiency for the CT non-adopters under a counterfactual scenario (0.80) was significantly greater (P = 0.00) than current TE scores (0.65), indicating the potential for sizeable profitability increases with CT adoption. Conversely, the counterfactual TE of non-adopters was 23% greater than their DEA efficiency, also indicating efficiency gains from CT adoption. Our results provide backing for agricultural development programs in South Asia that aim to increase smallholder farmers’ income through the application of CT as a pathway towards poverty reduction.

Agricultural Farm-Related Injuries in Bangladesh and Convenient Design of Working Hand Tools.

Injuries during cultivation of land are the significant causes of recession for an agricultural country like Bangladesh. Thousands of tools are used in agricultural farm having much probability of getting injury at their workplaces. For the injury prevention, proper hand tool designs need to be recommended with ergonomic evaluations. This paper represents the main causes of agricultural injuries among the Bangladeshi farmers. Effective interventions had been discussed in this paper to reduce the rate of injury. This study was carried out in the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh. Data on 434 agricultural injuries were collected and recorded. About 67% injuries of all incidents were due to hand tools, and the remaining 33% were due to machinery or other sources. Though most of the injuries were not serious, about 22% injuries were greater than or equal to AIS 2 (Abbreviated Injury Scale). The practical implication of this study is to design ergonomically fit agricultural hand tools for Bangladeshi farmers in order to avoid their injuries.

Comparative Harvesting and Threshing Cost of Paddy by Combine Harvester and Self-propelled Reaper and Thresher

Harvesting is one of the major costs for rice production. Although the use of machine for harvesting rice in Bangladesh is increasing day by day and the machines are either combine harvester or reaper and thresher. Farmers of Bangladesh don’t have specific information to the choice of these machines. So to determine the cost of use of each machine, a study was conducted in Doyalsara, Bogra and Mymensingh region. Data were collected for rice in the Aman and Boro season of 2015 to determine the cost of harvesting by combine harvester and reaping and threshing by reaper and thresher. It was found for combine harvester operational cost and for carrying rice bag and straw to the plot side was Tk.10,447/ha. On the other hand, for reaper and thresher, the reaping, binding, carrying the rice to the plot side, threshing and cleaning required Tk.6,940/ha. The percentage of cost of combine harvester in relation to reaper and thresher for the same work is higher by 50.53%. In the socio-economic condition of Bangladeshi farmers, harvesting and threshing operations done by using self-propelled reaper and close drum thresher is cost effective and reasonable.J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 10(1): 133-136 2017

Entrepreneurial opportunity of mechanical rice transplanting service for small holder farmer in Bangladesh

Mechanical rice transplanting is gaining attention to the Bangladeshi farmers. However, service business on mechanical rice seedlings transplanting has not yet been developed due to various reasons. The 4-row walking type transplanter (model DP488) was operated in 54 farmer’s field at Ghaghatpara, Rangpur Sadar and Kaliganjpara, Pairaband, Rangpur in late boro 2016 season to explore the entrepreneurial opportunity of commercial mechanical rice transplanting service for small holder farmer in Bangladesh. The field capacity and field efficiency of rice transplanter was obtained 0.15 ha hr-1 and 75%, respectively. Field capacity depended on the size and shape of the plots. Small plots having less than 250 m2 should be avoided for 4-row walking type rice transplanter to get the good machine performance. Fuel consumption was obtained 4 L ha-1 and varied over plot size, soil settlement time, presence of obstacle, plot to plot travelling distance and operator’s skill. Scattered plots increased travelling distance hence fuel consumption raised and reduced daily area coverage. Soil setting time should be allowed for 12-24 hrs for satisfactory machine performance. Mechanical transplanting took 18 man-hr ha-1 whereas mat loading, machine transport and cleaning took 1.6 man-hr ha-1 labors. Depending on the combination of seedling density in tray and density settings in machine the tray requirement varies from 153 ha-1to 222 ha-1. Tray distribution was observed as 90% in transplanting, 6% in gap filling and 4% pocket area. Gap filling by manual labor required 18-20 man-hr ha-1. Time distribution depended on managerial combination and relation between transplanting team and farmers. Seed rate showed negative correlation with seedlings population in tray and positive correlation with seedlings mortality. Number of turning events in plots can be minimized by selecting larger plot and operating transplanter in length-wise. Increasing daily coverage, minimizing fuel consumption and selection of sensible consumer group can draw good return from marginal input and establish business in secure environment.Progressive Agriculture 28 (3): 230-239, 2017

Impact of financial inclusion on technical efficiency of paddy farmers in Bangladesh

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of financial inclusion on the enhancement of paddy farmers’ technical efficiency (TE). The impact was evaluated rigorously from different dimensions which could be useful in the policy discussion for enhancing efficiency in utilizing productive resources.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional data of randomly selected 120 paddy farmers from Khulna district in the Southwest region of Bangladesh were collected for this study. Initially, a stochastic production frontier approach was used for estimating farmers’ TE. Thereafter, ordinary least squares and quantile regression models were applied for unveiling the existing relationship between TE and various dimensions of financial inclusion after controlling all other socio-economic characteristics.FindingsThe study findings revealed that farmers were around 86 percent technically efficient and amongst them, credit takers were more efficient than non-credit takers. A non-monotonic relationship between TE and amount of credit was observed where TE was maximized at amount around 20,000 Bangladeshi Taka (USD255), a medium credit in terms of its amount. In addition, credit literacy was identified as a significant factor for improving TE. Though difference in the choice of sources for accessing credit had little impact on mean TE, its effect was found significantly higher for low scored technically efficient farmers compared to high scored farmers.Practical implicationsThe policy toward widening the coverage of financial inclusion would be more effective than providing larger amount of credit to a limited number of farmers for improving their TE.Originality/valueSuch an in-depth assessment of the impact of financial inclusion on TE is probably the first effort in the Khulna district of Bangladesh.