Farmers In Bangladesh Research Articles

Weather risks, crop losses, and risk proneness: An examination of evolving risk preferences of rice farmers in Bangladesh

Changing climate poses significant challenges for smallholder rice farmers. Weather-related deviations from longer-term patterns and crop losses due to abiotic hazards can affect farmer risk preferences and drive adaptive responses. In addition, farmers’ proneness to and past experiences with crop risks such as drought, submergence, and excess soil salinity can impact their baseline risk preferences and their response to changing risks. Using data for Bangladesh from two waves of the Rice Monitoring Survey, climate-related data (precipitation and temperature), farmer reports of crop losses, and measures of proneness to abiotic risks, this article estimates how weather deviations from longer-term trends, crop losses, and proneness to crop risks (submergence, drought, and soil salinity) affect elicited risk preferences over time. This research finds evidence in favor of the hypothesis that larger absolute seasonal deviations from past patterns of seasonal mean daily minimum temperature and seasonal total precipitation yield increased risk aversion. In addition, the research provides mixed evidence with respect to risk proneness and farmers’ change in risk preferences over time. Contrary to our original hypothesis, individuals with land more prone to soil salinity become more risk averse rather than less, but, consistent with our hypothesis, those with land more prone to crop submergence become more risk preferring over time. Because of differences in crop experiences and degrees of proneness to risk, risk preferences for farmers in different regions are predicted to evolve along different pathways. This article contributes to the literature on risk preference formation by considering the possibility that less significant deviations than shocks might also contribute to evolving risk preferences. In addition, the article emphasizes the regional heterogeneity of changing preferences. An ancillary finding of this work suggests that risk preferences are only weakly related over time, contrary to other findings in the literature on the stability of risk preferences. Of policy relevance, the differential experiences in weather variability at the regional and local levels yield important differences in changes in preferences and should give rise to careful, regional-level policies to support adaptation to changing weather.

Agro-Based Mobile Apps Adoption among Bangladeshi Farmers at the ‘Hamlet’ of Bangladesh – A Case Study of Chandpura Village of Barisal

Farmers in Bangladesh are gradually adopting and using ICT-based agricultural applications. This study attempted to identify the factors influencing the use of agro-based mobile applications by farmers in Chandpura village of Barisal district. The study examined farmers' access to ICT in terms of smartphone ownership, internet access, their ICT use behaviour for agriculture, and their knowledge and use of agro-based mobile applications. The research was conducted following the principles of qualitative methods in case studies. For data collection and analysis, in-depth interviews, semi-structured questionnaires, and narrative data analysis were utilised. The results showed that farmers were primarily influenced by personal factors such as need, age, education, and satisfaction. The youth were more receptive to innovations because they were more educated and adaptable. In addition, technological factors, such as access to a device and the internet, digital knowledge, ease of use, and a support network, played a significant role in this regard. While the study helped us understand the significance of ICT technology for the continued development of the agricultural sector, market and weather information were neglected in agro apps for small villages where disease, market, and weather information took precedence. Before implementing any technology, it is crucial to conduct research on the population and their specific needs. The implication is that the study helped us comprehend the significance of ICT technology for the advancement of the agriculture sector, even in small villages, and how implementing an ICT-based "agricultural advisory service" supported and benefited farmers. Keywords: Agro-based mobile apps, farmers, agriculture, information and communication technology (ICT), smartphone and internet.

Catastrophic risk perceptions and attitudes in aquaculture: Evidence from flood prone areas of Bangladesh

Aquaculture is still an emerging industry that is highly dependent on the environment and more unstable than other conventional agricultural operations. Diverse environmental and production hazards must be managed by aquaculture farmers for sustainability. Farmers' decisions on farm operations and risk management are significantly influenced by their risk attitudes and perceptions of risk. However, few empirical studies on risk management have been done, but literature on aquaculture is scarce. In light of this knowledge vacuum, the current study investigated how farmers perceive catastrophic risk and their attitudes toward various sources. The information was gathered using a stratified random sample method, with 300 aquaculture farmers interviewed from two major flood-prone regions in Bangladesh. A cubic utility function and the Equally Likely Certainty Equivalent (ELCE) approach were used to quantify farmers' risk aversion. The risk matrix technique was used to assess farmers' perceptions of risk. The effects of socioeconomic factors on farmers' risk attitudes were examined using a Logit model. Floods, strong rains, and pest and diseases all posed potential productivity hazards and most farmers were risk averse in nature. Age, educational position, income, and land proprietorship were the most important predictors of risk attitude, while social and agricultural characteristics had little influence on farmers' risk perceptions. The study's findings will eventually allow policymakers to forecast the suitable risk management measures for the aquaculture farmers in Bangladesh.

Farmer's perception, observed trend and adaptation measures to climate change: Evidence from wheat farmers in Bangladesh

Wheat, the first grain crop in the world, can be negatively impacted by varying temperatures and precipitation patterns, which may pose a threat to the food security. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate wheat farmers perception of and adaptation to climate change. Cross-section and historical data on climate variables were used. Cross-section data was collected from 600 wheat farmers in various Agroecological Zones (AEZ) through face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics, time-trend regression, and the multinomial logistic regression (MNL) model were used to analyze the data. Using actual meteorological data, a climate change analysis corroborated the farmers' perceptions regarding the variability of temperature and precipitation. Changing planting dates (23 %) and cultivation of short duration wheat varieties (17 %) were identified as the major adaptation measures to climate change, while about 19 % of farmers did not undertake any adaptation measures. Access to climate information increased the likelihood of adopting short-duration wheat varieties by 8.57 % and changing planting date by 9.32 %, while credit access increases the likelihood of adopting short duration wheat varieties by 8.86 %. Increasing awareness of climate change, intensifying extension activities, increasing access to climate information, and modifying wheat production techniques can all help farmers become more resilient to climate change, thereby ensuring food security under changing climate.

ICTs and Smart Agriculture in Bangladesh: Way of Sustainable Development

This paper analyzes how the farmers of Bangladesh use the modern technology of information and communication for gathering different agricultural data. Farmers of Bangladesh are being encouraged to use smart devices of information and technology such as smart phones, android phones, laptops, desktops, electronic television for getting updates on different agricultural products, harvesting, and competitive markets. Information and communication technology includes all the devices with inbuilt human to human and device to human interaction systems. Thus, information and technology have a direct and indirect impact on rising farmers’ productivity and growth for sustainable management. This study sheds light on the understanding of the effect of information and communication technology in agricultural growth of Bangladesh for sustainable development with the help of conclusive research design and secondary method of data collection has adopted in this research for understanding of the importance of using information and technology in smart agriculture.

Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Crop Productivity and Economic Return for the Smallholders of Bangladesh: A Systematic Review

Agricultural farming is a complicated system that involves continuous interactions among its multiple components over a period of time. The series of activities involved in farming practices have enormous contributions to ensure food security for the humanity. With the passage of time, agriculture sector faces diversified challenges like high food demand of rapidly growing population, scarcity of available resources and adverse effect of climate change. In developing countries like Bangladesh, food sufficiency is mostly achieved through intensive farming which has detrimental effects on natural resources, surrounding environment, and the whole ecosystem. The review attempts to discover the potentials of conservation agriculture practices for sustainable crop productivity and economic profitability of smallholder farmers in Bangladesh. This study revealed that conservation farm management practice is a cost-effective modernized technique that has the ability to accelerate crop productivity and farmers income through minimum utilization of agricultural inputs. Although the concept of conservation agriculture is widely practiced in other parts of the world, Bangladesh is experiencing a slow rate of adoption during the last few years. The policy implication of the study suggests that the government should take coordinated and combined initiatives involving both public and private sector organizations to incorporate this concept into the mainstream agricultural system of Bangladesh.

Use of technology in agriculture services in Bangladesh

This case discusses how innovative technology is helping the agricultural sector in Bangladesh. It focuses on how the agri-tech companies have become a blessing for farmers of Bangladesh to get access to better services in the agriculture sector. The core focus of these companies is to help farmers connect to buyers, as well as those who are interested in the agriculture sector. This case also highlights how agri-tech companies are beneficial not only to the farmers but also to the country’s overall GDP in terms of the agricultural industry. Additionally, it also covers the particular agro-tech companies that are using technologies to give better services to the farmers. We have used secondary data to carry out the research. The findings of this research indicate that technology and agriculture come together and are benefiting the farmers in the country. It could be an excellent resource for future research to understand agricultural progress in our economy. Overall, the case addresses how technology is essential for the farming industry and how businesses like iFarmer, WeGro, Foshol, and others aim to provide all technology-based services to farmers and the farm sector.

Conservation agriculture‐based sustainable intensification improves technical efficiency in Northern Bangladesh: The case of Rangpur

AbstractThe dissemination of conservation agriculture (CA) technologies has become the objective of a growing number of projects aimed at reducing food insecurity in vulnerable areas of the world. While many studies have found that CA increases farm productivity, little is known about the components of the productivity gains related to CA adoption. CA is a knowledge‐intensive technology, and it is expected to affect both technical efficiency (TE) and input productivity positively. Using cross‐sectional farm‐level data of 220 maize farmers in Bangladesh, we measure the impact of CA on farmers' TE. We first apply propensity score matching (PSM) to create comparable counterfactual groups of CA and non‐CA farmers. Then, we use a stochastic frontier with correction for self‐selection bias to analyse TE. Finally, we fit a stochastic meta‐frontier (SMF) model to the data and use it to compare TE across the two farmer groups. The analysis showed that CA farmers exhibit greater TE levels than non‐CA farmers. This can be attributed to enhancements in farm management, leading to 8% and 9% increases in their productivity and TE, respectively. Thus, there is a case for policymakers to strengthen programs delivering CA technologies that improve food security in Bangladesh.

Suitability of Broccoli in Aonla based Multistoried Fruit Production Model

Aonla based multistoried agroforestry with vegetables is a promising solution to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change by offering multidimensional benefits. Disappointedly, Bangladeshi farmers are less equipped about the cultivation techniques, economics, and yields of multistory agroforestry production systems. Consequently, the goal of the current study was to evaluate the profitability and yield potentiality of aonla-based multistoried broccoli production system during the period of November 22 to March 23. Three separate multistory agroforestry systems were covered by the three treatments, while an open field served as the control treatment. to keep track of the system's expansion and economic success; soil analysis, photosynthetically active radiation, plant height, number of leaves, head length, head width, head weight, total yield, BCR, and LER were calculated following different established methods. While compared to sole cropping, the agroforestry approach drastically reduced the production of broccoli by 89%. Soil organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and sulfur were higher in agroforestry system than that of control plot. In fact, the agroforestry system had some negative effects on the rate of crop growth in understored conditions. Despite, net return and BCR from aonla-based multistoried agroforestry system were 4-11 lakh and 2.24-3.98, which was 69-87 and 41- 67 %, respectively higher than sole cropping systems. The LER of aonla based multistoried agroforestry system was 3.20. The major conclusions show that aonla orchards can be converted to agroforestry systems to increase productivity, generate money, and protect the environment, however due to poor performance, broccoli cannot be grown in multistory systems.

Understanding vegetable farmers' adoption, dis-adoption, and non-adoption decisions of pest management by pheromone trapping.

The use of pheromone traps can minimize the excess application of synthetic insecticides, while can also benefit the environment. The use of pheromone traps has been promoted and suggested to vegetable farmers of Bangladesh for widespread adoption. However, the majority of farmers have continued to spray insecticides instead of using pheromone traps. The present study investigated the factors influencing farmers' adoption, dis-adoption, and non-adoption behavior of pheromone traps for managing insect pests. Primary data were collected from 438 vegetable growers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. About 27% of the farmers abandoned the technique shortly after it was adopted as it was time-consuming to manage insect pests. Marginal effect analysis revealed that the likelihood of continued adoption was 34.6% higher for farmers who perceived that pheromone traps were useful in controlling insect pests. In contrast, the likelihood of dis-adoption was 16.5% and 10.4% higher for farmers who maintained communication with private pesticide company agents and neighbor farmers, respectively. Extension services by government extension personnel might be encouraged and maintained as a key component in increasing farmer awareness regarding the use of pheromone trap. Strategies to promote pheromone traps in vegetable production should highlight the positive impacts to farmers and the environment, as this would most likely lead to their continued and widespread use after initial adoption.

A Study on the Effectiveness of Utilization of the Union Digital Center Agricultural Information by the Farmers in Bangladesh

Aims: The aims of the study were to determine the effectiveness of Union Digital Center (UDC) in the utilization of agricultural information by the farmers, also to investigate the contribution of the selected characteristics of the farmers to the effectiveness of UDC in the utilization of agricultural information and to resolve the problems faced by the farmers in receiving agricultural information from the UDC. Study Design: It is a Field Survey Research. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in a union named Alokjhari under Khanshama Upazila of Dinajpur district of Bangladesh There are eight villages in this union. The study was conducted in these eight villages from January 2020 to February 2022. Methodology: The farmers of Alokjhari Union who were members of the Common Interest Group (CIG) under the National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) constitute the population of the study. According to Yamane’s (1967) formula, the sample size was determined as 154 from 200 respondents. A simple random sampling method was used in order to select the sample. Data were collected using a structured interview schedule. Descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression were used for analysis. Results: The highest proportion 49.4 percent of the farmers had low effectiveness of UDC in utilizing agricultural information compared to 30.5 percent with medium effectiveness and 20.1 percent with high effectiveness. And the highest effective information that the farmers asked for was found on ‘compost preparation’ followed by ‘tree plantation’, ‘recommended seed rate’, and so on. Among the influential variables level of education, family income, innovativeness, agricultural knowledge and aspiration provided a 53.1 percent contribution to the effectiveness of UDC. Conclusion: The findings indicate that UDC plays a moderate role in the utilization of agricultural information. Agricultural knowledge was the main contributor to the improvement of the effectiveness of UDC while agricultural knowledge should be increased to both farmers and UDC staff levels.

Perceptions of Chemical Pesticides Use among Vegetable Growers in Bangladesh: Implications for Sustainable Pest Management

The majority of farmers in Bangladesh regularly use chemical pesticides to combat insect and pest attacks on their vegetable crops, even though doing so may have negative impacts on the environment and human health. The present study was conducted to assess the socioeconomic characteristics of the vegetable growers, examine the current pest management practices, identify the farmers’ perception of different aspects of chemical pesticide use and the factors that determine their perception towards pesticide use. A total of 120 vegetable growers were interviewed face to face from two unions of Gouripur upazila in Mymensingh district using a semi-structured questionnaire and following a simple random sampling technique. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The result of the descriptive analysis shows the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents. The result shows that most of the respondents use chemical pesticides in vegetable cultivation and they have a positive perception of chemical pesticide use. The result of the correlation coefficient found that education, farming experience, extension media contact, and knowledge about insect pest management have positive and signification correlations with the farmers' perception. This research emphasized the requirement for prompt implementation of highly stringent pesticide use rules and suggested training courses for pest control specialists, farmers, and pesticide sellers.

Moving to conservation agriculture: (1) evidence of rhizome crops performance in existing agroforestry practices of Madhupur Garh, Bangladesh

The continuous practice of mono-cropping by small-scale farmers in Bangladesh has resulted in poor soil quality and declining crop yields. As a result, there is a growing need to explore sustainable production methods that are resource-efficient and environmentally friendly. Conservation agriculture has emerged as a beneficial approach that effectively addresses these challenges by utilizing locally available resources to enhance crop productivity and soil quality. With this in mind, the objective of this study was to assess the impacts of conservation agricultural practices on the growth and yield of ginger and turmeric in the Madhupur Garh of Bangladesh. The study was conducted in the Auronkhola, Gaira, Makontonagar in Madhupur district, using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications from July to September 2022. Ginger and turmeric were selected for the trial. The results showed that these spices exhibited significantly higher yields (6090 kg/ha and 11370 kg/ha, respectively) compared to traditionally cultivated vegetables in the farmers' fields. The implementation of conservation agriculture practices contributed to the improved yields. As part of conservation agriculture practices, various factors crucial for crop production, such as soil organic matter content, total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium levels, and pH, were positively influenced. This was achieved through the use of organic manure, minimal tillage, the retention of permanent crop residues, and crop rotation. Based on the findings, the study concludes that traditional agriculture must transition to conservation agriculture methods in order to achieve increased food production while utilizing fewer resources and minimizing negative environmental impacts. This shift towards conservation agriculture offers a more efficient and sustainable approach to farming.

Exploring the role of pesticide traders in protecting farmers' benefit

AbstractOwing to the inadequacy of the public extension services, farmers in developing countries often rely on the suggestions of agricultural input traders. As profit‐making agents, these traders, in their turn, may have an incentive to exploit farmers by suggesting relatively expensive inputs. In this study, the Endogenous Switching Regression (ESR) estimation method is applied to demonstrate that input traders in many ways play the substitute role of the public extension agents in a developing country. In the process, this study relied on primary information collected from 379 farmers in Bangladesh in two seasons (N = 758). Then the ESR estimation procedure is applied to predict farmer's expenditure on pesticides, conditional on whether or not they rely on traders' advice. Findings of this study suggest that pesticide expenditures are not statistically different between the farmers that rely on traders' suggestions and those that do not. The study thus concludes that by providing unbiased, useful information to the client farmers, profit‐maximizing agricultural input traders render the services of public extension workers, which corrects possible market failures.

Influence of Socio-Economic Conditions on the Effect of Covid-19 in Some Selected Areas of Bangladesh

Aims: The enduring COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a new era in the efficacy of the agricultural sectors. Farmers in Bangladesh are directly affected by COVID-19. Considering the farmers’ condition regarding the pandemic, the study was designed to investigate the influence of socio-economic conditions on the effect of covid-19 in some selected areas of Bangladesh.
 Study Design: Descriptive research design.
 Place and Duration of Study: Data were collected from the 107 respondents selected from the intervention area (5 villages) of Jhenaidah district, Bangladesh. The duration was between June 2021 and July 2022.
 Methodology: The data obtained from the interview schedule were coded and tabulated in a data sheet. All personal traits were categorized and arranged in simple tables for descriptions. Statistical tools such as frequency distribution, percent, range, mean and standard deviation were used to interpret data. Data analysis was done using the concerned software Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 26.0. The effect was measured by different descriptive statistics and multiple regression.
 Results: The majority (71.80%) of the farmers faced a medium effect of COVID-19. Among the variables age, source of drinking water, and problems faced by the farmers in crop cultivation during COVID-19 had a positive significant contribution, and sanitation practiced by the farmers had a negative contribution to the effect of COVID-19 on their socio-economic conditions. Among these, problems faced by the farmers in crop cultivation had the highest contribution (42.2%). All the factors cooperatively contribute 51.3% of the variance of the effect of COVID-19 (R2 =0.513).
 Conclusion: It is concluded that the effect of COVID-19 on farmers’ socio-economic conditions was moderate and needed further advancement.

Factors influencing livelihood conditions of farmers in Bangladesh: empirical study introducing structural equation modeling analysis

Factors influencing livelihood conditions of farmers in Bangladesh: empirical study introducing structural equation modeling analysis

MANAGEMENT OF RED PUMPKIN BEETLE AND FRUIT FLY IN ASH GOURD USING BIORATIONAL INSECTICIDES

Ash gourd Benincasa hispida Thumb., a cucurbit vegetable, faces frequent infestation of red pumpkin beetle and cucurbit fruit fly. Farmers in Bangladesh mainly apply conventional synthetic insecticides to protect crops from the attack of these pests. The current study was conducted in the experimental field of the Department of Entomology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur during March 2021 to July 2021 to know the effects of five biorational insecticides, namely Biotrin (matrine), Proclaim (emamectin benzoate), Sunmectin (abamectin), Mahogany oil and Neem oil on the abundance and infestation of red pumpkin beetle and fruit fly infesting ash gourd. The insecticides were applied 3 times maintaining 7 days interval. Results showed significant reduction of the insect population compared to untreated control. Sunmectin (1.55±0.34) treated plot showed the lowest abundance of red pumpkin beetle after the 3rd spray with 65% reduction of population compared to untreated control plot. Biotrin (8.59±1.00%) treated plot showed the lowest leaf and flower infestation by red pumpkin beetle after 3rd spray, with the reduction (69% in both) over control. The lowest fruit infestation was found in Sunmectin treated plot (23.01±8.05%). The highest yield of ash gourd (17.9 T/ha) was recorded from Sunmectin treated plot which showed statistical similarity to Proclaim (16.01 T/ha) and Biotrin (15.90 T/ha) treated plots with 3.5, 2.5 and 2.6 benefit cost ratio, respectively. Therefore, it could be concluded that Sunmectin, Proclaim and Biotrin were more effective to control the infestation of red pumpkin beetle and fruit fly of ash gourd than the other tested insecticides.

Comparative quality assessment of wild and hatchery-produced black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) post-larvae in pre-stocking nursing condition

Farmers of Bangladesh like to stock wild post-larvae (PL) of Black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). However, wild PL collection is detrimental to aquatic biodiversity, and the supply of hatchery PL is sufficient. The study was conducted in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, to compare the quality aspects of wild and hatchery PL in terms of size variation, survival, tolerance, and morphology.

Smart Greenhouse Monitoring System Using Blynk IoT App

Aims: A smart greenhouse system that utilizes the Blynk IoT app is an innovative technology designed to automate greenhouse operations, thereby reducing labor and resource costs and optimizing plant growth.
 Study Design: In this paper we propose a real-time mobile app-based monitoring system to automate greenhouse agriculture. The system involves the usage of Blynk mobile application that allows users to monitor, control both manually and remotely as well as automation of various aspects of the greenhouse environment in real-time.
 Place and Duration of Study: Department of Computer Science and Engineering, American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), Dhaka, Bangladesh between February 2023 to April 2023.
 Methodology: Multiple environmental sensors, temperature, humidity, soil moisture, light intensity, and Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) sensors continuously collect data. Farmers can remotely monitor and control the greenhouse using the Blynk IoT application. A fire sensor alarms it. Farmers can tailor alerts for environmental changes like irrigation or heating. They can manually and remotely control fans, lights, and humidifiers. If temperature, light intensity, or humidity drop below a specified threshold, the system turns on fans, lights, and humidifiers. A water pump that kicks on automatically based on soil moisture and can be regulated remotely ensures the plants get enough water.
 Results: The proposed system allows for real-time updates of sensor data and enables remote control of connected devices via the mobile app from any location, with notable fast processing subject to the quality of the internet connection.
 Conclusion: Upon successful implementation of this research, we anticipate the emergence of an advanced automated smart greenhouse monitoring system that will greatly benefit farmers in Bangladesh. This new method could change greenhouse and farm management, improving efficiency, cost, and crop yields.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vegetable farmers in Bangladesh

The COVID-19 pandemic not only imposed severe health risks but also raised major challenges to the economy, due to widespread and severe measures to control the spread of the disease. Food value chains were disrupted by restrictions of the movement of people and commodities, which had significant impacts on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Bangladeshi vegetable farmers. A total of 320 vegetable farmers were selected from the North-West region of Bangladesh. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a digital survey method. Analysis revealed that around 3–5% of the marketed surplus of the farms was reduced during the pandemic due to the disturbances. The majority of the farm households reported that there was a significant reduction in their family income and, as a consequence, around 38% of farm households had cut down on their food consumption during the pandemic. The farmers were found to follow different strategies to cope with the difficulties and respond to government initiatives to mitigate such impacts. Despite all the restrictions and risks, extension services were still available to help the farmers. On the basis of the findings, this study suggests the importance of collaborative participation of the relevant bodies to decrease the effects of COVID-19 on farm households by employing all available mechanisms and focusing more on identifying effective coping strategies that can be supported in the event of future shocks, for more sustainable and resilient food systems.