Sadar Upazila Research Articles

Digitalization in the service delivery of upazila land offices in Bangladesh: Challenges of barishal sadar upazila land office

Digitalization in the service delivery of upazila land offices in Bangladesh: Challenges of barishal sadar upazila land office

Is road-side fishpond water in Bangladesh safe for human use? An assessment using water quality indices

Pond water is used in everyday life by many people in Bangladesh, however, without sufficient and reliable information regarding water quality and pollution status. For this reason, geospatial analysis and mapping of water quality indices such as metal (MI), contamination (Cd), and physicochemical water quality index (WQI) were assessed to improve the understanding of potential pollution sources. Samples were collected from twenty randomly selected ponds situated in Jashore Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh. Nineteen (19) water quality parameters were measured, including pH, temperature, EC, TDS, total suspended solids (TSS), chloride, alkalinity, total hardness, salinity, Fe, Mn, Pb, Cr, Cd, Co, Zn, Ag, Ni, and Cu. The average concentration of Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd, and Ag was much higher than recommended standards. The WQI ranged from 1.59-5.27, Cd from -0.19-18.28, and MI from 7.81-26.28. The spatial distribution of MI indicates that the south-western and south-eastern region of the study area are stands out with a very high pollution pressure. The spatial distribution of Cd, follows the same trend as for MI. A multitude of different types of pollution sources contributes to the high pollution load such as, municipal wastewater, leachate from landfills, small industry wastewater and stormwater, and agricultural runoff. The studied pond water is highly polluted and not suitable for household use and fish consumption.

Toxicity analyses of ground water of some industrial areas of Bogra sadar upazila

Toxicity analyses of ground water of some industrial areas of Bogra sadar upazila

Toxicity analyses of ground water of some industrial areas of Bogra sadar upazila

Toxicity analyses of ground water of some industrial areas of Bogra sadar upazila

Investigating the Production Efficiency of Power Loom Industry in Pabna Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh

The power loom industry is extremely important to our country’s economy: employs a large number of people, helping to alleviate rural poverty, and it is a growing source of government revenue. The aim of this research is to identify the prospects and production efficiency of power loom industry in Pabna, Bangladesh. To assist the aim, this study has been based on primary data collected from 52 power loom units between October and November in 2019 with the help of a structured questionnaire and face-to-face interview method. In this study, an econometric model of Cobb-Douglas production has been employed to measure the factors affecting the sales revenue and the efficiency of production in power loom industry. The estimated results confirmed that main determinants of increasing the production efficiency and sales revenue of power loom industry are quality yarn, skilled labour, machine and electricity. The efficiency parameter is obtained 2.653.

Value added of milk and milk by products at Adarsha sadar upazila of Cumilla

Value added of milk and milk by products at Adarsha sadar upazila of Cumilla

Social Media in Agricultural Extension Services: Farmers and Extension Agents Perspective

The study aimed to assess the present status of social media in agricultural extension services as well as attitude of the farmers with their problems towards social media. The study was conducted in five unions of Chapainawabganj Sadar Upazila, Chapainawabganj district. A total of 90 respondents (60 farmers and 30 extension officers) were randomly selected from the study area. The majority of farmers (75%) had a moderately positive view toward social media. According to the findings, all of the farmers were men, and 46.7% of them were in their middle years. The majority of the farmers (53.3%) were illiterate, the majority (38.3%) were small-group farmers based on land ownership, and only a small percentage (11.7%) used social media. The most popular social media platforms among them were Facebook and YouTube. Other respondents used social media at a rate of 93.3% for extension officers. About 46.7 percent of extension staff utilized both Facebook and YouTube to communicate with farmers, while 33.3% chose Facebook over other social media. They mainly used social media for agricultural information, amusement, personal reasons, and information sharing, but they did not find the use of social media solely for agricultural purposes to improve extended services agreeable. According to the extension officers, social media can assist farmers in receiving critical information and so bridge the gap between them and farmers. Farmers' lack of usage of social media is due to major issues such as lack of awareness, illiteracy, and lack of training, according to the study. As a result, it is proposed that researchers, extension officials, and the government take appropriate initiatives to encourage farmers to use social media.

Seroprevalence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection in layer chickens of Bangladesh

Mycoplasma gallisepticum causes major health hazards in poultry birds in Bangladesh which results in huge economic losses every year. This study was carried out to estimate and analyze the prevalence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infection in commercial layer chickens at Kishoreganj district of Bangladesh during the period from November 2018 to October 2019. A total of 505 serum samples from 94 commercial layer farms of Kishoreganj Sadar Upazila and Pakundia Upazila of Kishoreganj district were collected. Serum plate agglutination (SPA) was performed to detect the antibody against MG. Prevalence was found 73% in the Kishoreganj district by SPA test. MG was significantly (P<0.01) more prevalent in Pakundia Upazila 82% than Kishoreganj Sadar Upazila 61.11%. In case of season, winter season had significantly higher (X^2=30.94, p=0.000) prevalence of MG infection. In relation to age, seroprevalence of MG infection was highest 78% in birds of 65 weeks’ age and lowest 71% in 6-25 weeks’ age birds. Any significant (P>0.05) association was not found between flock size and seroprevalence of MG. Seroprevalence was highest in flock containing above 2600 birds. MG infection is prevalent in the chicken population of Kishoreganj district, Bangladesh. Measures should be taken for successful prevention and control of this disease in Bangladesh.

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of mycoplasmosis in layer chickens at southern region of Bangladesh

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is the most important pathogenic Mycoplasma spp. causing avian mycoplasmosis and brought about huge economic losses to poultry industry in Bangladesh. The present study was undertaken to know the seroprevalence of MG in layer birds in three different geographical areas of southern Barishal division, Bangladesh. Total 310 sera samples were collected from wing vein of 30 farms for this study. Sera samples were tested with Rapid Serum Agglutination (RSA) for MG using commercial Antigen Kit (manufactured by Lillidale Diagnostic) to detect the presence of antibodies against MG. The overall seroprevalence of MG by RSA was 36.13%. Seroprevalence of MG infection was dominant in winter season (45.54%) and significantly highest occurrence was recorded in age groups from 20-40 weeks of layer chickens (51.79%). Serological investigation in three different upazila of Barishal division showed the highest infection rate (45.26%) in medium scale flocks (1000-3000) in comparison to (21.43%) small (&lt;1000) flocks. The seroprevalence of MG was highest in Swarupkathi (44.38%) than in Barishal Sadar (26%) and Banaripara upazila (28%). Biosecurity and managemental failure is the overall risk factor in all types of farm due to lack of proper knowledge among farmer. This study reveals the current scenario of mycoplasmosis in layer birds of three different areas of Barishal division. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. 2021, 7 (3), 292-297

Farmers’ Perception On The Impact Of Pesticides In The Vegetable Value Chain In Bangladesh

The increasing use of chemical pesticides across the country to ensure good crop yields in Bangladesh have posed risks to food safety, human health and the environment. A cross-sectional study was conducted in four Upazilas of four different districts, namely Khetlal Upazila under Joypurhat district, Mithapukur Upazila under Rangpur district, Narsingdi Sadar Upazila and Jashore Sadar Upazila and data were collected from those areas. Pre-tested questionnaires, KII checklists and FGD questions were used to collect data from the field. Interviews revealed that 89.50% of farmers did not use formal personal safety equipment (PSE). As a result, farmers faced different types of health hazards like itching (65.20%) and headache (64.30%) followed by body pain (58.55%). Besides, 72.30% of farmers considered that pesticides killed a certain group of beneficial organisms which is harmful to the ecosystem. Moreover, 64.50% of farmers believed that pesticides reduced soil fertility and 79.20% wondered that pesticides contaminated water and kill fish and other aquatic species when they reach the water bodies.

Farmers' Response on Field Performance of BSMRAU Developed IPSA Seem and BU Pepe1 Crop Variety

The study was conducted to investigate the adoption of IPSA seem and BU pepe1 crop variety by the farmers in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh and Meherpur Sadar upazila of Meherpur districts, respectively in Bangladesh. In-person interviews with 80 respondents and two focus group discussions were carried out to collect data. According to study findings, the highest portion of the respondents were young aged, literate, had medium farm size, low farming experience, and organizational participation and their average annual income were Tk. 192850 and Tk. 200500 for IPSA seem and BU pepe1 growers, respectively. Extent of adoption was above fifty percent in both cases of IPSA seem and BU pepe1 whereas the extent of BU pepe1 adoption was higher than IPSA seem. Performance of IPSA seem and BU pepe1 was satisfactory to the farmers in terms of ease of handling, better marketability and adaptation to the environment, vigor, and better physical appearance. Majority of the IPSA seem and BU pepe1 respondents experienced a medium increase in crop yield while medium to high-income increase by cultivating those varieties. Majority of them had a low to moderate knowledge gap in cultivating IPSA seem and BU pepe1. The major problems faced by the farmers were pod borer infestation, common mosaic virus for IPSA seem while low germination percentage, common mosaic virus for BU pepe1. The study results showed that respondents with small farm sizes were more interested in adopting IPSA seem than others. So, engaging small farmers in cultivating IPSA seem would make this technology more available and popular among the farmers.

Health status of cultured catla (Gibelion catla) in Hill tracts region of Bangladesh

A study was carried out for a period 8 months from March 2020 to October 2020 to observe the health status of cultured catla (Gibelion catla) in three Upazilas viz., Khagrachari Sadar, Ramgarh and Mahalchari upazila of Khagrachari district through clinical procedures. Data were collected through personal contact, sampling, questionnaire interview and discussions with key informants. Clinically, Fish from Vhaibonchara and Perachara at Khagrachari Sadar Upazila, Patachara at Ramgarh Upazila were found to be healthy during summer. During rainy season, catla of Mahalchari Upazila were affected with dropsy like clinical signs where major signs were swollen of abdomen, removal of scales and superficial injury. Tail and fin rot affected catla were collected from Ramgarh Upazila having erosion of fins and tail and the presence of white spots in fin and tail region. Cultured catla in rainy season were more affected than those of summer season. However, catla of summer season had reduced clinical changes than those of rainy season. From clinical and pathological point of view healthy catla were noticed in summer and moderately infected in rainy season. It could be mentioned that production and health status of catla were increased in summer season of Khagrachari Sadar area compared with other areas and season. During the study period water temperature were ranged between 23°C to 35°C in summer and 23°C in rainy season. The highest pH was 8.2 ± 0.20 recorded from Mobachari of Mahalchari in summer and the lowest was 6.5 ± 0.25 from the Perachara of Khagrachari Sadar Upazila. Thus necessary measures need to be taken especially during rainy season.

Comparison of temporal changes in urban settlements and land surface temperature in Rangpur and Gazipur Sadar, Bangladesh after the establishment of city corporation

Land use land cover (LULC) and Land surface temperature (LST) dynamics are critical indicators of trends in human activities. LULC change explains human-environment interactions and is vital for sustainable development & natural resources management. Rapid urbanization causes permanent changes in land cover as well as altering the LST. City corporations established in Gazipur (2013) and Rangpur (2012) accelerated economic growth and urbanization. We aimed to investigate whether key administrative change is the primary factor accelerating drastic urbanization rather than historical development trends. We examined the areal extent of urban class and LST change from 2006 to 2020 throughout Gazipur and Rangpur Sadar Upazila using Landsat 5 & 8 imagery. Supervised classification (Maximum Likelihood Classification) and Plank equation were used to identify urban build-up and estimate LST. The rate of urbanization was 59.64% and 51.80% during the second epoch (2013–2020) compared to 12.40% and 5.50% in the first epoch (2006–2013). The LST increased throughout the whole region during the second epoch with a maximum of 31.1 °C and 26.6 °C in Gazipur and Rangpur Sadar Upazila, respectively, which is significantly higher than the first epoch. The overall accuracy for all images used in this study stand between 93.94% and 96.97%.

IMPACT OF RURAL ELECTRIFICATION ON LIVELIHOOD IN A SELECTED AREA OF BANGLADESH

Rural electrification is the lifeblood of rural development in Bangladesh. The study was conducted to examine the socioeconomic conditions of sample households, investigate the impact of rural electrification on user’s livelihoods, and identify the problems and constraints faced by the households. A total of 70 households were randomly selected from Chargobodia and Charkalibari villages of sadar upazila under the Mymensingh district. All of the respondents were clients of the Mymensingh Palli Bidyut Samity-1. Primary data were collected through field survey using an interview schedule. Simple statistical techniques were employed to analyse the data. The DFID livelihood approach was carried used to determine the impact of the rural electrification on livelihood. The findings revealed that the highest 74.29% of the selected respondents belonged to the age group 30 – 64. About 47.14% farmers ended their primary level education and 44.28% did not receive institutional education. About 65.71% respondents’s main occupation was agriculture and 21.43% respondents considered agriculture as subsidiary for their earnings. The overall average family size in the study area was 5.15 persons in a family with dependency ratio 3.33. The average farm size was 237.21 decimal. On the basis of farm category, 5.71% of the respondents belong to landless, 75.72% respondents belong to small, and 12.86% respondent’s medium and 5.71% respondents were a large farm category. An average income and expenditure of the respondents were Tk.270485.71 and Tk.236500 respectively. The all five types of assets such as human, natural, social, physical and financial were positively changed after rural electrification in the study area. Wrong bill, load shading, the high price of electricity, low voltage, damage of electric equipment and difficulty of new meter set up were the main problems and constraints. So, the government should address these issues in the development policies and programmes for rural Bangladesh.

Bird diversity, composition and response during COVID-19 in an urban landscape, Jamalpur, Bangladesh

The world has been encountering a COVID-19 pandemic since late 2019. The world’s people have also witnessed the free movement of wildlife, even in many urban areas in some countries during the imposed lockdown. We conducted research on the birds in the urban landscape of Jamalpur Sadar upazila from March 2020 to October 2020 during this pandemic situation. A total of 134 species of birds with 4338 individuals were recorded during the study period. The number of resident bird species was the maximum (115 species, 85.82%) compared to migrants. The highest number of birds was observed (120 species, 89.55%) and counted 2278 individual birds 52.51%) in the summer season. It was observed that the highest diversity of birds (89 species, 65.92%) was in March. The tree was the most (94 species, n = 2502) used microhabitat by birds in the study area. Among all birds, Pycnonotus cafer was the most abundant bird species with the highest relative abundance (6.11%). Some bird species (e.g. Metopidius indicus, Anastomus oscitans, Amaurornis phoenicurus, Streptopelia tranquebarica, Lonchura malacca) were frequently observed in the urban landscape of the study area during the pandemic. Proper management and awareness creation are essential for the conservation of the bird species in this area.&#x0D; Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 30(2): 261-274, 2021 (July)

Production and profitability of small scale broiler farming in selected areas of Dinajpur district, Bangladesh

This study focuses on the production and profitability of the broiler farming by using Cobb-Douglas production function and Benefit-Cost analysis. For this purpose, data were collected from 50 broiler farmers living in Birol and Sadar upazila of Dinajpur district in 2020. The result revealed that involvement in broiler production seems to be profitable for the small-scale broiler farmers for the study areas notifying by net return as Tk. 6681 with a benefit-cost ratio greater than one, whereas the gross return was Tk.193367. The net return over the total cost is 0.075. The production function resulted that feed, medicines and human labor had significant positive effect on production of broiler whereas only rental cost had negative effect. Training had a highly significant (p&lt;0.01) positive effect on production of broiler. Therefore, it can be recommended that training and proper use of drugs and medicine should be encouraged because of their significant impact. Government and NGOs should also arrange more training for improving broiler production in Bangladesh.&#x0D; Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 11(1): 69-73, June 2021

Supply Chain and Logistics of Fish: A Case Study of Jamalpur District Markets in Bangladesh

Fishery sector plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of Bangladesh. In the fish economy of Bangladesh, one of the most flourishing traffic activities is fish marketing. This study was aimed to investigate the fish species availability, supply chain, quality loss, price behavior and constrains associated with fish marketing in order to provide better suggestion for efficient fish marketing in Jamalpur district of Bangladesh. Data were collected form Sadar upazila markets by using a structured interview schedule, focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII) with the stakeholders involved in supplying fish from farm to fork, such as- aratdars, retailers, and consumers during 2020-21. A total 78 fish species were found (72 Fresh water and 2 Marine water), among them 20 frequently, 17 less amount, 25 occasionally, and 16 species were rarely available in the market. It was estimated that 72% fish species were sourced from culture fishery whereas 28% were from capture fishery. About 91.5% fishes in Jamalpur markets were supplied locally, whereas rests were from other districts. The post-harvest quality losses of fish in the sampled markets were assessed which indicate that small indigenous species (SIS) spoiled quicker than medium to large sizes fishes due to different factors. The price behavior of the fish market influenced by the demand of the fish species, quality, size, catching sources (culture fishery or capture fishery) and the purchasing time (beginning, middle or last time of market). The study found positive correlation between the market price and fish quality. Several problems of fish market were identified resulting consumer dissatisfaction and financial losses for fish traders. Considering the importance of fish market to the economy, this study suggested to take necessary steps for establishing modern fish market to ensure the adequate quality maintenance of fish with efficient marketing.

EFFECT OF COMMERCIAL FEEDS ON GROWTH AND PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE OF SHRIMP (PENAEUS MONODON) IN BAGERHAT COASTAL PONDS OF BANGLADESH

The experiment was conducted over 120 days from March to June 2019 in Bagerhat sadar upazila, Bagerhat. The study was categorized into four treatments indicated as T1 (ACI feed), T2 (Quality feed), T3 (Mega feed) and T4 (control) with three replicates. The experimental ponds were stocked with shrimp PL at same density of 4 nos./m2. Ponds were treated with agricultural lime based on soil and water pH and fertilized with urea and Triple Super Phosphate depending on water transparency and depth. Different water quality parameters were determined at ten-day intervals. Parameters of water were within acceptable ranges of shrimp culture. Higher growth (30.36 g) of shrimp was achieved in T2 compared to T1 (28.53 g), T3 (27.43 g) and T4 (22.85 g). Growth and survival rate of shrimp were comparatively lower in T4 at the same stocking density. Significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher production of shrimp was obtained in T2 (971.52 kg/ha) than those of T1 (855.90 kg/ha), T3 (757.07 kg/ha) and T4 (566.68 kg/ha). Highest net profit (US$ 2570.2/ha) of shrimp farming was found in T2 than that of T1 (US$ 2105.7), T3 (US$ 1786.6) and T4 (US$ 1298.1). Results of the study indicate that among different commercial feeds Quality feed (T2) is better than other feeds in respect of survival rate, growth, production and net profit. So, farmers may be encouraged to use Quality feed for getting higher production and significant return in a short period of time.

Assessment of the Farmers’ Perception on Vermicompost as Waste Management Practice and Economic Return in Some Areas of Bangladesh

A study was conducted to determine the farmers’ perception on vermicompost as waste management practice and economic return at the Baliadangi and Sadar upazila of Thakurgaon district of Bangladesh. Utilizing the survey method and pretested interview schedule, data were collected by face-to-face interview from proportionate randomly selected 115 respondents. The findings of the study exhibited that on an average the respondents were 40 years of age with 4 members in their family and about 90% of them were educated either primary, secondary, or tertiary level. The respondents’ average family annual income was about 2870 USD and they earned an additional income of about 115 USD annually from vermicompost. Out of all the respondents 70% and 86% of them participated agricultural and vermicompost related training, respectively. Participation of different training programs helped the respondents to improve their knowledge on vermicomposting and vermiculture which was exhibited by their 88% moderate to better knowledge. Furthermore, 79% respondents exhibited moderately to highly favorable perception towards vermicompost as waste management practice and economic contribution. In addition, out of the selected attributes, five attributes, namely, respondents’ family size, family annual income, income from vermicompost, training received on vermicompost and knowledge of the respondents on vermicompost had significant contribution on the perception of vermicompost. As a whole, the findings of the study offer new empirical evidence on the farmers level perception to vermicompost as waste management practice which may be utilized by the policy makers to develop future policy to adopt and disseminate of the vermiculture technique to the general farmers of the country.

EXPLORING IMPROVED AGROFORESTRY PRACTICED FARMER’S SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND THEIR LIVELIHOOD IN SELECTIVE CHARLANDS OF BANGLADESH

A baseline survey is very much important to identify the preliminary condition of a certain group or the people of a certain area and/or whole country. A baseline study is one that looks at study characteristics at a particular time or under a particular set of conditions to establish a “base line. The study accounting data of 80 farmers were collected from Bolaierchar and Bagolgor char under Sherpur district and Naovangar char and laxmir char from Jamalpur district for base line survey of upliftment of farmers livelihood and enrichment of environment through improve agroforestry practice in charland ecosystem of Bangladesh project by using Random Sampling Technique method. Data refer to the input output details and other socio-economic characteristics of upliftment of farmers livelihood in the crop year 2017-2018. Random sampling technique has been used for collecting data. The result of the baseline survey showed that out of 80 sample farmers two locations in agroforestry practicing household’s age was categorized at five age groups such as 20-29 years, 30-39 years, 40-49 years, 50-59 and 60-69 years. The sample households were classified into three groups based on their educational level such as; illiterate, can sign and primary and above. The family size was categorized by five categories such as number of member’s 3-5 persons, 6-8 persons, 9-11 persons and 12-14 persons, 15-18 persons. The average annual incomes were categorized into Tk.50000 to Tk.99999, Tk.100000 to Tk.149999, Tk.150000 to Tk.199999, Tk.200000 to Tk.249999 and Tk.250000 to Tk.300000. Total 17 tree species were recorded from the selected farm families of four different char village of Sadar upazila of Jamalpur and Sherpur district (Table 6) of which mango (99%), jackfruit (95%), black berry (26%), guava (22%), lemon (21%) and bamboo (20%) are the dominant tree species. Total 8 different existing agroforestry models were recorded in the studied charland areas. Among these different existing models very common model was Bean and Jiga tree-based agroforestry which was found in only 20% surveyed family.