Impact of Commercial Floodplain Aquaculture on Common-pool Resource Dependent Community

Aquaculture in pond and floodplain was accelerated in Bangladesh in the 1990s as a means of better production and income which was backed by the donor agencies, NGOs, and the government. Currently, the commercial actors are involved in the aquaculture systems due to the availability of production technologies and inputs. This paper aims to explore how the commercialization and privatization of floodplain aquaculture become the cause of the sufferings of the natural resource-dependent people and biodiversity loss in the floodplains. Now, Influential people hold control of the common pool floodplains and restricted the access of the Small-Scale Fishers (SSF) to manage the aquaculture. Our findings suggest that the SSF, for whom the seasonal floodplains were an important source of livelihood, their livelihood has been destroyed and overall wellbeing have been negatively affected. Besides that, lending enough evidence to the increased inequality, a new group of poor has emerged. Because instead of ensuring the welfare of SSF, Bangladesh government has leased the floodplain lands to the powerful rich people. In addition to growing inequalities, natural resource degradation has welcomed social vulnerabilities. However, no development initiative will ever be sustainable and effective if the existing socio-ecological setting is not considered. Bangladesh government should take robust attempts to revisit fisheries policies to ensure livelihood resilience of fisheries resource-dependent community by managing the access rights of the common pool resources

YOUNG CONSUMERS' ECO-FRIENDLY FOOD PURCHASING CONSCIOUSNESS-BEHAVIOR GAP IN BANGLADESH

The demand for eco-friendly food is increasing globally, including Bangladesh. This study aimed to examine the environmental consciousness and knowledge-behavior gap of young consumers regarding eco-friendly food purchasing intentions in Bangladesh. Survey data were collected from 200 young university students employing purposive random sampling methods in 2019. The results reveal that most young consumers have strong environmental consciousness and intention to purchase green products. While purchasing, they usually prefer eco-labeled and environment-friendly products. The factors fueling the respondents' environment consciousness-behavior gap include unavailability of eco-friendly products, the high price of available eco-friendly products, and minimum eco-friendly product alternatives to conventional products. Making eco-friendly products available for all and alternatives to regular food commodities will favorably foster the purchasing intention of eco-friendly food in Bangladesh