Agricultural Technology Adoption and Land Productivity: Evidence from the Rice-Prawn Gher Farming System in Bangladesh

Rice-prawn gher (RPG) farming system is an indigenous agricultural technology solely developed by farmers since mid 1980s. The present study aims to estimate the land productivity of modern varieties (MV) paddy production under RPG and (year-round modern varieties) YRMV paddy farming systems in the southwest Bangladesh. The RPG farming system has significant impacts on inputs used in MV boro paddy production. The findings of the study indicate that more chemical fertilizers were used in per ha MV boro paddy production under YRMV paddy farming in comparison with RPG farming. Similarly, per ha cost of irrigation, pesticides and land preparation were also higher in MV boro paddy production under YRMV paddy farming system compared to RPG farming system. The inputs usage for MV boro paddy production under two farming systems showed statistically significant difference with each others. Although fewer inputs were being used in MV boro paddy production under RPG farming system, yield was higher (statistically significant) than YRP MV paddy farming system. Therefore, it could be concluded that land productivity of MV paddy production under RPG farming system was significantly higher than YRMV paddy farming system. The TFP of MV boro paddy production was higher in RPG farming system compared to YRMV paddy farming system. Moreover, the TFP varied widely within the farms between the two farming systems.Rice-prawn gher farming, year-round MV paddy farming, land productivity, Farm Management, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Economic Evaluation of Rice-Prawn Gher Farming System on Soil Fertility for Modern Variety (MV) Paddy Production in Bangladesh

This present study attempts to examine the economic evaluation of rice-prawn gher farming system on land fertility for modern variety (MV) paddy production in Bangladesh. Laboratory based experimental data and field survey data were used in the present study. To test the change of land fertility, soils were collected before paddy production (after prawn production) and after paddy production (before prawn production) and tested in the Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) laboratory in Khulna, Bangladesh. The findings of the study indicate that the farmer applied comparatively less chemical fertilizers in MV paddy production under the rice-prawn gher farming system compared to MV paddy production. The input cost of chemical fertilizers for MV paddy farming was about six times higher than MV paddy production under the rice-prawn gher farming system. However, per acre MV paddy production of MV paddy farming was almost same to MV paddy production under the rice-prawn gher farming system. The rice-prawn gher farming is a cost-saving technology for MV paddy production.Rice-prawn gher farming system, Soil fertility, MV paddy production, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries, O13, Q55,

An Investigation into the Spatial Rice Market Integration in Bangladesh: Application of Vector Error Correction Approach

Market integration is a metric for market efficiency, notably pricing efficiency. This paper examined the type and degree of market integration in Bangladesh using latest available weekly rice market price data from the six district markets in Bangladesh from January 2014 to December 2018. The findings demonstrated that the wholesale price series of rice are stationary at first difference, but non-stationary at levels. The vector error correction model is then implemented after the Johansen-Juselius approach has been used to examine the co-integrating relationship between the various district markets. The negative and statistically significant coefficients of error correction term for the rice markets in Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet districts show that short-run dynamics are convergent with long-term equilibrium. According to the estimated results of the error correction model, there is an equilibrium relationship between the rice markets in Dhaka with rice markets in Barishal, Chattogram, Dinajpur, and Khulna over the long run. In the short run, the calculated co-efficient values, however, indicate that there is only a weak transmission of price changes from one district market to another within the same week

Productivity growth and efficiency changes in prawn-carp–rice farming in ‘Gher’ system in Bangladesh: a Färe-Primont index approach

‘Gher’ farming system refers to the joint operation of three enterprises: freshwater prawn, carp and HYV rice practiced widely in the southwestern coastal Bangladesh. The paper estimates growth in total factor productivity (TFP) and its six finer components (technical change, technical, scale and mix efficiency changes, residual-scale and residual-mix efficiency changes) of the prawn-carp-rice joint culture and identifies their determinants by exploring a panel database of a cohort of 90 ‘gher’ farms over a 13-year timespan (2002–14) from southwest Bangladesh. The aim is to judge sustainability of this unique farming system. Results revealed that TFP grew @ 0.86% p.a. mainly powered by technical change @ 0.54% p.a. and mix-efficiency change @0.06% p.a. while technical and scale efficiency changes declined @ 0.17% and 0.10% p.a., respectively. Farm-level socio-economic factors exerted differential impacts on TFP growth and its components. The key conclusion is that the ‘prawn-carp-rice’ joint culture in ‘gher’ system is sustainable and has the potential to support growth of the broader agricultural sector and the Bangladesh economy. Experience and education, ‘gher’ area, share of family labour and tenancy significantly improved TFP growth and technical change. The policy interventions include additional funds in education for ‘gher’ farmers, land and tenurial reforms to consolidate operation size and training for female labourers to improve long-term growth of the ‘prawn-carp-rice’ joint farming

Women’s gainful employment in ‘gher’ farming system (prawn–carp–rice integrated culture) in Bangladesh: trends and determinants

© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The paper examines trends in women’s gainful employment in ‘prawn-carp’ and ‘high yield variety (HYV) rice’ enterprises of the ‘gher’ farming system and jointly identifies the determinants of employing female and male labor in these enterprises using a farm-level panel data of 90 producers covering a 14-year period (2002–2015) from southwest Bangladesh by applying a multivariate Tobit approach. Results revealed that women’s gainful employment and real wage increased significantly with a substantial reduction in wage gap between female and male labor. The decision to employ female and male labor was found to be positively correlated thereby confirming jointness in decision-making and validity of our chosen approach. Prices and socio-economic factors exerted varied influences on female and male labor demand. Output prices, cultivated area, education, and experience positively increased women’s gainful employment whereas larger family size reduced it. Policy implications include investments in education targeted at the ‘gher’ farming households and land reform policies to consolidate farm size and facilitate smooth functioning of the land market to increase women’s gainful employment

IMPACTS OF RICE-PRAWN GHER FARMING ON LAND TENURE SYSTEM IN BANGLADESH- A CASE STUDY OF KHULNA DISTRICT

The present study attempts to examine the impacts of rice-prawn gher farming on land tenure system in southwest Bangladesh. Primary data and case studies are used in the present study. The land tenure system has changed after the introduction of rice-prawn gher farming system from traditional sharecropping system to fixed rent. Natural risks, calamities and uncertain yield of prawn are the main factors that enforced the land tenure system from sharecropping to fixed rent. The amount of rent paid is usually determined by several factors including the location of the land, size and quality of gher farm and the relationship between the landlord and the tenant and the amount varies from Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 per hectare. The amount of rent and time also depend on the relationship between the landlord and the tenant

EXPENDITURE PATTERNS OF SOME INFORMAL SECTORS IN BANGLADESH: AN EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OF DHAKA CITY

The present study estimated the marginal propensity to consume (MPC) and the marginal propensity to save (MPS) of the businesses in informal sectors around Dhaka city by using the Keynes consumption function. Primary data is collected from 150 vendors from selected areas of Dhaka city during June -July, 2011. The findings indicated that MPS of most of the vendors of the informal sector was relatively small and their MPC was relatively very high. The MPC of 150 vendors was estimated to be 0.697 and their MPS was estimated to be 0.303. Thus it can be concluded that these vendors of informal sector in Dhaka city spent about 70% of their small income. The coefficients of consumption functions for all types of vendors are statistically significant at 1% level. The values of R2 for vegetable vendors, tea vendors, fuckha vendors, fruit vendors, mixed vendors and all vendors together are 0.77, 0.87, 0.79, 0.82, 0.92 and 0.85 respectively. The estimates of the multiple regression shows that the family size, saving, gender and family have significant impact on the expenditure along with income of the households in informal sectors of Dhaka city in Bangladesh

Inputs Used in Modern Variety(MV) Paddy Farming and Household Income : A Comparative Study of Rice-prawn Gher and Year-round MV Paddy Farming System in Bangladesh

The present study attempts to examine the main inputs used in terms of volume and costs, such as irrigation, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and land plowing, for MV paddy production in rice-prawn and year-round MV paddy farming systems in Bangladesh. The study also aims to estimate the farmers’household income per capita and compare it with the average household income per capita among the people of Bangladesh. Ninety rice-prawn gher farmers from the village of Bilpabla in the Khulna district, and 100 year-round MV paddy farmers from the village of Chanchra in the Jessore district were randomly selected. The findings indicate that relatively less chemical fertilizers are used per unit in MV paddy production compared with the year-round MV paddy production. Similarly, the per unit irrigation costs and land plowing costs were also lower in MV paddy production under the rice-prawn gher farming system compared with the year-round MV paddy farming in Bangladesh. Even though the per unit yields of MV paddy under the gher farming system was higher in comparison with the year-round MV paddy farming. The gher farming system has also created a demand for more labor, both for temporarily hired workers and family members. Farmers in the rice-prawn gher-farming village have gained more agricultural income as well as household income compared with those of the year-round MV paddy farming system in Bangladesh. Thus it could be concluded that the technologically advanced rice-prawn gher farming system is a more factor-intensive farming system compared with the year-round MV paddy farming in Bangladesh

Impacts of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) Irrigation System on Water Productivity, Profitability and Household Income of Modern Varieties (MV) of Paddy Producer in Bangladesh

The present study attempts to estimate Impacts of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) Irrigation System on Modern Variety (MV) Paddy Production in Bangladesh. Primary data were used in this study. A total of 140 MV boro producers were randomly selected from Manoharpur village of Monirampur Upazilla in Jessore district of which 70 farmers used technically advanced AWD irrigation technique and left 70 farmers used traditional irrigation technique in MV boro paddy cultivation. The necessary information on inputs and output of MV boro paddy cultivation the sampled farmers were colleted through comprehensive questionnaire. The findings of the study indicated that the average cost of irrigation per hectare MV boro paddy production was comparatively smaller in AWD irrigation than traditional irrigation system that was widely varied among the farmers. The sampled farmers used comparatively less proportion of chemical fertilizers such as urea, MP, zypsum, zinc, and manure except TSP in per hectare of MV boro paddy cultivation. The farmers used in more or less similar proportions of temporary hired and family supplied male and female labors in per hectare of MV paddy cultivation in both the irrigation techniques. The yield of MV boro was significantly higher in the method in AWD irrigation technique than in the method of traditional irrigation. Per hectare production cost of MV boro paddy cultivation was significantly lower in AWD irrigation technique than the application of traditional irrigation method. The net profit of per hectare MV boro paddy cultivation was more than four times higher in AWD irrigation than traditional irrigation technique. The study also found that the household income of the farmers who used AWD irrigation was significantly higher (about 1.20 times) than the farmers who used traditional irrigation technique in MV boro and aman paddy cultivation in the study area. The farmers had experienced constant return to scale in MV boro paddy farms using the AWD irrigation technique and traditional irrigation technique in the study area. The farm area, seed cost, pesticides cost, irrigation cost, urea cost and labor cost were the main factors that affect significantly the MV boro paddy production under the method of application AWD irrigation technique. On the other hand, the farm size, land preparation cost, urea, other chemical fertilizers and manure had significant positive impact on MV boro paddy under the application of traditional irrigation technique. The farmers did not optimally use the input resources in both the methods of AWD irrigation and the traditional irrigation technique in MV boro paddy cultivation and this hindered the generation of maximum level of output of paddy grain in the study area. The findings of the study also indicated that the water productivity of MV boro paddy production was significantly higher in AWD irrigation and traditional irrigation technique. In other words, water input efficiently used in MV boro paddy production in AWD irrigation technique compared to traditional irrigation technique