An Analysis of Socioeconomic Indicators of Rural Non-agricultural Households in Bangladesh: A Case of Handloom Weaving

This paper attempts to examine the livelihood condition of one of the leading non-agricultural rural households called handloom weavers in Bangladesh. Therefore, a multistage sampling technique was employed to collect the primary data from 311 handloom weavers under Sirajganj District of Bangladesh during 2015. A descriptive analysis technique is used to analyze the basic socioeconomic variables such as age, education, family size, farm size, occupational status, income, investment, consumption and savings pattern, financing sources and the accesses to basic infrastructural facilities. The study reveals that the weaver households in Bangladesh lead a better standard of living with regard to most of the socioeconomic indicators except the education level, the amount of finance received, and the support services from the government. Therefore, this study recommends for the ways to improve those situations so that the weavers are able to utilize their full potential in improving their social and economic conditions within the context of Bangladesh. Keywords: socioeconomic indicators, non-agricultural households, handloom weaving, Banglades

INCOME VULNERABILITY OF TEA GARDEN WORKERS IN BANGLADESH

Objective: The aim of the study was the assessment of the income vulnerability of tea garden workers in Bangladesh. Methods: Household surveys were used to collect data from tea workers. Sixty households were selected for the study and face-to-face interview was conducted to collect data. A random sampling technique was used to select the sample. Vulnerability assessment tools were used to assess the vulnerability to income. Regression analysis was employed to determine the factors affecting income vulnerability. Results: The result of the study showed that 95% of workers out of the total sampled workers were high vulnerable, i.e., they have a greater probability to fall in future income vulnerability and only 5% had a low probability to fall. The exposure variables such as gender, education, family size, and expenditure had significant effect on tea workers to become income vulnerable, but the variables such as gender, family size, and expenditure had a negative relationship with the tea workers income vulnerability that means these variables had a significant effect to reduce income vulnerability of the tea garden workers. The acquisition value of livestock assets and access to credit as adaptive capacity had a negative and significant effect on the income vulnerability of tea workers. It can help to decrease the income vulnerability of tea garden workers. Conclusion: The result suggests that special attention should be given for the improvement of the livelihood of tea workers

To identify the community characteristics of successful common resource management: a case of shrimp farming in Bangladesh

This paper examines the community characteristics of successful common resource management. As information base, data sets of 44 brackish water1 shrimp farming communities in Bangladesh have been used. The result shows that common resource management is associated with resource scarcity, market distance from the resource, leadership structure in the community, group size, status of heterogeneity in the community, and involvement of other institutions. The results tell that while graduates and influential leaders facilitate collective action, political leaders and outsiders impede it. Unlike the findings from other sources, distance to market place has been found very important for common pool resource management in Bangladesh. Resource management could be more successful, when they can form users’ association, receive coordination and help from other institutions and technical support from governmental institutions

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

Pathways toward the sustainable improvement of food security: Adopting the household food insecurity access scale in rural farming households in Bangladesh

Achieving food security is a global concern that constitutes a major challenge, particularly for the least developed countries, such as Bangladesh. In the context of globalization, the nation continues to have ongoing food insecurity, particularly in rural areas, despite its overall economic growth and development. This has become a constraint in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the established time scale, particularly SDG2 (Zero Hunger). With this consideration in mind, the present study assesses the prevalence of household food in(security) and identifies the factors that influence this among rural farming households in Bangladesh. A sample of 350 farming households was surveyed randomly from the four villages in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. The household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) was utilized to explore household food security. The results reveal that only 18% of rural farming households were food secure while the remainder were food insecure to some extent. Using a binomial logit regression model, we found that the household head’s educational level, as well as whether the household has a savings account, owns land, receives financial or other forms of support from household members abroad, has larger farm sizes, and practices homestead gardening significantly reduce household food insecurity, whereas a higher number of members in the household increases it. The findings of this study establish a foundational understanding of food security in rural areas by employing contemporary measurement tools and techniques. This addition to the existing knowledge base will assist in the design and implementation of a comprehensive and multifaceted policy outline not only for the rural areas of Bangladesh but also for sustainable development globally

Mothers’ dietary diversity and associated factors in megacity Dhaka, Bangladesh

Mothers in developing countries are nutritionally vulnerable due to an undiversified diet. Dietary diversity and healthy dietary patterns of mothers are necessary for the health and nutrition of both the mother and the child. Keeping these in mind, the study was designed to investigate the determinants of mothers' dietary diversity in the capital city (Dhaka) of Bangladesh. A total 613 mothers who had at least one child aged 6–59 months were surveyed in 2020. Dietary diversity (DD) was measured by 24 h recall period following the established guidelines. To explore the determinants of dietary diversity, a log linear regression model was employed. The findings revealed that the overall DD of mothers was low, with less than 15% of respondents consuming more than 5 of the 9 food groups. The study found that if a mother receives one more year of formal education, her DD, on average, would increase by 0.70%. Receiving antenatal care (ANC) for four or more times during pregnancy increases DD by 5.13% compared to mothers who receive ANC less than four times. The findings also showed that mothers with access to assets have 10.18% higher DD than mothers without access to assets. On the other hand, mothers' employment status was negatively associated with DD. Redistributing the household workload between mother and other household members can play a critical role in increasing mothers’ DD. Providing care facilities and counseling to mothers about the nutritional value of consuming different food groups can substantially improve the situation

Insights of Handloom Producers of Sirajganj District in Bangladesh

This study was undertaken to measure the current socioeconomic and profitability status of the traditional handloom producers living in Sirajganj district of Bangladesh. Primary data were collected from 60 randomly selected handloom owners. Two main products were considered in this study, i.e., sharee and gamcha . Descriptive statistics and cost-return analysis were performed to assess the present situation and profitability of handloom production. The Gini Coefficient and Lorenz Curve measured inequality among respondents. A log transformed multiple linear regression model was applied to explore the factors influencing handloom products production. Results revealed that most of the handloom weaving was financed through the weavers' own capital and taking loans from the bank. The undiscounted benefit-cost ratios were 1.12 and 1.20 for sharee and gamcha, respectively, indicating both enterprises were profitable but gamcha was more profitable than sharee. The Gini Coefficient of handloom weavers' income is less than 0.25. Results from the regression analysis revealed that human labour, yarn, color, and processing cost significantly impacted sharee and gamcha production. Therefore, efficient utilization of these resources in the production process of handloom products would be essential that can bring more profit for handloom production. [J Bangladesh Agril Univ 2022; 20(4.000): 433-440

Thinking out of the ‘Man box’: An intersectional exploration of gender dynamics in northern Bangladesh via gender tracking framework

Placing people on boxes and drawing gender lines based upon the social codes of education tend to result in long-term gender inequality in the global context, and in this regard, Bangladesh is not an exception. Our study is an endeavor to explore how both men and women have socialized themselves with the underlying principles of the ‘Man box’ and how such socialization translates into social infanticide of womenfolk in northern Bangladesh. A wide range of qualitative research tools was employed to collect primary data from two regions of northern Bangladesh. Accordingly, we combined three key concepts ‘Man box’, women's subordination, and intersectionality to capture the gender nuances and degrees as well as to unravel the subsequent repercussions on gender dynamics using an author-modified ‘Gender Tracking Framework’. The study noticed that the social education system in northern Bangladesh is largely shaped and driven by deep-rooted ‘Man box’ codes resulting in high levels of gender disparity concerning property rights, workload, wage rate, control over earnings, decision autonomy, social mobility, market participation, power, agency, and voice against violence. Moreover, the intersectional analysis unveiled the multilayered powerlessness of marginalized groups, stemming from their intersecting identities and exacerbated by governance leakage. Their resulting miseries reached to such an ultimate position that even hope seemed like a luxury to them. The findings suggest that gender equality in Bangladesh can only be attained in its true sense through collective socio-cultural transformation by breaking the ‘Man box’ trap and by familiarizing a social education system in which each individual will be taught to treat others equitably without any form of biases, which we termed as ‘Human box’ ideology

Nutritional status of under-five aged children of ready-made garment workers in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study

Background The ready-made garment (RMG) sector is a significant contributor to the economic growth of Bangladesh, accounting for 10% of the country’s GDP and more than 80% of its foreign exchange earnings. The workforce in this sector is predominantly made up of women, with 2.5 million women working in the industry. However, these women face numerous challenges in carrying out their culturally-expected household responsibilities, including childcare, due to severe resource constraints. As a result, the children of these working women have a higher incidence of malnutrition, particularly stunted growth. This study aims to identify the factors that contribute to stunting in children under the age of five whose mothers work in the RMG sector in Bangladesh. Methods The study collected data from 267 female RMG workers in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh using a simple random sampling technique. Chi-square tests were used to determine the associations between the factors influencing child stunting, and Multinomial Logit Models were used to estimate the prevalence of these factors. Results The study found that the prevalence of moderate and severe stunting among the children of RMG workers living in the Gazipur RMG hub was 19% and 20%, respectively. The study identified several significant predictors of child stunting, including the mother’s education level, nutritional knowledge, control over resources, receipt of antenatal care, household size, sanitation facilities, and childbirth weight. The study found that improving the mother’s education level, increasing household size, and receiving antenatal care during pregnancy were important factors in reducing the likelihood of child stunting. For example, if a mother’s education level increased from no education to primary or secondary level, the child would be 0.211 (0.071–0.627) and 0.384 (0.138–1.065) times more likely to have a normal weight and height, respectively, than to be moderately stunted. Conclusion The study highlights the challenges faced by working women in the RMG sector, who often receive minimal wages and have limited access to antenatal care services. To address these challenges, the study recommends policies that support antenatal care for working-class mothers, provide daycare facilities for their children, and implement a comprehensive social safety net program that targets child nutrition. Improving the socioeconomic status of mothers is also critical to reducing child malnutrition in this population