Consumption in Rural Bangladesh : Households, Lifestyles, and Identities

Bangladesh, often better known to the outside world as a country of natural calamities, is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Despite rapid urbanization, more than 75% of the people still live in rural areas. The density of the rural population is also one of the highest in the world. Being a poor and low-income country, its main challenge is to eradicate poverty through increasing equitable income. Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has experienced many ups and downs, but over the past three decades, its gross domestic product (GDP) has grown at an impressive rate. Consequently, the country s economy is developing and the country has outperformed many low-income countries in terms of several social indicators. Bangladesh has achieved the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary school enrollment. A sharp decline in child and infant mortality rates, increased per capita income, and improved food security have placed Bangladesh on the track to achieving in the near future the status of a middle-income country. All these developments have influenced the consumption pattern of the country. This study explores the consumption scenario of rural Bangladesh, its changing consumption patterns, the relationship between technology and consumption in rural Bangladesh, cultural consumption in rural Bangladesh, and the myriad reasons why consumers nevertheless feel compelled to consume chemically treated foods. Data were collected in two phases in the summers of 2006 and 2008. In 2006, the empirical data were collected from the following three sources: interviews with consumers, producers/sellers, and doctors and pharmacists; observations of sellers/producers; and reviews of articles published in the national English and Bengali (the national language of Bangladesh) daily newspapers. A total of 110 consumers, 25 sellers/producers, 7 doctors, and 7 pharmacists were interviewed and observed. In 2008, data were collected through semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews, ethnography, and unstructured conversations substantiated by secondary sources and photographs; the total number of persons interviewed was 22. -- Data were also collected on the consumption of food, clothing, housing, education, medical facilities, marriage and dowry, the division of labor, household decision making, different festivals such as Eid (for Muslims), the Bengali New Year, and Durga puja (for Hindus), and leisure. Qualitative methods were applied to the data analysis and were supported by secondary quantitative data. The findings of this study suggest that the consumption patterns of rural Bangladeshis are changing over time along with economic and social development, and that technology has rendered aspects of daily life more convenient. This study identified the perceptions and experiences of rural people regarding technologies in use and explored how culture is associated with consumption. This study identified the reasons behind the use of hazardous chemicals (e.g. calcium carbide, sodium cyclamate, cyanide and formalin, etc.) in foods as well as the extent to which food producers/sellers used such chemicals. In addition, this study assessed consumer perceptions of and attitudes toward these contaminated food items and explored how adulterated foods and food stuffs affect consumer health. This study also showed that consumers were aware that various foods and food stuffs contained hazardous chemicals, and that these adulterated foods and food stuffs were harmful to their health.This study aims to identify the consumption patterns of rural Bangladesh and its changes over time. Moreover, this present study aims to answer many questions related to everyday life: How does consumption shape the lifestyles of rural people? What are their consumption experiences? How is the culture associated with consumption? What is the relationship between consumption and technology? This study also sheds light on the emerging consumer culture characterized by various Bangladeshi practices, discourses, and institutions

Application and Mechanisms of Plant Growth Promoting Fungi (PGPF) for Phytostimulation

Plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) constitute diverse genera of nonpathogenic fungi that provide a variety of benefits to their host plants. PGPF show an effective role in sustainable agriculture. Meeting increasing demand for crop production without damage to the environment is the biggest challenge nowadays. The use of PGPF has been recognized as an environmentally friendly way of increasing crop production. These fungi have proven to increase crop yields by improving germination, seedling vigor, plant growth, root morphogenesis, photosynthesis, and flowering through either a direct or indirect mechanism. The mechanisms of PGPF involve solubilizing and mineralizing nutrients for easy uptake by plants, regulating hormonal balance, producing volatile organic compounds and microbial enzyme, suppressing plant pathogens and ameliorating abiotic stresses. Successful colonization is an intrinsic factor for most PGPF to exert their beneficial effects on plants. A certain level of specificity exists in the interactions between plant species and PGPF for root colonization and growth promoting effects. There is a gap between the number of reported efficacious PGPF and the number of PGPF as biofertilizer. Efforts should be strengthened to improve the efficacy and commercialization of PGPF. Hence, this chapter summarizes valuable information regarding the application and mechanisms of PGPF in sustainable agriculture

Effects of oxytetracycline residues in Thai Koi (Anabas testudineus Bloch) collected from Sylhet, Bangladesh

The present study was conducted to determine the levels of oxytetracycline residues in Thai Koi (Anabas testudineus Bloch) collected from some local fish markets of Sylhet Sadar Upazilla, Bangladesh during March to August, 2016. For the purpose of the study, 24 fresh Thai Koi fish samples were randomly collected from four (4) local markets of Sylhet Sadar Upazilla. Concentration of oxytetracycline residues in collected fish samples were determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) at the Food Toxicology Laboratory of Institute of Food Science and Technology, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka. The results showed that 9 (37.50%) samples with detectable amount of oxytetracycline residues (mean = 42.30±3.00 ppb) were found in Thai Koi. Oxytetracycline residues level below detection limit was also reported in 15 (62.50%) samples of Thai Koi during this study. The detected residues of oxytetracycline in this fish sample did not exceed the maximum residue limit (MRL) 100 ppb recommended by the European Commission. Though residue level of oxytetracycline is lower than the MRL but long term exposure could be hazardous for human health. For that reason, control of antibiotic usage in aquaculture, regular residue monitoring, legislations and regulations for the use of antimicrobials in aquaculture and food safety education are utmost things in this regard

Assessment of heavy metals concentration in water and Tengra fish (Mystus vittatus) of Surma River in Sylhet region of Bangladesh

The study was carried out to assess the concentration of heavy metals in water and Tengra fish (Mystus vittatus) of the Surma River, the largest water basin ecosystem covering the north-eastern parts of Bangladesh. Water and Tengra fish (M. vittatus) samples were collected from a total of six sampling stations in which three sampling stations were in Sylhet district and the rest three were in Sunamganj district. Samples were collected from February 2017 to June 2017 on a monthly basis. Water and Tengra fish (M. vittatus) samples were analyzed for the detection of heavy metals viz., lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used for the detection of heavy metals after digestion of the samples. Pb and Cr were detected from both water and Tengra fish (M. vittatus) samples collected from all the six sampling stations of Sylhet and Sunamganj district. But, Cd was not found both in water and Tengra fish (M. vittatus) during the study period. This study concluded that the detected concentrations of metals (Pb and Cr) in the studied Tengra fish (M. vittatus) muscles were accepted by the international legislation limits and are safe for human consumption. But in water, Pb is the only metal that potentially poses the ecological risk to the water body as it exceeds the acceptance level recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). Consequently, close monitoring of metals pollution of the Surma River is recommended with a view to minimizing the health risk of the population that depend on the river for their water and fish supply

Effects of aflatoxin contaminated feed on the fingerlings of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus, 1758)

Aflatoxin contamination, particularly common in cultured fishes in Asian countries, are considered unsafe both for fish and human health. However, the presence of aflatoxin in cultured fish feed and their effect are still under estimated in Bangladesh. The present study aimed to assess the effects of aflatoxin on growth performance and residues in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings. Fish feed were treated with several concentration of aflatoxin as 0 ppb (T0, control), 25 ppb (T1), 50 ppb (T2) and 100 ppb (T3) and fed the tilapia fingerlings (n=10) in individual glass aquaria (24×12×12 inch, 105-litre capacity) conditions for 12 weeks. Comparatively higher body length (cm) and weight gain (g) were observed in treatment T0 (1.68 and 4.98) and T1 (1.60 and 5.48) than those of treatment T2 (1.31 and 4.06) and T3 (1.20 and 3.10), respectively. The specific growth rate (SGR) were almost similar in treatment T0 (52%), T1 (51%) and T2 (52%) whereas declined significantly (p<0.05) in T3 (39%). Higher survival rate was also demonstrated in treatment T0 (90%) and T1 (90%) whereas significantly decreased in treatment T2 (60%) and T3 (40%). The residue of aflatoxin was not detected in T0 and T1. On the contrary, the residual effect in tilapia fingerling was evident in T2 and T3 treatment. The findings of the present study revealed that aflatoxin contaminated feed is harmful for the growth performance and survival of O. niloticus fingerlings. Further study is necessary to safeguard the aquaculture production as well as to produce healthy food for human consumption

How Can Sustainable Agricultural Systems Promote Food Security in a Changing Climate?

A theoretical framework of the link between climate change, rural development, sustainable agriculture, poverty, and food security is presented. Some options to respond to climate change are described. Current knowledge and potential effects on agricultural productivity is discussed. Necessary conditions for successful adaptation includes secured property rights to land, institutions that make market access possible and credit possibilities. The options of mitigation and enhanced adaptive capacity and the requirements for their implementation are discussed.Non Peer reviewe

Establishing a start-up restaurant business in Helsinki

Nowadays, the restaurant business has become competitive. When doing business, entrepreneurs must set their strategy carefully and before establishing a customer centric buffet restaurant, market re-search and feasibility test must be done by the business owner. The main aim for this thesis was to test the feasibility and prospectus for establishing a pizza buffet restaurant in Helsinki, Finland. This thesis explored the landscape of Finnish restaurant business to get a comprehensive understanding of this sector. This thesis offered insights about the opportunities and challenges of this type of start-ups and entrepreneurship in the Helsinki region, Finland. In order to determine the elements that can bring success and client preferences which can affect launching the business and make it sustainable are described in the thesis, this thesis also provided a market re-search which is the core part for the start-up. The new restaurant distinguishes itself from other restaurants by serving a pizza buffet with quality ingredients, diverse menu options, and exceptional customer service. A vital method described as the customer centric business model emphasizes the customer as the core priority or concern where top-most priority is to serve the customer first and then the customers will become a profitable asset. This study advocated the approach of identifying customers’ needs first before introducing the product or service. Entrepreneurship is emerging as the most valuable method to pioneer innovative ideas and establish new businesses. This thesis was aimed to help entrepreneurs start-up a pizza buffet restaurant business as the author has focused on some initial segments of starting the business