RURAL BANGLADESH - PreventionWeb

Socioeconomic Profiles of WFP Operational Areas and Beneficiaries
Continue Table 41
% within WFP priority zone
Yes
No
N
Homestead Gardening
WFP priority zone
CHT Coastal Drought N/W Char Haor
49.1% 17.7% 41.6% 41.4% 26.6% 32.4% 34.4%
50.9% 82.3% 58.4% 58.6% 73.4% 67.6% 65.6%
448 441 442 442 444 444 2661
Constraints to Agricultural Production: Participating rural households commented in the
focus group discussions that new technologies had increased agricultural production during
the last decade, although distribution of and access to the new technologies has been highly
uneven, benefiting landed farmers with access to assets and resources and bypassing a large
group of farmers. Each of the focus groups across the six priority zones prioritised their own
set of constraints to agricultural production, which are outlined below:
♦ Lack of sufficient land to cultivate and increased landlessness (15 focus groups, covering
all of the WFP zones): Land in most communities across rural Bangladesh is controlled
by a few landowners. Insufficient land has compelled most rural households to join the
agricultural labour force or sharecrop.
♦ Lack of capital combined with difficulties in accessing agricultural loans (14 FGs spread
throughout all of the WFP zones except the Drought zone): NGOs generally do not
provide loans toward agricultural production investments or inputs and vulnerable poor
households are unable to access loans from agriculture banks. Several FGs complained
that bribes are needed to secure loans. Agricultural loans are available in the CHT, but
the lending process is complicated, requiring brokers and bribes.
♦ High and increasing prices for agricultural inputs (12 FGs, including all four FGs in the
Char & Northwest zones but mentioned throughout all WFP zones): Inputs, including
chemical fertilizers and pesticides, are available in many markets but access is difficult;
inputs are too expensive for many farmers to afford.
♦ Unavailability of agricultural inputs (9 FGs from all four WFP zones): In addition to the
high price of inputs, they are often not available. Haor farmers complained that
influence is frequently required to access inputs. Despite agricultural input access and
availability difficulties, a few farmers have attempted to apply organic fertilizer, practice
composting or engage in Integrated Pest Management (IPM), techniques which are
described as ‘too complicated to use.’
♦ Flooding and untimely rains (9 FGs, particularly in the Northwest and Drought-prone
zones), resulting in drought conditions in some regions.
♦ Lack of irrigation (6 FGs, particularly in the Northwest and Drought-prone zones, but
also in the Char and Haor zones, where irrigation costs can average one-quarter the
value of total production.
♦ Lack of agricultural services (6 FGs spread throughout the regions): Farmers from all
zones complain that government extension services only benefit rich farmers and that
government agricultural extension workers rarely if ever visit villages to extend advice.
♦ Unavailability of labour and high cost of labour expenses (4 FGs, most notably in the
Haor zone).
♦ Poor quality seeds (5 FGs): HYV seeds are generally available but are expensive and
difficult to access. Most farmers in several localities continue to rely on local seeds.
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Total