IMPACT OF AGRICULTURE ON LIVELIHOOD OF THE FARMERS IN A POLDER: A CASE STUDY

Presenter: Swarnali Mahmood

Lecturer, Department of Coastal Studies and Disaster Management, University of Barishal, Barishal, Bangladesh

Co-author: Dr. Abul Fazal M. Saleh

Professor, Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh

Acknowledgement: IDRC-SAWA Fellowship Project, IWFM, BUET 1 10-Jan-19

Background of the Study

32% of the total land area 28% of the population

Tidal flooding and storm surges

Increasing salinity Scarcity of fresh water

for irrigation in dry season

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Rationale of the Study

Significant information to the

policy and decision makers for the

improvement of the farmers’ livelihood in

the coastal region

Future Implications

Impact of polders on agriculture-based

livelihood have been scarce

Objective:

*To evaluate farmers’ livelihood in a polder

through with-without comparison

Current Study

Assessing the impacts of polders on environmental

and socio-economic characteristics

(Chowdhury et al., 2010; CEGIS, 2015)

Previous Attempts

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Methodology

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Selection of Study Area

Figure: Location of the study area in the south-west region of Bangladesh

Polder 30 Non-polder area: A part of Jalma union Batiaghata Upazila, Khulna, Bangladesh.

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Methodology

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Selection of Farmers Rabi/ Dry Season: Major Rabi crop (i.e. Boro rice, mungbean and sesame) producing

farmers

Kharif 2/ Monsoon Season: Aman rice producing farmers

Only land-owners; one Rabi and one Kharif 2 season (2017-18)

Indicator Development 13 indicators following DFID’s sustainable livelihood framework (DFID, 1999)

MCA through FGDs Standardization of the actual values of the selected indicators following UNDP

(2007)

The number of times a particular indicator was cited, was used to generate the weighting system.

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Methodology

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Livelihood Assets Selected Indicators

Social assets Access to soil information

Availability of effective extension services

Availability of new varieties in the market

Availability of fertilizer and pesticides in the market

Human assets Training of the farmers

Motivation of the farmers

Natural assets Canal/pond/OFR irrigation water

Rainfall

Financial assets Profit

Yield

Physical assets Access to marketing network

Irrigation water facility (LLP/STW/Drainage sluice)

Amount of irrigation water

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Methodology

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Farmers’ Livelihood Security Index (FLSI) By following the equation (Vincent, 2004; Naher et al., 2017): FLSI (%) = {(Ssvi × Wi) + (Hsvi × Wii) + (Nsvi × Wiii) + (Fsvi × Wiv) + (Psvi × Wv)} × 100

Here,

Ssvi = Standardized values of social asset,

Hsvi = Standardized values of human asset,

Nsvi = Standardized values of natural asset,

Fsvi = Standardized values of financial asset,

Psvi = Standardized values of physical asset,

W terms = Weightage applied to each standardized value.

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Results and Discussion

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Crop FLSI for Polder 30 (%) FLSI for Non-Polder Area (%)

Boro rice 24 45*

Mungbean 64 55

Sesame 49 41

Aman rice 61 47

Table: Comparison of livelihood security between polder and non-polder areas

The livelihood of Boro rice producing farmers was more secured in the *non-polder area because of availability of more irrigation water through shallow tube-wells.

The livelihoods of mungbean and sesame producing farmers were found to be slightly more secured in the polder than in non-polder area due to lower salinity and better market network through better road communication in the polder.

The livelihood of Aman rice producing farmers was found to be much more secured in the polder than that in the non-polder area mostly due to polder protection against seasonal flooding.

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Research Experience

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Experience Polder 30 Non-polder Area

Water availability for irrigation Only surface water Both surface and

groundwater

Salinity (water and soil) Less saline More saline

Drainage Better through

sluice gate operation

No flood protection

Road communication Better

Access to market Better

Access to information More

* Indicates better condition

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How the Experience would address the problem?

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• Water availability for crops can be increased through:

• Re-excavation of existing canals

• Construction of more ponds and on-farm reservoirs

Polder area

• Construction of polder is needed:

• To protect the land and crops

• To provide better drainage

• To provide better road communication and market network

Non-polder area

Final Words

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The polder played a positive role in shaping the farmers’ livelihood by providing better water management and flood protection, particularly for Aman rice.

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References

DFID. 1999. Sustainable livelihoods guidance sheet 1999. Department for International Development, UK.

CEGIS. 2015. Final Report on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on Rehabilitation of Polder 30. Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Chowdhury, A.K.M., Jenkins, S.A.M., and Hossain, M. 2010. Assessing the impact of small scale coastal embankments: A case study of an LGED Polder. In: Hoanh, C.T., Szuster, B., Kam, S.P., Noble, A., and Ismail, A.M. (eds), Tropical deltas and coastal zones community, environment and food production at the land-water interface, Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture Series, CABI Publishing, UK. pp. 421-435.

Naher, T., Saleh, A.F.M., and Khan, M.S.A. 2017. Development of Livelihood Security Index for Farmers in the Coastal Areas of Bangladesh. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Water & Flood Management, ICWFM 2017, 4-6 March 2017, Dhaka, Bangladesh, pp. 427-436.

UNDP. 2007. Human Development Report 2007/2008: Fighting climate change: human solidarity in a divided world. New York, USA.

Vincent, K. 2004. Creating an index of social vulnerability to climate change for Africa. Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research, Working Paper 56: 41.