Khondoker Abdul Mottaleb

Factors associated with small-scale agricultural machinery adoption in Bangladesh: Census findings

There is strong advocacy for agricultural machinery appropriate for smallholder farmers in South Asia. Such ‘scale-appropriate’ machinery can increase returns to land and labour, although the still substantial capital investment required can preclude smallholder ownership. Increasing machinery demand has resulted in relatively well-developed markets for rental services for tillage, irrigation, and post-harvest operations. Many smallholders thereby access agricultural machinery that may have otherwise been cost prohibitive to purchase through fee-for-service arrangements, though opportunity for expansion remains. To more effectively facilitate the development and investment in scale-appropriate machinery, there is a need to better understand the factors associated with agricultural machinery purchases and service provision. This paper first reviews Bangladesh’s historical policy environment that facilitated the development of agricultural machinery markets. It then uses recent Bangladesh census data from 814,058 farm households to identify variables associated with the adoption of the most common smallholder agricultural machinery – irrigation pumps, threshers, and power tillers (mainly driven by two-wheel tractors). Multinomial probit model results indicate that machinery ownership is positively associated with household assets, credit availability, electrification, and road density. These findings suggest that donors and policy makers should focus not only on short-term projects to boost machinery adoption. Rather, sustained emphasis on improving physical and civil infrastructure and services, as well as assuring credit availability, is also necessary to create an enabling environment in which the adoption of scale-appropriate farm machinery is most likely.

Farm size and profitability of rice farming under rising input costs

As small farmers produce 90% of the total rice in the world, it is important to maintain adequate incentives for small rice farmers to ensure an adequate global rice supply. Rising input prices and agricultural wage rates, however, have been reducing overall profitability, consequently generating disincentives to rice farmers. Using household income and expenditure survey data for 2000 and 2010, this paper econometrically demonstrates that the loss in profitability is generally larger for small farms than for large farms, as small farms use more labor and other inputs than large farm households to earn higher rice income and profit. This paper econometrically demonstrates that, while per acre overall rice farming profitability (profit/total revenue) in Bangladesh declined more in 2010 than in 2000, the rate of reduction for small rice farm households is higher than for large farm households. It is found that, for both small and large farm households, the costs of wages, chemical fertilizer, irrigation, and tilling increased more significantly in 2010 than in 2000; however, the rate of increase for small farm households was higher than for large farm households. Consequently, the total cost of rice farming per acre for small farm households increased more sharply in 2010 than for large farm households. As a result, the profitability of rice farming per acre for small farm households declined more than for large farm households in 2010. Policies are drawn up based on the findings.

Determinants of maize cultivation in a land-scarce rice-based economy: The case of Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Maize (Zea mays L.) use, mostly as poultry and fish feed, has been increasing rapidly in Bangladesh – a densely populated country with a rice-based agri-food system. Domestic maize production has increased despite land scarcity but failed to meet the growing demand, with imports making up the shortfall. The present study contextualizes Bangladesh’s domestic maize production potential and examines the determinants of current maize cultivation using data from 1.12 million farm households. We found maize cultivation to be positively associated with the farm resource endowments (favoring medium and large farms) and a favorable production environment, including the availability of registered seed dealers and land suitable for maize cultivation. Resource constraints still undermined the uptake of commercial maize cultivation by smallholders. Still, there remain good prospects for further expansion of maize production in Bangladesh and increased inclusion of smallholders. This calls for further research and the development of public–private partnerships in a concerted effort to enhance maize’s social inclusiveness and its contribution to the country’s food and nutritional security and overall development.

The use and determinants of solar energy by Sub-Saharan African households

ABSTRACT Using data from Ethiopia’s, Tanzania’s, and Uganda’s Living Standards Measurement Surveys (LSMS), this article explains the factors affecting the choice of solar energy for domestic purposes. Econometric results reveal that household demographics such as the household size and its composition including the number of adult males, the number of children under 15 years, the level of education of the household head and household wealth play major roles in the choice of solar energy. It clearly establishes that, with the increase in the household head’s education level, the probability of using solar energy increases progressively. Wealthier families are more likely to use solar energy compared to relatively poorer families. Ethiopia and Tanzania are found to have a higher probability of adopting solar energy compared to Uganda. Energy policy should focus on augmenting the level of education and income for scaling up the adoption of solar energy.

Evolving food consumption patterns of rural and urban households in developing countries: A Bangladesh case

Purpose Population and income are growing rapidly in South Asia, spurring the demand for food in general, and the demand for higher-valued food items in particular. This poses particular food security challenges for densely populated and emerging countries, such as Bangladesh. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the increasing and changing cereal consumption pattern in developing countries using Bangladesh as a case. Design/methodology/approach Using Bangladesh’s Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2000, 2005a, b data, and applying a two-stage quadratic almost ideal system estimation procedure, the present study separately estimates the expenditure elasticities for rural and urban households for five food items: rice, wheat and rice and wheat products, pulses, fish and vegetables. Second, using the estimated elasticities, projected population and the per capita GDP growth rates, this study projects the consumption of the sampled food items by 2030. Findings This study demonstrates that in 2030 both rural and urban households in Bangladesh will consume more wheat, pulses and fish, but the urban households will consume less rice compared to the current levels of consumption in 2015. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on developing countries that examines the evolving food items consumption separately by rural and urban households. Using Bangladesh as a case, this study warns that with rapid urbanization and income growth, developing countries need to supply more wheat, fish and pulses. The provision of the maximum usage of scarce resources, such as arable land, the development and dissemination of improved varieties and the best management practices must be ensured to boost domestic food production in developing countries to cater to the future evolving food consumption.

Enhancing smallholder access to agricultural machinery services : lessons from Bangladesh

Abstract Resource poor smallholders in developing countries often lack access to capital goods such as farm machinery. Enabling adequate access through machinery services can thereby significantly contribute to food security and farm incomes. At the core of the service provision model is the lead farmer, who makes the initial investment in agricultural machinery, and provides services to others on a fee-for-service basis. Profiling the lead farmers can thereby provide important lessons and scaling implications. The present paper provides a case study of Bangladesh, using primary data to characterise the lead farmers. General education, credit availability and risk taking attitude play significant roles in whether or not a farm household will be a lead farmer in Bangladesh.

The Miraculous Development of the Garment and Pharmaceutical Industries in Bangladesh

Only a very small number of industries have achieved successful development in developing countries other than several East Asian countries. Exceptionally, the garment industry and the pharmaceutical industry in Bangladesh have grown from scratch into major producers in the respective world markets within a few decades after the early 1980s. They have enormously contributed to the economic development and the advancement of welfare of the Bangladeshi society. While the garment industry has created a huge number of jobs, especially for females, the pharmaceutical industry has drastically improved the access of ordinary people to essential drugs. This chapter attempts to learn from these examples about what the key to industrial development is.

Impacts of changing weather patterns on smallholder well-being: Evidence from the Himalayan region of northern Pakistan

Purpose This paper aims to assesses impacts of perceived weather changes (i.e. temperature, wind and rainfall) at the farm household level on income, poverty, wheat yield and use of timber and non-timber forest products in Pakistan’s Himalayan region. Mountains are fragile ecosystems – particularly for farming and in the context of climate change. Yet for many such geographies, there is limited empirical understanding of the potential impacts of climate change. Design/methodology/approach It uses a comprehensive field survey of 500 farmers from the Gilgit-Baltistan territory (comprising seven districts Ghizer, Gilgit, Diamer, Astore, Skardu, Ghance and Hunza-Nagar). A multivariate probit model first assesses the factors associated with perceived weather changes by farm households and a propensity score matching (PSM) approach then estimates the impacts of the perceived changes in temperature, wind and rainfall. Findings The empirical results show that an overwhelming majority of the farmers experience climate change, which primarily has adverse impacts on household income, poverty levels and wheat yields and increases dependence on both timber and non-timber forest products. Originality/value This paper contributes to the scanty literature on the climate change in the Himalayan region of Pakistan.

Household Energy Consumption and Its Determinants in Timor-Leste

Using data from the 2007 Timor-Leste Living Standards Survey, this paper examines the determinants of household energy choices in Timor-Leste. The majority of households are dependent on dirty fuels such as fuelwood and kerosene for energy. Only a small fraction of households use clean energy such as electricity. Econometric results show that wealthy households, urban households, and those headed by individuals with higher levels of education are less likely to use and depend on kerosene and more likely to use and depend on electricity. While female-headed households are generally more likely to use and depend on fuelwood, richer female-headed households are more likely to use and depend on electricity. Our findings highlight the importance of ensuring an adequate supply of clean energy for all at affordable prices and of investing in education to raise awareness about the adverse impacts of using dirty fuels.

Rural Livelihood Diversification Strategies and Household Welfare in Bhutan

This paper analyzes rural livelihood diversification strategies and their impact on household welfare using the Bhutan Living Standard Survey 2012. The multinomial estimation shows that education, asset endowment, labor availability, and sex (male/female) of the household head play a vital role in livelihood diversification into non-agricultural sectors. Propensity score matching estimates illustrate that rural households diversifying outside agriculture have higher income and lower poverty levels compared to households pursuing only farming for their livelihoods. Livelihood diversification into non-farm activities can help reduce poverty levels in the range of 6–9 per cent, suggesting the importance of livelihood diversification in reducing poverty and increasing household income in Bhutan.Cet article analyse les stratégies de diversification des moyens de subsistance en milieu rural et leur impact sur le bien-être des ménages à l’aide du sondage de 2012 sur le niveau de vie au Bhoutan. L’estimation multinomiale montre que l’éducation, la dotation en capital, la disponibilité de la main-d’œuvre et le sexe (masculin/féminin) du chef de ménage jouent un rôle essentiel dans la diversification des moyens de subsistance dans les secteurs non agricoles. Les estimations du score de propension illustrent le fait que les ménages en milieu rural qui se diversifient en dehors de l’agriculture ont des revenus plus élevés et des niveaux de pauvreté inférieurs à ceux des ménages qui n’ont que l’agriculture pour leur subsistance. La diversification des moyens de subsistance vers des activités non agricoles peut aider à réduire les niveaux de pauvreté de l’ordre de 6 à 9%, ce qui montre l’importance de la diversification des moyens de subsistance pour réduire la pauvreté et augmenter le revenu des ménages au Bhoutan.