Wakilur Rahman

Bangladesh Agricultural University | BAU · Department of Rural Sociology

Bangladesh has made impressive progress in agriculture sector in the last three decades and has almost be-come self-sufficient in food grain production. This is a tremendous achievement owing to its small territory and huge population and this was achieved through agricultural mechanization and modernization. Irrigation is one of the leading inputs...

The site of the present study is an intensively irrigated area in the central part of Bangladesh, which falls in the middle part of Indo-Gangetic basin region. Five adjacent villages were selected in which the entire irrigation system mainly depends on Shallow Tubewell (STW) technology. A total of 64 irrigation equipment owners and 100 water buyers...

The key motivation of the study was to find out the process of social exclusion of resource-poor households (small, marginal, landless, and women farmers) in the study area of southern Bangladesh. The study adopted a qualitative approach, including case studies, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews to reveal the actual situation. A...

In research settings in the Eastern Gangetic Plain, Conservation Agriculture (CA) reduces operational costs, including cost for machinery, labour and fuel, while increasing yields, profit and soil organic carbon. However, the impact of the CA practices when adopted by smallholder farms on their crop productivity and farm profitability in this regio...

Given the importance of gender in household and agricultural decision-making including climate change adaptation and mitigation decisions, understanding “within” household gender differences in perception of climate change and eventual impacts is crucial to formulate and design relevant policies and programs. However, studies on climate change, par...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the productive performance, carcass traits and meat quality under two rearing system of Jamuna basin lambs. Twenty selected lambs were divided into two treatments like T1 (grazing) and T2 (stall feeding) having ten lambs per treatment. Data was analyzed with unpaired t-test along with GLM procedure of SAS stati...

This study aimed to identify the optimum level of supplementary feeds on the carcass traits and meat quality of Jamuna basin lambs. Forty selected lambs were divided into four treatments such as T0 (no concentrate supplementation), T1 (1% concentrate feed), T2 (1.5% concentrate feed) and T3 (2% concentrate feed) having ten lambs per treatment. The...

This study identifies the determinants of students’ academic performance at the tertiary level of agricultural education in Bangladesh. Primary data were collected through interview survey with a pre-tested interview schedule over a period of three months from randomly selected 437 students of four agricultural universities of Bangladesh. Regressio...

Large investments in Research-for-Development (R4D) have occurred around agricultural intensification to improve social and economic outcomes for poor small and marginal farmer households. Mixed evidence for sustained and socially just impacts from these investments reflects that projects aimed at achieving social change are inherently complex and...

Amid the epoch of global climate change, agroforestry practice can be a critical resolution as it can help develop sustainable agriculture by promoting food security, food diversity and bringing valuable income sources. This study draws impetus from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) on climate change mitigation (SDG-13). In...

CONTEXT A classical challenge in the search for principles and guidelines to protect food security affordably in the developing world comes from the well-known dilemma faced by farmers who incur economic losses from low prices brought on by excess production combined with poorly developed policies to anticipate, adapt to, and manage production and...

The advent of improved lentil varieties (ILVs) in the mid-1990s solved the disease problem which almost halted lentil production in Bangladesh. Levels of adoption of ILVs have been documented in the literature, but little is known about their impacts. Applying an instrumental variables regression to data collected from a sample of 1,694 lentil plot...

CONTEXT In northern West Bengal and southern Bangladesh, Rabi crops, sown in winter and harvested in the spring, are an important source of income and nutrition for the target communities. In the study areas, NGOs and extension services have been engaging with farming communities on selecting suitable crops for the upcoming season. This engagement...

The use of organic fertilisers and soil amendments are almost universally recommended for improving the organic matter levels and maintaining soil health, but few studies documenting the actual availability and quality of such materials on smallholder farms are available. We selected a case study of 300 households from northern and southern Banglad...

The use of organic fertilisers and soil amendments are almost universally recommended for improving the organic matter levels and maintaining soil health, but few studies documenting the actual availability and quality of such materials on smallholder farms are available. We selected a case study of 300 households from northern and southern Banglad...

This summary for policymakers distils the key messages from the research project 'Sustaining groundwater irrigation for food security in the northwest region of Bangladesh' funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australian Government and explains how the project has strengthened Bangladeshi researchers’ capacity to use scie...

Marginalized Households in Shrimp Value Chains

Environmental drivers such as climate play an obvious role in agricultural production and therefore the livelihoods of rural communities. These drivers however are often intrinsically governed by social and institutional arrangements. In the case of the villages of Sekandarkhali and Khatail in southern Bangladesh, annual rainfall typically exceeds...

Food security remains a key development challenge for many developing countries in the world. In Bangladesh, agriculture is the mainstay of livelihoods of the rural population which provides employment for around 52% of the workforce counting for 63% of households of which the majority are small farm households. Although small-scale farmers play a...

p>This article adopts multinomial logistic regression for determining the livelihood outcomes. Although study could not identify superior or preferred livelihood capitals but showed that livelihoods enhanced by specific livelihood assets framework. Findings provide important information for policymakers to identify different livelihood capitals to...

p>This article adopts multinomial logistic regression for determining the livelihood outcomes. Although study could not identify superior or preferred livelihood capitals but showed that livelihoods enhanced by specific livelihood assets framework. Findings provide important information for policymakers to identify different livelihood capitals to...

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Land is scarce to produce crops. Farmers use irrigation to grow crops year-round to meet increasing food demand. In the Northwest Region (NWR) of Bangladesh, known as the food bowl of the country, farmers depend on groundwater for dry season irrigation since both rainfall and s...

This study was aimed to investigate the socio-economic characteristics and present scenario of farmers engaged in sheep production at Sherpur district in Bangladesh. Data were primarily collected with a pre-tested interview schedule from the local sheep farmers. Results showed that average family size, male and female ratio and age was 5.58, 3:10,...

Shrimp sector contributes significantly to export earnings and employment generation for on and off farm activities in Bangladesh. Expansion of shrimp farming naturally lead to a change in use pattern of coastal land, in the form of a shift in land from other economic and environmental uses to shrimp culture. But marginalised households are rarely...

Gender relations in Bangladesh have been undergoing a process of considerable transformation over the past thirty years as part of a broader process of economic transition and societal change. Women farmers made up 40 percent of the total agricultural labor force in 2010, with a 7 percent growth in women’s participation in agriculture between 2005...

This study explores the variations in fertility behaviour between migrant and non-migrant households of rural areas of Fulbaria upazila under Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. Primary data were collected from a sample of 120 women comprising 60 each from migrant and non-migrant households through direct interview. Findings show very little differe...

The aim of this study was to identify optimum slaughter age on carcass traits and meat quality of Jamuna basin lambs. Thirty lambs were divided into three age groups like T 1 (6 months), T 2 (9 months) and T 3 (12 months) having ten lambs of each treatment. Parameters studied were carcass traits, proximate component (DM, CP, EE, and Ash), physicoch...

Water is critical to the lives and livelihoods of rural communities in developing countries; however, access to water can be inequitable within communities. This paper uses a generalized integrated assessment approach to explore the determinants of water access by marginalized farmers in two villages in coastal Bangladesh, before and after the setu...

The present study was undertaken to find out gender-specific priorities in groundwater utilization for crop production and domestic uses, and also to identify various problems and constraints faced in groundwater utilization. A total of 60 farm households were selected randomly for empirical investigation from two northwestern districts of Banglade...

This paper verifies the statement that "women contribute greatly to growing crops year-round, but their work is not recognized" through in-depth empirical investigation of their participation in rice and vegetable production and farm decision-making processes in Northwest Bangladesh. Interviews were held with 240 randomly selected couples (husband...

Despite improvements in food access and affordability around the world, low‐quality diets persist. Public policy affecting food choice may have a role to play alongside efforts to improve access to healthy foods. This study uniquely explores the potential for dietary interventions to encourage healthy food choice among adults in a developing countr...

Like all animals, plant growth and productivity depend on water. Water plays an i m po r t a n t r o l e i n p l a n t v e g e t a t i o n a s w e l l a s e c o n o m i c g a i n f r o m t h e c r o p p l a n t cultivation. An in-depth analysis is performed to see the impacts of water availability on functional factors of irrigated rice (Boro) prod...

Better targeting extension advisory services could generate tangible benefits at individual and community level. This article redesigns household typologies in combination with the BBS standard and field investigation to provide better extension advisory services. Households are categorized based on farm and non-farm holdings through reviewing prev...

The study determined fertilizer use gaps between current farmers' practice and scientific recommendations; explored the agro-socio-economic factors affecting fertilizer use decision and nutrient use gaps at farm levels; and explored the major barriers to adoption of recommended fertilizer dose. The study revealed that farmers applied different type...

This study examines the effectiveness of groundwater service providers of Bogura and Chapainawabgonj districts in Northwest Bangladesh by employing qualitative approach. Required data were collected through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, in-depth interviews, case studies, and observation from purposively selected participants, a...

Abstract: This study investigates the use of a nutrition nudge and nutrition education to improve dietary diversity in Bangladesh. Using a randomized control trial design, we measure the impacts on meal diversity of a food plate printed with a FBDG icon, a nutrition education intervention, and their interaction. Meal diversity is first measured in...

In the early 1980s, disease susceptibility in short-season lentil landraces began to limit productivity in areas where relay cropping took place in Bangladesh. Since then, several improved high-yielding lentil varieties, which are resistant to rust and blight and suitable in the relay cropping system, have been released jointly by national and inte...

Risks and vulnerabilities arising out of climate change are exacerbated by unequal gender relations. The current study examines climate-induced vulnerabilities to which men and women are exposed and explores the factors that affect women more than men. This study was conducted in purposively selected Kurigram district as a representative of Norther...

The study investigated the causes of drug addiction among the youth and identified the problems faced by young drug addicts as consequences of drug addiction. In this study, through purposive sampling technique total 42 drug addicts were identified. Data was collected by using structured questionnaire, interview schedule and observation. To identif...

p>This paper reviews the existing literature on gender differentiated climate change vulnerabilities in developing countries including Bangladesh. It is evident that climate change amplifies the vulnerabilities of poor people who are marginalized and more dependent on the threatened natural resources. Among the poor people women are seemed to be di...

The study investigated the causes of drug addiction among the youth and identified the problems faced by young drug addicts as consequences of drug addiction. In this study, through purposive sampling technique total 42 drug addicts were identified. Data was collected by using structured questionnaire, interview schedule and observation. To identif...

The study investigates the role of microfinance clients, field staffs of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), and community leaders and their interrelations as social actors for sustaining microfinance in Bangladesh. A total of 282 representative samples were collected constituting 206 clients, 44 community leaders, and 32 MFI staffs. Along with descr...

This study reviews peer reviewed journal articles on microfinance impacts, sustainability, and outreach over the period 1997 to 2011. The review suggests mixed results on the impacts of microfinance worldwide, and fails to discover a concrete relationship between outreach and sustainability. However, the review confirms microfinance institutions ex...

The present study was undertaken to assess the economic performance of small scale dairy farming in two selected urban areas- Gazipur (Industrial area) and Dinajpur (Non-industrial area). A total of 100 small-scale dairy farms were chosen as sample for the study taking 50 dairy farms from the urban areas of each district adopting simple random samp...

The paper describes the operational mechanism/institutional innovation of key Microfinance Service Providers (MSPs) in Bangladesh. Grameen Bank (GB), Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and Association for Social Advancement (ASA) have chosen to investigate the microfinance approaches. Selected MSPs are dominating microfinance market in B...

Microfinance is comparatively a new financial innovation plays an important role in extending financial access to the underserved population and promoting economic growth through inclusion of economically disadvantages population. Both Bangladesh and China have adopted microfinance to reach out and integrate their poor into the economic mainstream....

The paper investigates the influencing factors of women micro-entrepreneurship development in rural Bangladesh. The analysis based on empirical investigation carried out in northern part of Bangladesh. Data were collected from 248 women micro-entrepreneurs and 132 non-entrepreneurs. Present study adopts three basic aspects such as personal attribut...

This paper examined the sustainability of nongovernmental organisation (NGO)-type microfinance service providers (MSPs) in Shaanxi province, China in comparison with Grameen Bank (GB), Bangladesh. Despite geographical restrictions, the selected MSPs successfully expanded their services to isolated mountainous regions where formal financial institut...

Women entrepreneurship is a rapidly growing phenomenon in many developing countries including Bangladesh. This paper reviewed the literature on women entrepreneurship development in Bangladesh with specific focus on government and financial intermediaries supports. The article also identified major challenges that obstruct smooth development of wom...

This paper compared the regulatory framework of microfinance service providers (MSPs) in China and Bangladesh. Formal MSPs were regulated under the banking legislation and supervised by central banks in both countries. The regulators had paid special attention to newly established financial entities-microcredit companies (MCCs) village/township ban...

This paper compared the regulatory framework of microfinance service providers (MSPs) in China and Bangladesh. Formal MSPs were regulated under the banking legislation and supervised by central banks in both countries. The regulators had paid special attention to newly established financial entities-microcredit companies (MCCs) village/township ban...

This paper evaluated the performance of various lenders’ agricultural/rural credit programs, assessed the relationship between agricultural credit and farm production, and investigated the major challenges and proposed remedial measures for future policy direction. The study employed time series data collected from various national and internationa...

The study investigated the operational mechanism of key Microfinance Service Providers (MSPs) in Bangladesh and China. It seeks to understand diverse methodologies toward financial inclusion of the poor. A total six microfinance service providers were taken for critical evaluation consisting three from each country. A little variation on operationa...

Like many developing countries Bangladesh has made notable progress in reducing rural poverty since independence in 1971. The driving force of reducing rural poverty is the growth of agricultural sector. Livestock plays an important role to alleviate rural poverty as an integral part of agriculture. Livestock provides flexible reserve during econom...

The paper describes the operational mechanism/institutional innovation of key Microfinance Service Providers (MSPs) in Bangladesh. Grameen Bank (GB), Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and Association for Social Advancement (ASA) have been chosen to investigate the microfinance approaches. Selected MSPs are dominating microfinance mar...

The paper reviews the development process of bank and microfinance sector in China and present regulatory status. Financial sector is largely bank-based and dominated by the four state commercial banks in China. However, government liberal policy and special attention to financing underdeveloped regions and SMEs have gradually improved the scenario...

The study assesses the participation of dropout rural youth in different income generating activities and its impact on their socioeconomic development. It analyses the contribution of small agricultural enterprises owned and operated by dropout youth in two selected villages of Dimla upzila under Nilphamari district of Bangladesh. Study finds that...

This paper examines the sustainability of nongovernmental organisation-type microfinance institutions in Shaanxi province, China in comparison with Grameen Bank, Bangladesh. The findings show that despite geographical restrictions, the selected microfinance service providers have successfully expanded their services to isolated mountainous regions...

Purpose- the purpose of this paper is to investigate the operational mechanism of key microfinance service providers in Bangladesh and China. It seeks to understand diverse methodologies toward financial inclusion to the poor. Microfinance has played important role in both countries but comparative studies have not been carried out so far.Design/me...

This paper describes the development process of modern irrigation technology in respect to water saving and management of water resources in Bangladesh. The cultivable land has declined about 35 percent while the population and demand of food has doubled since country’s independence in 1971. Growing demand of food entails intensifying land producti...

This paper deals with importance and effectiveness of Microfinance Regulatory Authority (MRA) in Bangladesh. About 5000 Micro-credit institutions have been providing various social and financial services to the poor in a small territory (147570 sq) of Bangladesh without any central supervisory system. This enormous number of MFI has been operated w...

Bangladesh has made impressive progress in agriculture sector in the last three decades and has almost be-come self-sufficient in food grain production. This is a tremendous achievement owing to its small territory and huge population and this was achieved through agricultural mechanization and modernization. Irrigation is one of the leading inputs...

The present study assessed the changes in socioeconomic conditions of small scale broiler farmers in rural areas of Bangladesh. The population comprised the small scale broiler farmers who reared at least 300 to less than 2000 birds in the rural areas of Sadar Upazila of Mymensingh district, among which a total of 50 samples were randomly selected...

This study intends to examine the extent of women involvement in livestock and poultry raising and utilisation pattern of income earned in three selected upazilas of Mymensingh District. Women played an important role in the activities dealing with livestock and poultry such as, care and management, transformation and marketing of certain livestock...

This study analyzed the performance of the six-selected small enterprises of rural dropout youth at Nilphamari district of Bangladesh. It examined the youth's participation in different small enterprises and its impact on socioeconomic development of rural poor youth. Initially 150 rural dropout youths were selected for getting overall information....

The present study assesses the impact of ASA credit program on poverty alleviation in Mymensingh district. Data were collected from a total of 60 stakeholders for six categories of enterprises each comprising 10 samples. The categories were petty business, tailoring, dairy raising, poultry rearing, daily hawkery and rickshaw pulling activities. Mos...