In a rural ambience
Asrar Chowdhury appreciates a survey of village realities
16 November 2007, 18:00 PM
Gramer Manush Grameen Arthanity
Jibon Jibikar Poriborton Porjalochona
Abdul Bayes and Mahabub Hossain
Writer's Foundation, Swaraj Prakashani.
The study tracks and records the socio-economic and political evolution of village people and their rural economy. Based on a broad canvas, the study looks set to attract a wider audience than it was originally intended for.
Gramer Manush Grameen Arthanity is divided into three distinct time periods. The first period examines a sample of 30 households of 62 villages in 57 Upazillas in the year 1988. The first period covers nearly all of the 64 Upazillas in Bangladesh. Similar studies for a particular year and similar spread are not rare in Bangladesh. This study, however, is different. The researchers re-visited the same households in the same villages of the same Upazillas two more times in the next sixteen years. This is where the uniqueness and rarity of the study lies. Based on a broad geographical and time spread as they are, the findings of the research will attract the attention of researchers, policy makers and students alike, but above all, the general public.
The average size of the household fell from 6 to 5. The declining number of children in the household confirms Bangladesh's experience with family planning. A significant decline in child labour was observed. Non-farm activities increased. Many eligible girl children now go to primary schools. This is a significant improvement from the base year. In spite of all this, the literacy rate in rural areas is still only 60 percent.
Despite the reality of successful family planning, absolute population has been growing at an alarming rate. A steady growth in urbanisation further contributes to a decline in available arable land for agriculture. This may pose a threat in the form of the tragedy of the commons and restrict food supply in future if the matter is not seriously dealt with now.
Although household owned land reduced within the study period, land has gradually become capital. Children now in schools, decline in farm size, and an increase in non-farm labour have led households to contribute to an improvement in human capital.
Dependence on irrigation has increased. Two factors have been responsible for a decline in cropping intensity-- decline in the profitability in paddy and lack of enthusiasm towards aman paddy cultivation in deep water. Gradual dependence on non-farm activities may have 'probably' contributed to farmers' moving away from cultivation of staple crops. One interesting observation is rotation of crops. This has more to do with the location of the land than anything else.
Households taking credit from banks decreased marginally, but households receiving credit from NGOs increased five times in the observed sixteen years. An interesting observation is that one third of NGO loans have gone to relatively better off households not 'supposed' to receive loans from NGOs. The hardcore poor still rely on traditional moneylenders for credit. Excessively high interest rates are difficult to justify because they become 'extortion' in the form of usury. Government banks have failed to exploit this potential credit-market in rural areas. The consequence is simplethe hard core poor pay the price for their 'vulnerability'.
Other major findings include the following:
Economic growth is an important factor in poverty reduction, but 'poverty-friendly' policies are required to reap the benefits of economic growth. Farm activities have formed the foundation for the increase in non-farm activities. This does not mean that farm activities have lost their importance. Land is no longer the principal source of income for the rural people. A large portion of income comes from labour and infrastructure. This is an interesting 'transformation'.
Women have emerged free of their role as housewives. A happy observation is that women now contribute to half of the income of their households. Development policies in Bangladesh therefore cannot ignore this contribution.
The political slogan that Bangladesh has achieved self-sufficiency in food is 'probably' not true. Empirical evidence shows that 1.5-2.0 million people suffer from food insecurity due to the transformation of land from agricultural to non-agricultural purposes. The definition of agriculture has witnessed a paradigm change. Agriculture no longer means a cultivation of food crops only. The share of livestock, forestry and fishery is gradually increasing.
Covering a comprehensive geographical spread of Bangladesh over a time span of just more than half a decade, the book is well poised to become a pioneer in its own right in portraying an accessible 'academic' description of rural people and their livelihoods that reads like an epic. The story does not end here. An English version is soon going to emerge in the market.
Asrar Chowdhury teaches economics at Jahangirnagar University and is a freelance contributor to the Daily Star.
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