Determinants of Livelihood Diversification Under Environmental Change in the Coastal Community of Bangladesh
Livelihood diversification (LD) plays a crucial role in promoting economic growth and reducing rural poverty in developing countries. It provides alternative non-farm job opportunities, LD marks a vital role in sustainable ecological development and rural poverty reduction. Climate change has emerged as a threat to natural life and livelihood systems.
To cope with the changing situation, smallholder farmers in the coastal regions are adopting both on-farm (planting drought-tolerant crops and mixed farming) and off-farm (selling household assets, migration of the entire households and decreasing food consumption/changing diets) diversification strategies. These diversified activities allow farming households to manage risk and improve their lives. There are several factors, such as education evel, number of livestock, farming experience, etc., that affect the adoption of diversified activities. Most importantly, the age of the household head, along with possession of cropland and distance from markets, are essential determinants of LD strategy.
Despite having little contribution to global emission, Bangladesh is to experience the adverse impact of global warming in terms of changing climate. Farmers in the country's coastal regions are forced to alter or diversify their agricultural activities to cope with climate-driven hazards. Besides, several natural disasters, such as cyclones, floods, tidal surges, droughts, salinity intrusion, and waterlogging, pose severe threats to their lives and livelihoods.
Each year, they experience a massive loss of productive land and damage to other natural resources, such as freshwater estuary, grassland, forests, etc., that threaten their livelihoods and food security. They have been adopting both on-farm (planting saline resilient crops, changing cropping time, livestock rearing, etc.) and non-farm (wage employment, short-term migration, tertiary jobs, etc.) adaptation strategies to reduce loss from farming activities.
This study aims to analyse the options and determinants of livelihood diversification (LD) strategies adopted by farmers in the coastal region of Bangladesh..Multiple linear regression techniques along with Simpson index, Herfindahl index, and priority index have been used for the analysis. Simple random sampling and multistage sampling have been used to select the sample and the study area.
The magnitude of farming household diversification is at a medium level. A significant share of annual income comes primarily from fish and rice production, domestic bird rearing, and working as agricultural labour. The adoption of diversified activities is strongly influenced by the age and education of the household head, the number of earning family members, social network, and government donation. The frequent occurrence of natural disasters, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of financial capacity are the critical constraints to LD.
Articles Details
Determinants of Livelihood Diversification Under Environmental Change in Coastal Community of Bangladesh
Apurba Roy, Sudipa Basu
First Published August 26, 2020 Research Article
DOI: 10.1177/1018529120946159
Asia-Pacific Journal of Rural Development