Riverbank Erosion and Rural Food Security in Bangladesh
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Brief Description of the Study Site
2.2. Primary Data Collection
2.3. Data Validation
2.4. Secondary-Data Collection
2.5. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Demographic Details of Respondents
3.2. Agriculture Is the Main Source of Living
3.3. People Affected Severely by Erosion and Lost Agricultural Products
3.4. Declined Household Food Security and Livelihood
3.5. Riverbank Erosion Damaged Social Life
3.6. The Riverbank-Erosion-Affected People Migrated Helplessly Leaving Properties
3.7. Local-Government Representative’s Initiatives Are Limited
3.8. Inefficient Action Plans for Erosion Control in the Study Area
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Participants Experience | Response | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Experience regarding riverbank erosion | Yes | 96.7 |
No | 3.3 | |
Do not know | 0 | |
Experience regarding their household food security status before riverbank erosion | Secure | 90.0 |
Not secure | 6.7 | |
Not sure/do not know | 3.3 |
Time Period | Answer/Category | Responses (%) |
---|---|---|
January to June | Adequate | 53.3 |
Inadequate | 46.7 | |
Scarce | 0 | |
July to December | Adequate | 15.0 |
Inadequate | 23.3 | |
Scarce | 61.7 |
Food Insecurity Status | Answer Category | Response (%) |
---|---|---|
| No | 1.7 |
Yes | 98.3 | |
If yes | ||
Most of the time | 0 | |
Sometimes | 98.3 | |
Sudden | 1.7 | |
| No | 100 |
Yes | 0 | |
If yes | ||
Most of the time | - | |
Sometimes | - | |
Sudden | - | |
| No | 100 |
Yes | 0 | |
If yes | ||
Most of the time | - | |
Sometimes | - | |
Sudden | - |
Types of Food | Average Months Covered | Types of Food | Average Months Covered |
---|---|---|---|
Rice | 2.55 | Pulse | 0.76 |
Wheat | 0.38 | Spices | 0.80 |
Fish | 0.38 | Oil | 0.57 |
Meat | 0.32 | Fruits | 0.63 |
Egg | 1.60 | Vegetables | 1.05 |
Milk | 1.90 | - | - |
Items | After Riverbank Erosion (Response %) | Reason | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Change | Deteriorated | Improved | ||
Housing condition | 3.3 | 91.7 | 5.0 | I: Business D: Damage to house |
Occupation opportunities | 3.3 | 88.3 | 8.3 | I: Small business D: Lack of work, loss of agril. land |
Income of the household | 10.0 | 76.7 | 13.3 | I: Migration to the city D: Shortage of work |
Education facilities | 0 | 56.7 | 43.3 | I: Migration to the city D: Financial problems, destruction |
Health facilities | 0 | 58.3 | 41.7 | I: Migration to the city D: Poor health facilities |
Electricity | 5.0 | 53.3 | 41.7 | I: Expansion of electricity D: Destruction of electricity supply |
Sources of drinking water | 8.3 | 50.0 | 41.7 | I: Availability of water sources D: Destruction of water sources |
Sanitary (toilet) conditions | 3.3 | 55.0 | 41.7 | I: Hygienic toilets for use D: Higher population, poor |
Transport facilities | 5.0 | 33.3 | 61.7 | I: Migration to the city D: Damage to roads |
Communication facilities | 3.3 | 51.7 | 45.0 | I: Availability of network D: Disruption in communication |
NGO services | 15.0 | 61.7 | 23.3 | I: Good NGO services D: No food program |
Institutional credit (banks) | 28.3 | 65.0 | 6.7 | I: Loan from the bank D: Bank not interested |
Farm Machinery | 21.7 | 76.7 | 1.7 | I: Government-provided D: Need to buy machinery |
Household assets | 1.7 | 83.3 | 15.0 | I: Increase in income D: Sold |
Food security condition | 91.7 | 8.3 | - | I: Migration to the city D: Loss of land |
Availability of labor | 1.7 | 98.3 | 0 | I: No need D: Loss of agricultural land |
Marketing facilities | 6.7 | 58.3 | 35.0 | I: Coming near the marketplace D: Not necessary |
Food Security Strategy | Degree of the Responses (%) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Regularly | Occasionally | Rarely | Not at All | |
Reducing the amount of food per meal | 5.0 | 8.3 | 10.0 | 76.7 |
Reducing the number of meals per day | 1.7 | 1.7 | 21.7 | 75.0 |
Going to bed without food | - | 3.3 | - | 96.7 |
Relying on less preferred food | 5.0 | 83.3 | 8.3 | 3.3 |
Reducing the purchase of children’s food | 1.7 | 76.7 | 8.3 | 13.3 |
Purchasing food on credit | 1.7 | 46.7 | 35.0 | 16.7 |
Borrowing money from NGOs/Government organizations | 1.7 | 16.7 | 1.7 | 80.0 |
Borrowing from moneylenders | 6.7 | 15.0 | 3.3 | 75.0 |
Migrating to a city or another area | 61.7 | 13.3 | - | 25.0 |
Relying on casual labor for food | 6.7 | 58.3 | 1.7 | 33.3 |
Selling cattle/livestock | - | 83.3 | - | 16.7 |
Spending money from savings | 1.7 | 83.3 | 15.0 | |
Borrowing money or food from | - | 73.3 | 1.7 | 25.0 |
Selling land and other assets | - | 66.7 | 3.3 | 30.0 |
Selling labor in advance | - | 8.3 | - | 91.7 |
Questions | Response Category | Response (%) | Mean |
---|---|---|---|
Are you a local government representative from the riverbank erosion-affected area? | Yes | 85 | - |
No | 15 | ||
If yes, how many years have you played a role as a local government representative? | - | - | 9.55 |
Do you have any food aid programmes to ensure the food security of local people? | Yes | 100 | |
No | 0 | ||
If yes, how many affected people are beneficiaries of the programmes? | - | - | 281.8 |
Have you seen any migration tendency among the people affected by riverbank erosion in your union area? | Yes | 100 | |
No | 0 | ||
If yes, how many affected people migrated from your union during the last 5 years? | - | - | 414.75 |
Do you have action plans to mitigate riverbank erosion in your area? | Yes | 65 |
Summary of the Respondents’ Views of Action Plans, Benefits and Drawbacks | |
---|---|
Action plans | Throwing geo bags |
Dredging river beds | |
The setting of cement-concrete (CC) blocks | |
Benefits of action plans | Saving agricultural land |
Saving agricultural land | |
Protecting homestead area | |
Improving livelihood Status | |
Protecting schools, health centres, gardens, markets, etc. | |
Drawbacks of action plans | Limited resources |
Local representatives are not entitled to implement big projects with huge budgets | |
Lack of coordination among governmental agencies |
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Share and Cite
Billah, M.M.; Majumdar, A.; Rahman, S.M.A.; Alam, M.S.; Hossain, M.J.; Talukder, J.; Islam, M.M.; Khanam, T. Riverbank Erosion and Rural Food Security in Bangladesh. World 2023, 4, 528-544. https://doi.org/10.3390/world4030033
Billah MM, Majumdar A, Rahman SMA, Alam MS, Hossain MJ, Talukder J, Islam MM, Khanam T. Riverbank Erosion and Rural Food Security in Bangladesh. World. 2023; 4(3):528-544. https://doi.org/10.3390/world4030033
Chicago/Turabian StyleBillah, Md Masum, Abahan Majumdar, Syed Mohammad Aminur Rahman, Mohammad Shah Alam, Md Jamal Hossain, Joynulalom Talukder, Md Mohidul Islam, and Tahmida Khanam. 2023. "Riverbank Erosion and Rural Food Security in Bangladesh" World 4, no. 3: 528-544. https://doi.org/10.3390/world4030033