Bangladesh positioned as third rice producing country in the world. In Bangladesh, regional growth and trend in rice production determinants, disparities and similarities of rice production ...environments are highly desirable. In this study, the secondary time series data of area, production, and yield of rice from 1969-70 to 2019-20 were used to investigate the growth and trend by periodic, regional, seasonal and total basis. Quality checking, trend fitting, and classification analysis were performed by the Durbin-Watson test, Exponential growth model, Cochrane-Orcutt iteration method and clustering method. The production contribution to the national rice production of Boro rice is increasing at 0.97% per year, where Aus and Aman season production contribution significantly decreased by 0.48% and 0.49% per year. Among the regions, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Bogura, Jashore, Rajshahi, and Chattogram contributed the most i.e., 13.9%, 9.8%, 8.6%, 8.6%, 8.2%, and 8.0%, respectively. Nationally, the area of Aus and Aman had a decreasing trend with a -3.63% and -0.16% per year, respectively. But, in the recent period (Period III) increasing trend was observed in the most regions. The Boro cultivation area is increasing with a rate of 3.57% per year during 1984-85 to 2019-20. High yielding variety adoption rate has increased over the period and in recent years it has found 72% for Aus, 73.5% for Aman, and 98.4% for Boro season. As a result, the yield of the Aus, Aman, and Boro seasons has been found increasing growth for most of the regions. We have identified different cluster regions in different seasons, indicating high dissimilarities among the rice production regions in Bangladesh. The region-wise actionable plan should be taken to rapidly adopt new varieties, management technologies and extension activities in lower contributor regions to improve productivity. Cluster-wise, policy strategies should be implemented for top and less contributor regions to ensure rice security of Bangladesh.
The use of quality seeds is crucial to improve rice yield, food security, and farmers’ livelihoods. The large informal seed system, limited access to quality seeds, and low seed replacement rate ...challenge increasing rice yield. Despite robust government initiatives to support the seed system, progress has been slow. Besides, the need for farmers’ behavioural change, enhanced coordination, and communication at the local level has not received adequate attention. We investigate rice farmers’ preferences for quality seed, packet sizes, types, and sources, and assess the impact of utilizing good quality seed. We collected quantitative data from 1196 rice farmers in northern Bangladesh in 2019. To identify major factors influencing farmers’ preferences regarding quality seed, packet sizes, packet types, and seed sources, we employed ordered logit and multinomial logit models. Additionally, we used the propensity score matching procedure to assess the impact of good quality and formal seed sources on the rice yield. The findings revealed that farmers strongly prefer using seeds from formal sources despite limited accessibility. Of the total farmers, 34% use public source seeds, 33% use private source seeds, and the rest rely on their own saved seeds. The use of good quality seeds increased rice yields from the base yield by 0.07–0.28 t/ha. We found about a 48% gap in accessing good-quality seeds, indicating significant potential for scaling up the seed systems. Farmers using formal seed sources yielded 0.03–0.15 t/ha more than informal seed users. Farmers strongly prefer 5 kg packets due to their cost-effectiveness, easy storage, and handling convenience. Additionally, farmers prefer polycoated jute sacks for their versatility, multi-purpose applications, and resistance to pests. The econometric model results showed that farmers’ preferences were significantly influenced by gender, farm type, crop yield, seed price, market distance, various stakeholders’ advice, and seed supply systems’ constraints. The government should implement policies and programs to strengthen a well-connected seed network in rural areas, promoting inclusivity, and enhancing rice productivity. Besides, farmers’ needs and preferences should be considered in designing and implementing seed-related initiatives to foster sustainable agricultural development.
Zinc deficiency is a severe public health problem in Bangladesh. We examine the effects of nutritional information on rural consumers’ willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) for two ways to increase zinc intake ...through rice, the main staple crop–low‐milling that gives rice grains a distinctive light brown color (a visible trait) and sets it apart from the culturally preferred high‐milled white rice grain and biofortification of rice with increased zinc content (an invisible trait), which is also low‐milled to retain maximum zinc content. Results of our economic experiments suggest that with nutritional information, consumers are willing to pay a premium of 4.6% for zinc biofortified rice compared to non‐biofortified rice, when milled at the same level. However, results confirm the strong preference for high‐milled rice by Bangladeshi consumers who discounted low‐milled rice by 8%–10% even after receiving information on the nutritional benefits of biofortified or low‐milled rice. We find that consumers’ WTP for the two high‐zinc‐low‐milled rice types (biofortified and non‐biofortified) is positively correlated with being a female, more educated, belonging to households engaged in non‐farm activities and with children under 5 years of age. Results point to the importance of nutritional awareness campaigns for increasing zinc biofortified and low‐milled rice consumption and guiding the targeting strategy for such campaigns. Given the consumer preference for high‐milled rice, this study also points to the need for exploring the rice fortification strategy to address the challenge of malnutrition.
Abstract
Malnutrition among women of reproductive age and children remains one of the major issues in developing countries, particularly zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency hinders cognitive and ...physical development in children as well as adults. This study utilized a non‐hypothetical laboratory valuation experiment to analyze whether positive information about biofortified rice affects consumers’ valuations of biofortified as well as non‐biofortified rice. Specifically, we designed a within‐subject experiment based on Becker‐DeGroot‐Marschak (BDM) auction mechanism to compare consumers’ valuations of zinc‐biofortified and popular non‐biofortified rice varieties before and after exposure to information about the health benefits of zinc‐biofortified rice. We conducted our experiments in randomly selected four districts of Bangladesh, and a total of 134 consumers participated in our study. Results reveal that consumers assign a significant premium to zinc‐biofortified rice when they receive information about zinc‐biofortified rice and its health benefits. Intriguingly, positive information about zinc‐biofortified rice negatively affects the valuation of non‐biofortified rice varieties, suggesting negative spillover effects. Moreover, our results also identify that both the information provision and labeling are important to increase consumer demand for zinc‐biofortified rice.
Technological advancements have long played crucial roles in rice productivity and food security in Bangladesh. Seasonal variation over time and regional differences in rice production, however, pose ...a threat to agricultural sustainability but remain unexplored. We performed a spatial-temporal mapping of rice cultivation area, production, and yield from 2006-2007 to 2019-2020 using secondary data for disaggregating 64 districts in Bangladesh. Growth and multivariate approaches were employed to analyze time-series data. Results showed that Mymensingh had the highest rice cultivated area and production, while Bandarban had the lowest. The 14 years highest average rice yield was found in Gopalganj and Dhaka (3.63 tons/ha), while Patuakhali (1.73 tons/ha) had the lowest. For the Aus, Aman, and Boro, the rice cultivation area in 19 districts, 11 districts, and 13 districts declined significantly. The overall rice production increased significantly in most districts. For the Aus, Aman, and Boro seasons, the rice yield in 54, 50, and 37 districts demonstrated a significant upward trend, respectively. The adoption rate of modern varieties has risen dramatically. However, there are notable variances between regions and seasons. A significant increasing trend in Aus (0.007% to 0.521%), Aman (0.004% to 0.039%), and Boro (0.013% to 0.584%) were observed in 28, 34, and 36 districts, respectively, with an increase of 1% adaptation of HYV. Predictions revealed that rice cultivation area and production of Aus, Aman, and Boro seasons will be increased in most of the regions of Bangladesh by 2030. Based on spatiotemporal cluster analysis, the five identified cluster groupings illustrated that clusters lack spatial cohesion and vary greatly seasonally. This suggests increasing rice production by expanding cultivable land, adopting high-yielding varieties, and integrating faster technological advancement in research and extension. The findings will assist scientists in developing region-specific production technologies and policymakers in designing decentral region-specific policies to ensure the future sustainability of rice production.
Droughts pose a severe environmental risk in countries that rely heavily on agriculture, resulting in heightened levels of concern regarding food security and livelihood enhancement. Bangladesh is ...highly susceptible to environmental hazards, with droughts further exacerbating the precarious situation for its 170 million inhabitants. Therefore, we are endeavouring to highlight the identification of the relative importance of climatic attributes and the estimation of the seasonal intensity and frequency of droughts in Bangladesh. With a period of forty years (1981-2020) of weather data, sophisticated machine learning (ML) methods were employed to classify 35 agroclimatic regions into dry or wet conditions using nine weather parameters, as determined by the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Out of 24 ML algorithms, the four best ML methods, ranger, bagEarth, support vector machine, and random forest (RF) have been identified for the prediction of multi-scale drought indices. The RF classifier and the Boruta algorithms shows that water balance, precipitation, maximum and minimum temperature have a higher influence on drought intensity and occurrence across Bangladesh. The trend of spatio-temporal analysis indicates, drought intensity has decreased over time, but return time has increased. There was significant variation in changing the spatial nature of drought intensity. Spatially, the drought intensity shifted from the northern to central and southern zones of Bangladesh, which had an adverse impact on crop production and the livelihood of rural and urban households. So, this precise study has important implications for the understanding of drought prediction and how to best mitigate its impacts. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need for better collaboration between relevant stakeholders, such as policymakers, researchers, communities, and local actors, to develop effective adaptation strategies and increase monitoring of weather conditions for the meticulous management of droughts in Bangladesh.
The gig economy (temporary, contract, and freelance online jobs rather than permanent positions) is a component of the fourth industrial revolution and preview of future work. The rise of digital ...platforms has increased career opportunities and income potential, particularly for women. Yet, the sex-disaggregated evidence regarding platform usage, employment characteristics, and working motivations and satisfaction remains untapped. Using data from a quantitative survey of Bangladeshi gig workers (242 men and 201 women) conducted in 2022, this paper addresses these gaps between male and female workers. The gig economy appears to be gender-segregated across digital platform usages and working categories. Women tend to prioritize digital work options for managing multiple responsibilities, while men are often driven by the potential for higher income. This study conceptually utilized the two-factor theory and empirically ordered a probit model to identify gender differences in job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was significantly increased by work-life balance, monthly income, and social-media connection, while an increase in working hours, complexity in payment systems, and unstable networks all led to a decrease in job satisfaction. The findings have implications for the future growth of the gig economy, provide new insights into gender differences in job satisfaction, and underscore the need for gender-sensitive policies in the online labor market.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting health and economies across the world, although the nature of direct and indirect effects on Asian agrifood systems and food security has not yet been well ...understood.
This paper assesses the initial responses of major farming and food systems to COVID-19 in 25 Asian countries, and considers the implications for resilience, food and nutrition security and recovery policies by the governments.
A conceptual systems model was specified including key pathways linking the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 to the resilience and performance of the four principal Asian farming and food systems, viz, lowland rice based; irrigated wheat based; hill mixed; and dryland mixed systems. Based on this framework, a systematic survey of 2504 key informants (4% policy makers, 6% researchers or University staff, 6% extension workers, 65% farmers, and 19% others) in 20 Asian countries was conducted and the results assessed and analysed.
The principal Asian farming and food systems were moderately resilient to COVID-19, reinforced by government policies in many countries that prioritized food availability and affordability. Rural livelihoods and food security were affected primarily because of disruptions to local labour markets (especially for off-farm work), farm produce markets (notably for perishable foods) and input supply chains (i.e., seeds and fertilisers). The overall effects on system performance were most severe in the irrigated wheat based system and least severe in the hill mixed system, associated in the latter case with greater resilience and diversification and less dependence on external inputs and long market chains. Farming and food systems' resilience and sustainability are critical considerations for recovery policies and programmes, especially in relation to economic performance that initially recovered more slowly than productivity, natural resources status and social capital. Overall, the resilience of Asian farming and food systems was strong because of inherent systems characteristics reinforced by public policies that prioritized staple food production and distribution as well as complementary welfare programmes. With the substantial risks to plant- and animal-sourced food supplies from future zoonoses and the institutional vulnerabilities revealed by COVID-19, efforts to improve resilience should be central to recovery programmes.
This study was the first Asia-wide systems assessment of the effects of COVID-19 on agriculture and food systems, differentiating the effects of the pandemic across the four principal regional farming and food systems in the region.
Notes: Full lines denote direct effects; dashed lines indirect effects; and thickness of line denotes relative strength of effects. Display omitted
•This regional synthesis addresses a major gap in knowledge about the effects of COVID-19 on agriculture and food across Asia•Key informants from 20 Asian countries assessed early direct and indirect effects on each of four major regional farming and food systems•The analysis showed Asian farming and food systems were moderately resilient to the pandemic, especially the hill mixed system•System resilience, food and labour markets, and farm and food chain economic benefits are key priorities for recovery policies and programmes•This study highlights COVID-19 effects and informs recovery policies and precautionary strategies against future pandemics in Asia and globally
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 region is not well understood. In three locations in Rajshahi and Thakurgaon districts, Bangladesh, where previous on-farm CA research and demonstrations had been focused, we assessed the adoption and impacts of CA technologies on 135 farms compared to 270 non-adopters. While the CA technology adoption is still ongoing in the study areas, those farmers who practiced CA technology decreased human labour by up to 34%, seed use by 31%, fertilisers by 6%, pesticides by 32%, and total cost of production up to 10% while cultivating lentil, mustard, maize and wheat. The respective increases in crop yield and net profit were up to 28% and 43%, respectively. Propensity score matching (PSM) methods further confirmed that CA technology adoption had significant impacts by increasing crop yield, reducing variable costs, and increasing adopters’ net income. Given the striking on-farm benefits of CA for smallholders in the EGP, programmes to expand the availability of minimum tillage planters, provide training to local service providers on CA methods, and the use of smart incentives should be evaluated to assist farmers to adopt CA seeding machinery and associated agronomic practices.
Intercropping stands as a crucial strategy in promoting sustainable crop intensification while optimizing the use of natural resources. Rice intercropping, predominantly prevalent in upland and ...deepwater ecosystems characterized by less favorable conditions, represents a crucial area of research within this context. To the best of our knowledge, no prior research has explored the landscape of rice intercropping through bibliometric methods. Using the comprehensive Web of Science database, we conducted a meticulous analysis of 187 articles spanning the years 1980–2022, employing specialized software tools such as VOSviewer, Biblioshiny, and OriginPro. These articles were authored by a diverse group of 561 researchers hailing from 68 different organizations across 36 countries and disseminated through 67 distinct journals. Notably, the average annual growth rate of publications in this field was found to be 5.37 %. Our findings reveal that India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia emerged as the leading countries in publishing rice intercropping research. Among the numerous organizations, South China Agricultural University secured the highest rank, closely followed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers. The research landscape was further illuminated by identifying the three most prominent journals in which these articles were published: Indian Journal of Agronomy, Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, and Field Crops Research. Classification of these research publications into categories exposed the primary domains of interest, including agronomy, multidisciplinary subject, soil science, and environmental science. A keyword analysis unequivocally pointed to ‘intercropping’ as the focal point of interest within this research area. As we look to the future, it is imperative that forthcoming studies delve into the realms of mechanization in rice intercropping, soil microbiology, and harnessing solar energy for more efficient agricultural practices. This comprehensive review serves as a valuable reference for pinpointing research priorities in tackling global food security challenges.
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•A total of 187 articles spanning from 1980 to 2022 were retrieved from web of science database and analyzed thoroughly.•India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia emerge as the foremost nations for rice intercropping research.•Rice intercropping is commonly practiced in upland and deep-water ecosystems.•The primary domains of research interest are agronomy, multidisciplinary, soil science, and environmental science.•Mechanization, efficient use of soil microbes and solar energy may enhance the efficacy of rice intercropping practices.
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