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Role of Social Safety Net Programmes for Ensuring Food Security and Reducing Poverty in Char Area of Jamalpur District in Bangladesh

SA Badhan
Department of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh

S Haque
Department of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh

M Akteruzzaman
Department of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh

N Zaman
Department of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh

K Nahar
Department of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh

F Yeasmin
Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Bhangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The study has been conducted to assess the social safety net programmes for ensuring food security and poverty reduction in char area of Jamalpur district, Bangladesh during the period of July-August in 2016. Survey method was used to collect primary data from Madargonj upazila of Jamalpur district. A total of 60 sample households were selected purposively for collecting data where 25 were under old age allowance, 15 were widow allowance and 20 were VGF/VGD card holders. Descriptive and tabular analysis was used to achieve the major objectives of the study. There are many Safety Net Programmes launched in the study area, like old age allowance, widow allowance, VGD/VGF, test relief, food for works and so on. The findings showed that after getting the allowance, the food consumption pattern, health, etc. are improving. Before joining SSNPs, about 77% people were food insecure but now the value is 68% and their calorie intake is 1834 kcal. The food security index became 0.79 and the food insecure household fall short of required calorie intake by 18 percent. It has been found that about 55% respondents are living below the poverty line but the joining to the SSNP, their situation is improving. Finally, it can be said that the SSNPs are much effective and could be a successful poverty alleviation strategy for the Government of Bangladesh.

Keywords: Social safety nets; Food security; Poverty

Location: Jamalpur district,

Start Date: 00-07-2015

End Date: 00-08-2015

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Income generation

Objectives:

To assess the social safety net programmes for ensuring food security and poverty reduction in char area

Methodology:

The study has been conducted to assess the social safety net programmes for ensuring food security and poverty reduction in char area of Jamalpur district, Bangladesh during the period of July-August in 2015. Survey method was used to collect primary data from Madargonj upazila of Jamalpur district. A total of 60 sample households were selected purposively for collecting data. Among them, 25 were under old age allowance, 15 were widow allowance and 20 were VGF/VGD card holders. The collected data were then sorted and scrutinized. Descriptive and tabular analysis was used to achieve the major objectives of the study. Estimation of energy and nutrient intake: The crops, animal products and other food items consumed from own production and those purchased from market by the sample households were taken into consideration for estimating the per capita daily energy and nutrient intake of the respondent’s households. For this purpose, household consumption data for the last three days were collected through interviewing female household members. In total, data on eighteen types of food items were collected and considered for analysis. The quantities of food items consumed were recorded in kilogram and calculated for the energy and nutrient values (i.e. protein, calcium, iron and fat). This divided by the adjusted household size to obtain the calorie and nutrient intake per capita per day by a household member. Irrespective of male and female, two children under six years of old were considered as one adult (Omotesho et al., 2006). The tables of nutrient composition of Bangladeshi foods (Darnton-Hill et al., 1988) were used to calculate the energy and nutrient values of the foods. Determination of household level food security: In order to measure food security, a household food security index was constructed by defining a minimum level of nutrition necessary to maintain a healthy living. It also indicates the `food security line' for the population under study (Omotesho et al., 2006). Any household above this line was classified as food secure. The food security line used in this study was measured using average recommended level of calorie intake of 2400 kcal as the desirable and cut off point (FAO, 2010). A similar approach was used by Olayemi (1998) which was 2260 kcal as a daily recommended level of calorie intake. The calorie content of both the produced and purchased food items were used to estimate the dietary energy availability in the household. The food security index was calculated as: Food security Index = X/Z; Where, X = Household daily per capita calorie intake, and Z = Household daily per capita calorie (Z) required. Thus, for a household to be food-secure the index must be greater than or equal to one; otherwise, the household is considered food insecure. Food insecurity gap measured the extent to which households are food insecured and surplus index measured the extent by which food secured households exceeded food security line. In implementing food security policies and programmes, the values of the index could be monitored one time and compared among different groups of the population. Direct calorie intake (DCI) method: The direct calorie intake method estimates the per capita calorie intake at household level. In this method, the food consumed during the last three days in a household was first averaged and then the average content of food per day per household was converted into kilocalorie. The amount of calorie intake is then converted into per capita per day. According to this method, a household is considered as ‘hardcore poor’ with per capita calorie intake with less than 1,805 kcal per day, and ‘absolute poor’ with less than 2,122 kcal per day.

Source of Information: Progressive Agriculture 30 (1): 75-85, 2019

Article Link (Online Journal): DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/pa.v30i1.42211

Funding Source:

1.

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The study found that the respondents are mostly illiterate, in some households the family sizes are much larger than the national average size of the family and socioeconomic characteristics differ among themselves under the different social safety net programmes. It is clear from the above discussion that the SSNPs has a positive impact on respondents' income, expenditure and food consumption. The respondents can also spend some money for their own expenditure and some use the allowance for their future purpose. Consumption and health were the most common heads on which beneficiaries spent major share of their received SSNP supports. About 52% beneficiaries spend their money for family expenses like food consumption and health care, respectively followed by other basic needs. After joining the programmes, about 32% household became food secure and they exceeded the food poverty line by 24%. From the study, it can be summarized that the social safety net programmes has generated the opportunity of better living for the very poor segments. It acts as a safety net for those vulnerable people by securing their food consumption, income etc. The overall pattern of livelihood is improved by this programme.

Knowledge Management: Journal