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Socio-economic Determinants of the Varying Levels of Food Insecurity Amongst the Haor (ox-bow Lake) Residents in Bangladesh

Mohammad Mizanul Haque Kazal
Professor,Department of Development and Poverty Studies, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh.

Sanzidur Rahman
Associate Professor (Reader), School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK,

Mohammad Zakir Hossain
Professor, Department of Statistics, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The study examines levels and determinants of food insecurity at households in the haor areas of Bangladesh. Three levels of food insecurity (normal, moderate and severe) were examined by analysing households’ responses on the availability of and access to food. Results show that 45%, 29% and 19% of the households suffered from ‘normal’, ‘moderate’ and ‘severe’ food insecurity, respectively.Significant inverse association exists between the risks of food insecurity with landholdings, head’s education and income of the household. Policy implication includes investments in education, employment and income generation activities,support to build assets and land and tenurial reforms.

Keywords: Haor areas; Food insecurity; Socio-economic determinants; Logistic regression; Safety net program.

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Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Performance

Objectives:

The main purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth understanding of the issues of food insecurity and coping strategies undertaken by the people living in haor areas, so that the policy makers and other relevant stakeholders can devise appropriate strategies and development programs to address the situation.

Methodology:

Sampling strategy and the data Information needed to adequately address food insecurity at the household level is complex. Different research methods, such as,standard set of questions, scoring method, survey method etc. were developed to measure the extent of household food insecurity. For example, Bickel et al. (2000) used a twelve-month recall based survey with questions encompassing all aspects in relation to household level food insecurity which was then converted into a composite score based on the responses. Frongillo et al. (2003) adopted almost a similar approach to measure the situation of food insecurity and a detailed qualitative investigation was used develop the survey instruments. After reviewing the findings of different investigations, Coates et al. (2003) developed a comprehensive survey methodology including questionnaire design and scoring devices for estimating the extent of food insecurity in Bangladesh, which seems to be very effective to have an in-depth understanding of food insecurity. Rather than using traditional questionnaire method, they suggested to include questions of multidimensional nature with regard to food insecurity. This study, therefore, adopted both quantitative and qualitative components in line with the one proposed by Coates et al. (2003) to have an in-depth understanding of the varying levels of food insecurity and various socio-economic factors influencing them. The data were collected from six haor dominated districts of Bangladesh: Sunamgong, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Kishoreganj and Netrokona districts. The study applied a cluster-sampling design where haor-attached villages were counted as clusters. A total of 30 clusters were covered in the survey. Thirty clusters are regarded as statistically representative sample of a population by internationally recognized survey designs, such as WHO’s EPI cluster sampling design (Turneret al., 1996). The clusters were selected using systematic probability proportionate to size (PPS) sampling procedure. Since the numbers of haors are different in the six districts, a stratified random sampling with proportional allocation was adopted to estimate the number of haors from each district (stratum). About 135 households from each cluster were then selected for interview and the study finally covered 4065 households in total, which is large given the sparse nature of the location of villages in these haor areas characterized with serious level of underdeveloped transport infrastructure and 7 accessibility.The household level data were collected using face to face interview method with a structured questionnaire by a well-trained group of data collectors. The survey questionnaire was pretested in another location prior to launching the main survey and subsequent modifications were made as appropriate.

Source of Information: Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, vol. 37(1-2), June.

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Achievement/Findings:

The principal objective of this study is to examine varying levels of food insecurity and identify their socio-economic determinants in the haor regions which are high vulnerable and marginal areas of Bangladesh. The focus was to analyse the issue based on the respondents’ own assessment and perception of food insecurity. Results revealed that 44.9% of the 4065 surveyed households suffered from normal level of food insecurity. This was followed by 29.3% and 19.3% of the households suffering from moderate and severe level of food insecurity, respectively. Food insecurity was found to be highest for the wage labour households followed by the fisherman households for all category of food insecurities. On the 20 other hand, food insecurity was found to be lower for agriculture,businessman and service holder households. The difference between the level of food insecurity between the extremely poor and non-poor households were found to be very high for all categories of food insecurity. Overall, the households of Sunamgonj district are in worse position in terms of the incidence of food insecurity followed by those of Kishoregonj district. Mainly four reasons were identified as responsible for food insecurity in the haor areas. These are landlessness, monoculture practice, seasonal unemployment and natural hazards. Results also revealed that the amount of landholding, head’s occupation, head’s education, gross annual income, asset and dependency ratio are the dominant determinants of food insecurity at the household level in the haor regions. A number of policy implications can be drawn from the results of this study. First, investments in needed to create employment and/or income generation opportunities throughout the year, with particular emphasis during the lean season. Second, investments in enhancing education targeted at the households of the haor areas. Third, government and nongovernmental organisation to deliver support programs aimed at building up tangible assets for the households. And fourth, land and tenurial reforms aimed at consolidating landholdings to an optimal size to generate sufficient income from land. Although the challenge to realize all these policy measures are formidable, there is an urgent need to address high level of observed food insecurity of these highly vulnerable haor population who are most often neglected and left out from various development interventions undertaken by the government, NGOs and other stakeholders. The Haor Master Plan (2012– 2032) developed by the government of Bangladesh is a step in the right direction but its effective implementation and success remains to be seen.

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