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Unfolding Household Typology Towards Better Extension Advisory Services in Typical Southern Villages of Bangladesh

M. W. Rahman
Professor
Department of Rural Sociology, BAU, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

M. Das
Head of Research & Advocacy Unit, Shushilan, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Better targeting extension advisory services could generate tangible benefits at the individual and community level. This article re-designs household typologies in combination with the BBS standard and field investigation to provide better extension advisory services. Households are categorized based on-farm and non-farm holdings through reviewing previous village level studies, field surveys and observations. Southern two villages were selected for an in-depth investigation by adopting qualitative and quantitative tools. The farm category is mostly followed BBS standard while the landless category further classified into three different sub-categories: Category-I have no homestead or cultivable land; Category-II who have a homestead but no cultivated area; and Category-III who have a homestead and limited cultivable land. An additional category is a women-managed farm. Non-farm holding is classified into seven categories. The distinct feature of the non-farm category from farm category is that more than 50 percent of household income is generated through non-farm activities. Livestock and fish farming are considered into a non-farm category. All these household categories may involve other income-generating activities but majority of the household income generates through the respective venture. The identified household typology provides a scenario of a typical village which might help the policy planners to make appropriate extension advisory services that benefits marginalized households.

Keywords: Households Typology, Southern Bangladesh, Farm and Non-farm households

Location: In Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Commodity: Social status, Agriculture

Objectives:

To identify typical agriculture and alien activities that rural populations are involved in.

Methodology:

This is exploratory research. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect relevant information from the study villages. At first, two villages of southwestern Bangladesh were selected for this household typology study. The villages were selected as part of the SIAGI (Promoting socially inclusive and sustainable agricultural intensification in West Bengal and southern Bangladesh) project implemented in the study villages. Afterward, a village-level census was carried out to obtain basic socio-demographic data for each and every household. A total 637 households were found in which 345 in Khatail (Dacope Upazila) and 292 in Sekendarkhali (Amtali Upazila) village. A structured questionnaire was used for collecting key household information by visiting the doorsteps. Besides collecting census data, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were carried out applying homogenous and mixed group methods in each village. Meanwhile, transect walk along with observations helped to identify who is poor, rich, marginal, landless and women managed households. Field observation gives micro-level in-depth information that can help for area-specific interventions. Transect walk, FGD, informal discussions and door-to-door surveys not only helped in the characterization of household typologies but also validated them. The survey adopted an indirect approach to obtain real information on critical issues. For example, socio-economic data were collected by the field staff of Shushilan (a national NGO of Bangladesh) without explicitly asking the participants. After collecting socio-economic data, it was then categorized households as large, small, medium, marginal, landless, tenant, owner cum tenant and women managed households. Collected data were categorized, sub-categorized and presented into tables and graphs. Beside primary sources of information, secondary data were collected from national statistics particularly from the agricultural census and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

Source of Information: Bangladesh Journal of Extension Education, Volume 31, No. 1&2, 2019: 51-67; ISSN 1011-3916

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Bangladesh is an agrarian society, mostly dependent on agriculture and ailed activities. This paper documents different household typologies based on-farm and non-farm categories through reviewing previous village-level studies and field investigations. This study re-designs household typologies in combination with the BBS approach, field survey and observation. Farm and non-farm are the two broad classifications formed based on land occupancy along with other livelihood opportunities. The distinct feature of farm category from the non-farm category is that more than 50 percent of household income is generated through farm activities. The farm category is divided into five categories while the non-farm category is classified into seven categories. Livestock and fish farming are considered into a non-farm category. Women-managed households fall both farm and non-farm categories. Findings provide a detailed classification of two typical villages of southern Bangladesh. It also portrays the drivers and livelihood opportunities of different households. This in-depth household information might help the policy planners to come up with appropriate extension advisory services that benefit marginalized households. Although the study was confined with two southern villages but it comprehends that an in-depth understanding of a village is crucial before advocating any targeted extension services.

Knowledge Management: Journal