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Agricultural Extension Contact and Farmer’s Income in Bangladesh

Abu Zafar Mahmudul Haq
Department of Business Administration, City University, Dhaka 1215, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The impacts of extension contact on income of farmers have been examined with a view to evaluate the agricultural extension services in Bangladesh. The scope of the study was ten villages of Gazipur of Bangladesh. The objective of the study is to identify the effect of extension contact on crop income, livestock income, fisheries income, miscellaneous income, total agricultural income, nonagricultural income and total income of farmers. The sample of the study consists of 1000 farmers. Data came from field survey and multistage random sampling technique was used for the collection of data. The results indicated that the impacts of extension contact coefficients on crop income, nonagricultural income are positive and significant. However, the impacts of extension contact coefficients are not significant in the cases of livestock, fisheries, miscellaneous and agricultural incomes. But it does not mean that agricultural extension has no reward in Bangladesh. The sample data indicates that the impact of extension contact on total income of farmers is positive and significant. The study concludes that agricultural extension is necessary to raise the income of farmers.

Keywords: Extension contact, Farmers’ incomes, Regression, Bangladesh

Location: Gazipur district of Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Income generation, Extension

Objectives:

The objective of the study is to identify the effect of extension contact on crop income, livestock income, fisheries income, miscellaneous income, total agricultural income, nonagricultural income and total income of farmers.

Methodology:

Sampling Design: The selection of the Gazipur district, Upazilas (sub-districts), villages and sample respondents were done purposively. There were some salient features in the selection procedure. First one, the selected district includes some important infrastructures, such as Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, etc. Secondly, total number of selected villages was ten by selecting two villages from five Upazilas. Of the two villages in each Upazila, one village is selected comparatively near to the Upazila headquarters and the other one is selected comparatively away from the Upazila headquarters. The selected nearer villages were Samantapur (Sadar), Bagnahati (Sreepur), Dushya Narayanpur (Kapasia), Katalia (Kaliakoir), and Poinlanpur (Kaliganj). The selected villages which were comparatively away from the Upazila headquarters, namely, Bara Bhabanipur (Sadar), Saitalia (Sreepur), Noyanagar (Kapasia), Poshim Chandpur (Kaliakoir), and Bhatgati (Kaliganj). Thirdly, the total number of households were more than one hundred in the selected villages (BBS, 1993). It was then decided to collect one hundred samples from each village. The total numbers of investigated farmers were one thousand (2 villages x 5 Upazilas x 100 farmers) and multistage random sampling technique was followed. Primary data was collected using survey method and personal interviews were conducted through pre-tested questionnaires with a view to collecting data. The survey was administered with the help of staff of BARI in 2002. Lastly, each Upazila has some characteristics: Sadar Upazila is completely urban-type; Sreepur, Kapasia and Kaliganj Upazilas are rural type and headquarters of these Upazilas are the only urban areas, while Kaliakoir Upazila headquarter is the only urban area and Safipur is the other urban area of this Upazila (BBS 1993). Conceptual Framework: Many of the previous researches used the productivity index representing the amount of production per unit of farmland, the value-added of production, which is found by deducting production costs from gross income. By using that index, it is possible to convert the specific quantities of products into given amounts of money to add up; therefore it represents a considerable analytical benefit. The method of settling the type of variables from which the index is determined, expected to be discussed (Haq, 2012). The model applied here is the input-output model. The heart of the input-output model is the concept of the production function [Y=f (Capital, Labour)] which helps us in understanding the role of important variables like capital and labour in determining crop productivity. But only two factors have no reflection on the productivity of any crop.

Source of Information: Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology, 4(9): 787-792, 2016

Article Link (Online Journal): www.agrifoodscience.com

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The effects of extension contacts on crop income is positive and significant but the effects of extension contacts on livestock income, fisheries income, miscellaneous income as well total agriculture income is positive and insignificant. It does not mean that extension contact is weak. The impact of extension contact on non-agriculture income is positive and significant. The overall impacts of extension contacts on total income are positive and significant. It indicates that extension contacts of Bangladesh are rewarded. The government of Bangladesh determines to raise the income of the people with a view to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) by 2021 (Ahmed, 2015). In this context, the following proposals can be made useful for the policy implications: In practice, one extension worker in Bangladesh covers 1000 to 1200 households approximately while it covers 235 households in Japan (Hoque and Usami, 2004). In the current study, it is also found that 82.9% sample respondents were excluded from the extension contacts. Thus it is proven, that extension workers in Bangladesh cannot transfer relevant ideas about farm management to all farmers appropriately. Sub assistant agricultural extension officers (SAAO) of the extension services should be increased in order to spread extension contact among all farmers. It is noted that a 10% increase in farm income generates a 6% rise in nonfarm income in Bangladesh (Anonymous, 2016). It is found in the present study that the impact of extension contact is not significant on the agricultural income but the impact of extension contact on the non-agricultural income is positive and significant. It is thus expected that extension workers should be trained up properly so extension workers can assist farmers to raise agricultural income. It is also observed that the effect of agriculture extension service is not stronger than in the impact of other rural institutions such as NGOs on income of farmers. The government should take initiative for the development of agriculture extension service in order to accelerate the productive works in the rural areas by consolidating with other rural development organizations with a view to fulfill the MDG either in Bangladesh or elsewhere. Finally, these are not last but least. Things which are excluded from the present study, should be done by the researcher in the future.

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