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Socio-economic Conditions of the Women Depending on the Resources of the Sundarbans: a Study of the Impact Zone

Md. Ghulam Murtaza*
Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna 9208, Bangladesh

Maitry Biswas
Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna 9208, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The limited resources of the Sundarbans are indiscriminately extracted which has profound impacts on the overall environment and the economy of the region and the country, at large. A good number of women are involved in extracting the limited resources of the Sundarbans. The women extracting the resources of the Sundarbans are characterized by low level of income, low level of education, do not get the fair price of their products, do not have legal status of extracting the resources and not much scope for engaging in other alternative jobs and socially down looked. It is pertinent to formulate a policy of sustainable resources extraction of the forest for overall betterment of the stakeholders. In this respect, there is need for adequate and updated knowledge about the socio-economic status of the people including the women who are dependent on the resources of the forest, particularly living in the vicinity of the Sundarbans so as to undertake appropriate policy measures in order to reduce their dependency on the resources of the forest. The present study is aimed to present pertinent information on the women who are dependent on the resources of the Sundarbans for their livelihoods.

Keywords: The Sundarbans, Resource extractors, The impact zone, Socio-economic conditions, Crisis coping

Location: Sundarbans: Comprises 17 Upazilas of 5 districts viz. Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Pirojpur and Barguna around the periphery of the forest

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Commodity: Livelihood

Objectives:

It has also been observed that a good number of women are involved directly in extracting the resources of the Sundarbans. But not much information pertinent to those women in terms of their reasons of being involved in extracting resources and thereof problems and issues and their socio-economic conditions are known neither is researched nor published. The present study is an attempt to find out the socio-economic conditions of the women dependent on the resources of the Sundarbans who are living in the impact zone (IZ) and identification of their problems in extracting the resources of the Sundarbans.

Methodology:

The study area – the impact zone (IZ)of the Sundarbans: The IZ comprises 17 upazilas of 5 districts viz. Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Pirojpur and Barguna around the periphery of the forest. The IZ supports a population of about 4 million people living in 17 upazilas and 154 unions.

Data Collection: The data and information of the socio-economic conditions of people of the IZ of the Sundarbans have been taken from the Socio-economic Baseline Study on the Impact Zone of the Sundarbans launched by the Sundarbans Biodiversity Conservation Project (SBCP) under the Ministry of Environment and Forest. This paper focused on the socio-economic condition of women living in the impact zone of the Sunderbans. A complete census was conducted during October-December, 2000 in 54 villages encompassing 22,099 households within the IZ for information on the Sundarbans resource users considering gender segregation and economic groups. A total of 3,996 households were found to be dependent on the Sundarbans resources out of which 750 households were selected for the present study by stratified random sampling considering gender segregation, categories of resource users and economic groupings. Seventeen villages were randomly selected from Khulna, 13 from Bagerhat, 13 from Satkhira, 5 villages from Barguna, and 6 from Pirojpur districts. Of the 750 households 726 (96.8 pre cent) were male-headed and 24 (3.2 per cent) were female-headed. The concern in the present study is given on the information on the 24 female headed households whom are directly involved with resource extracting from the Sundarbans.

Source of Information: Khulna University Studies Special Issue (SESB 2010): 109-118: June, 2010

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The issues discussed here essentially portray the socio-economic conditions of the women who are engaged in resource extraction of the Sundarbans. The women extracting the resources of the Sundarbans are characterized by low level of income, low level of education, do not get the fair price of their products, do not have legal status of extracting the resources and not much scope for engaging in other alternative jobs and socially down looked. Data and information presented in this paper are taken form a study done in 2001. It is thought that the situation have been changed with the passage of the time. In order to obtain up-to-date information about the women involved with resource extraction of the forest, there is need to undertake similar study. In order to facilitate for wider dissemination of information about the livelihood pattern of the women dependent on the resources of the Sundarbans, publication of small write-ups/leaflets in Bangla, arrangements for holding round table discussions, group discussions, seminars, etc are suggested. It is also suggested to conducting issue--wise further in-depth independent research studies on crisis coping, accessibility to credit facilities, economics of resource extraction, income and expenditure pattern of the women-households dependent on the resources of the Sundarbans.

Knowledge Management: Journal