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Household Food Security Among Indigenous Hill People in Khagrachari District of Bangladesh

M. A. Monayem Miah
Senior Scientific Officer
Agricultural Economics Division, BARI, Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701

Q. M. Alam

M. M. Ullah

M. S. Hossain
Chief Scientific Officer
Agricultural Economics Division, BARI, Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The study focused on the status of food security and its determinants among indigenous people in Khagrachari hill district. It also identified their livelihood risks and coping strategies during stressed situations. The study based on a sample of 200 indigenous households revealed that most households (58%) were food secured whose calorie intake (2965 kcal/capita/day) was much higher than the national average (2239 kcal/capita/day). Among various food items, rice supplied 78.11% of the total daily calorie intake of food secured households followed by vegetables (5.18%), edible oil (3.35%), fish (3.22%), and spices (1.85%). Logit model revealed that farm land size, off-farm income, and household crop production had positive and significant impact in attaining food security of the indigenous households. Besides, small households and the households with more earning member were more food-secured than large ones. Lack of modern technology, higher price of inputs, lack of organized output market, undefined land ownership, crop damage by wild pig and rat, reduction of land productivity, and natural calamities were found to be livelihood risks for the indigenous households. They sell wage labour; use previous savings; borrow money from NGOs and neighbour; and sell livestock, poultry, fruits, bamboo, fire wood, and timber during stressed situations.

Keywords: Food Security, Livelihoods, Hilly area, Indigenous people

Location: Dighinala and Sadar under Khagrachari hill district

Start Date: 00-02-2009

End Date: 30-06-2010

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Social status

Objectives:

i. To determine the extent of food security exists among indigenous households, and to identify the determinant factors of food security.

ii. To explore the livelihood risks and coping strategies of indigenous people during stress situations

iii. To suggest policy guidelines for enhancing indigenous peoples livelihoods for CHT region.

Methodology:

With the help of local Headman and Karbari (village leader), data for the present study were gathered from randomly selected 200 indigenous households taking 100 households each from rural and peri-urban areas. The researchers themselves along with trained enumerators collected household data and information through face to face interview using a pre-tested survey schedule. Local level enumerators from indigenous community were also employed for assisting them since the Bengali enumerators could not properly understand the language of the indigenous people. The survey work was conducted between the month of February and March, 2009. After completing detailed household survey, a total of 60 households taking 30 each from rural and peri-urban areas were chosen from the interviewed households for six months monitoring study. In this study, the seasonality of consumption of indigenous households was monitored so that the survey result regarding per capita consumption and nutrition could be verified and compared. Twenty four hours food intake data were gathered through a structured data collection instrument using recall method during March-August, 2009. After collecting the first hand information from the study areas, data were edited, summarized and tabulated for satisfying the objectives of the study. Tabulated data were analyzed and condensed by using averages, percentages, combination etc to attain the results.

Source of Information: Annual Research Report, Agricultural Economics Division, BARI

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The per capita per day consumption of nutrition for all the respondent households were estimated at 2594 kcal of energy, 72.23g of protein, 851.58 mg of calcium, and 46.70 mg of iron which were higher than the average recommended consumption level as well as national level. the highest 51% households sold labour during various kinds of stressed situations followed by use of previous savings (34%), borrowed money (22%), sale of livestock (22%), poultry (28%) and fruit (18%), and bamboo/fuel/ wood/ timber. It showed that they had little option to face the emergency situation while little or no savings were in their hand. most households (58%) were food secured whose calorie intake (2965 kcal/capita/day) was much higher than the national average (2239 kcal/capita/day). Among various food items, rice supplied 78.11% of the total daily calorie intake of food secured households followed by vegetables (5.18%), edible oil (3.35%), fish (3.22%), and spices (1.85%). Logit model revealed that farm land size, off-farm income, and household crop production had positive and significant impact in attaining food security of the indigenous households. Besides, small households and the households with more earning member were more food-secured than large ones. Lack of modern technology, higher price of inputs, lack of organized output market, undefined land ownership, crop damage by wild pig and rat, reduction of land productivity, and natural calamities were found to be livelihood risks for the indigenous households. They sell wage labour; use previous savings; borrow money from NGOs and neighbour; and sell livestock, poultry, fruits, bamboo, fire wood, and timber during stressed situations.

Knowledge Management: Report/Proceedings