Tweet
Rural poverty in Bangladesh Bangladesh is one of the world’s
poorest countries, ranking third after
India and China in the extent of
poverty. The population is
predominantly rural, with about 85
per cent of its 135 million people living in rural areas. For their livelihoods
rural people depend mainly on the
land, which is both fertile and
extremely vulnerable. Most of the
country is made up of flood plain, and
while the alluvial soil provides good arable land, large areas are at risk
because of frequent floods and
cyclones, which take lives and destroy
crops, livestock and property. Since the 1990s the country has made
good progress towards reducing the
incidence of poverty, achieving a 1 per
cent drop in the proportion of people
living below the poverty line every
year. Estimates of rural poverty rates now stand between 53 per cent and
43.6 per cent. In general the depth
and severity of poverty has been
reduced more successfully in rural
zones than in urban areas, although
rural zones still lag far behind urban areas in terms of development. Who are the rural poor? About 20 per cent of rural households
live in extreme poverty. Chronically
poor people suffer persistent food
insecurity, own no cultivable land or
assets, are often illiterate and may also
suffer serious illnesses or disabilities. Another 29 per cent of the rural
population is considered moderately
poor. They may own a small plot of
land and some livestock, but while
they generally have enough to eat,
their diets lack protein and other nutritional elements. This segment of
the rural population is at risk of sliding
deeper into poverty as a result of
health problems or natural disasters.
Injury or crop failure caused by
unexpected and severe weather conditions frequently ruins the
livelihoods and the hopes of many
Bangladeshis. Small-scale farmers may subsist at
either of these levels of poverty. Their
livelihoods are precarious, both
because of the seasonal nature of farm
income and because natural disasters
such as floods and drought may periodically destroy their crops and
animals. Women are among the poorest of the
rural poor, especially when they are
the sole heads of their households,
such as widows or wives of men who
have migrated in search of
employment. They suffer discrimination because of their
gender, they have scarce income-
earning opportunities and their
nutritional intake is often inadequate.
Among extremely poor people, there
is a disproportionate number of households headed by women. Fishing communities are also among
the poorest and most disadvantaged
groups in the country. Where are they? Aside from hilly areas in the extreme
north-east and south-east,
Bangladesh is made up entirely of
low-lying deltaic flood plain. Poverty is
concentrated in three areas: the north-
west, which is prone to drought and river erosion; the centre-north, which
is subject to severe seasonal flooding
that limits crop production; and the
southern coastal zones, which are
affected by soil salinity. The direct link
between chronic poverty and unfavourable agricultural
environments is becoming
increasingly apparent, partly as the
result of difficult climatic conditions
and partly as a consequence of
mismanagement of natural resources and the enormous population
pressure on the land. Why are they poor? One of the main causes of rural
poverty in Bangladesh is the erratic
and extreme climate and the fact that a
large proportion of the country is low-
lying and vulnerable to flooding. Many
of Bangladesh 's rural poor people live in areas subject to extreme annual
flooding, which can destroy their
crops, homes and livelihoods. They
often have to resort to moneylenders
in order to rebuild their lives, which
pushes them deeper into poverty. For the large numbers of rural poor
people whose subsistence depends
on agriculture, income and food
security are highly precarious. Many
farmers eke out a livelihood on small
and fragmented plots. For those who are landless or almost landless, the
situation is even more severe. Almost
half of the population falls into this
category. Another root cause of rural poverty
has been the enormous population
growth and the pressure this has
placed on the environment,
unleashing problems such as erosion
and flooding that in turn aggravate the situation of rural poor people. Bangladesh has made progress in
developing rural infrastructure, but
much remains to be done. Many poor
people living in remote areas lack
services such as education, health
clinics and adequate roads, particularly road links to markets. Only
19 per cent of rural households have
electricity. Source: IFAD
poorest countries, ranking third after
India and China in the extent of
poverty. The population is
predominantly rural, with about 85
per cent of its 135 million people living in rural areas. For their livelihoods
rural people depend mainly on the
land, which is both fertile and
extremely vulnerable. Most of the
country is made up of flood plain, and
while the alluvial soil provides good arable land, large areas are at risk
because of frequent floods and
cyclones, which take lives and destroy
crops, livestock and property. Since the 1990s the country has made
good progress towards reducing the
incidence of poverty, achieving a 1 per
cent drop in the proportion of people
living below the poverty line every
year. Estimates of rural poverty rates now stand between 53 per cent and
43.6 per cent. In general the depth
and severity of poverty has been
reduced more successfully in rural
zones than in urban areas, although
rural zones still lag far behind urban areas in terms of development. Who are the rural poor? About 20 per cent of rural households
live in extreme poverty. Chronically
poor people suffer persistent food
insecurity, own no cultivable land or
assets, are often illiterate and may also
suffer serious illnesses or disabilities. Another 29 per cent of the rural
population is considered moderately
poor. They may own a small plot of
land and some livestock, but while
they generally have enough to eat,
their diets lack protein and other nutritional elements. This segment of
the rural population is at risk of sliding
deeper into poverty as a result of
health problems or natural disasters.
Injury or crop failure caused by
unexpected and severe weather conditions frequently ruins the
livelihoods and the hopes of many
Bangladeshis. Small-scale farmers may subsist at
either of these levels of poverty. Their
livelihoods are precarious, both
because of the seasonal nature of farm
income and because natural disasters
such as floods and drought may periodically destroy their crops and
animals. Women are among the poorest of the
rural poor, especially when they are
the sole heads of their households,
such as widows or wives of men who
have migrated in search of
employment. They suffer discrimination because of their
gender, they have scarce income-
earning opportunities and their
nutritional intake is often inadequate.
Among extremely poor people, there
is a disproportionate number of households headed by women. Fishing communities are also among
the poorest and most disadvantaged
groups in the country. Where are they? Aside from hilly areas in the extreme
north-east and south-east,
Bangladesh is made up entirely of
low-lying deltaic flood plain. Poverty is
concentrated in three areas: the north-
west, which is prone to drought and river erosion; the centre-north, which
is subject to severe seasonal flooding
that limits crop production; and the
southern coastal zones, which are
affected by soil salinity. The direct link
between chronic poverty and unfavourable agricultural
environments is becoming
increasingly apparent, partly as the
result of difficult climatic conditions
and partly as a consequence of
mismanagement of natural resources and the enormous population
pressure on the land. Why are they poor? One of the main causes of rural
poverty in Bangladesh is the erratic
and extreme climate and the fact that a
large proportion of the country is low-
lying and vulnerable to flooding. Many
of Bangladesh 's rural poor people live in areas subject to extreme annual
flooding, which can destroy their
crops, homes and livelihoods. They
often have to resort to moneylenders
in order to rebuild their lives, which
pushes them deeper into poverty. For the large numbers of rural poor
people whose subsistence depends
on agriculture, income and food
security are highly precarious. Many
farmers eke out a livelihood on small
and fragmented plots. For those who are landless or almost landless, the
situation is even more severe. Almost
half of the population falls into this
category. Another root cause of rural poverty
has been the enormous population
growth and the pressure this has
placed on the environment,
unleashing problems such as erosion
and flooding that in turn aggravate the situation of rural poor people. Bangladesh has made progress in
developing rural infrastructure, but
much remains to be done. Many poor
people living in remote areas lack
services such as education, health
clinics and adequate roads, particularly road links to markets. Only
19 per cent of rural households have
electricity. Source: IFAD
Today, 03:45 PM 
Comment