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Humnath Bhandari, Samarendu Mohanty, and Ellanie Cabrera

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

angladesh has made remarkable progress in poverty reduction in the last two decades. Yet poverty remains very high and many issues underlying poverty remain poorly understood. One usual shortcoming is the lack of understanding about the dynamics of poverty. A clear understanding about why some of the poor escape from poverty while many more remain stuck in the poverty trap and what kinds of intervention work well is important to achieve a high rate of success in poverty alleviation. The availability of long-term panel data on the rural economy and livelihoods is a precondition in this endeavor (Fig. 1).
Reduce poverty and Improve livelihoods The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) launched a project called Tracking changes in rural poverty in household and village economies in Bangladesh to develop a panel database on the rural economy and livelihoods in Bangladesh. This is a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded 5-year project that started in May 2009.

Decisions Knowledge Evidence Information

Household data (farms, individuals, and families)

Management of agriculture and socioeconomic data

Meso and macro data (communities, districts and national)

Fig. 1. Conceptual framework of data management.

The project is envisioned to answer several of the most pressing questions in rural livelihood systems: agriculture as an engine for growth, impact of technology on poverty, impact of climate change, effect of income growth on nutritional status, impact of social networks, access to rural markets and institutions, rural urban continuum, impact of self-help groups, impact of safety net programs on the poor, changes in natural resources, and the like. In terms of gender, the role of women in decision making, access to and control of resources, participation in and access to social networks, participation in the rural labor market, accretion of social capital and empowerment, and the impact of various programs on women are some important subjects that the project is investigating.

Increase the availability of adequate and reliable digitized household and meso data for informed decisions on rural development issues to reduce poverty in Bangladesh.

Household data are collected from 12 villages that cover the major agro-ecologies of the country and typify rural livelihood systems (Fig. 2). These villages are a subset of the Bangladesh 62-village panel study initiated by IRRI in 1987. The total sample comprises 480 randomly selected households. The household data are collected using the following nine different modules: household census, general resource endowments, farm plot list, crop cultivation, income and expenditure, monthly price, employment, livestock, and daily rainfall. One field investigator resides in each village and collects data throughout the year. The quality of data is ensured through regular monitoring of data collection and data entry. Geo-referenced data are collected for spatial analysis.

The uniqueness of the project stems from the collection of exceptionally detailed time-series data on various dimensions of farming systems and the rural economy. Recurrent observations of the same households over cropping seasons and years not only serve as a social sciences laboratory to analyze rural poverty dynamics but also provide exciting prospects and a fertile ground for the generation of new ideas for research and development. Other distinguishing features of the project are that it is multidisciplinary in nature, integrating physical, biological, social, economic, and gender aspects. its ability to trace seasonal, annual, and long-term changes in rural livelihoods. that it helps elucidate the pathways through which improved technologies, programs, policies, and institutions positively affect poverty, the rural economy, and society.

Fig. 2. Location of sample villages.

The assembly and integration of meso-level time-series data focuses on important agricultural and socioeconomic variables that include but are not limited to crop, livestock, and fishery; landholding; adoption of improved technologies; agricultural inputs; prices of inputs and outputs; infrastructure; climate; population; employment; GDP; and poverty. Meso data since 1971 are assembled at the district level (Fig. 3). To maintain continuity in the database for time-series analysis, the data for the newly formed districts have been apportioned back to their parent district.
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Gather household-, individual-, and field-specific primary panel data from selected villages Assemble and integrate district-level secondary time-series data on agricultural and socioeconomic conditions Analyze data, produce quality publications, and disseminate research results Build capacity in panel data and time-series data collection and analysis for social scientists

Knowledge on farming systems, rural poverty, and livelihoods improved. Quality information for informed decisions and formulation of anti-poverty programs produced Gender-disaggregated information to influence policymakers on gender empowerment produced Effective strategies for rural development and poverty reduction developed National social scientists trained

Production (million t)

40 30 Rajshahi 20 10 0 1981 1991 2001 2008 Year Khulna Dhaka Chittagong

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), India Socioconsult Limited (Socioconsult), Dhaka, Bangladesh

Fig.3. Rice production by division, Bangladesh

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