Spotlight on gender and food security: Bangladesh

Submitted by Lisen 

Interview with gender grant recipient Gulsan Ara Parvin, made by Moushumi Chaudhury and edited by Lisen Stenberg

It is recognized that women are more vulnerable to climate change, since their lives and livelihoods are dependent on nature and agriculture. “Similar to other places in developing countries, women in my study area have little understanding about climate change and its induced impact on their lives and livelihood” explains Gulsan Parvin. She conducts research in the Horikhali village in Paikgacha, Khulna in Bangladesh, focusing on the role of microfinance institutions in enhancing food security in a climate change context. “However” Gulsan continues, “climate change is affecting coastal communities, as well as other manmade factors. This is changing women’s livelihoods, increasing hardship in their daily life and lowering food security.”

A number of microfinance institutions (MFI) are trying to create alternative employment opportunities for women by providing microcredit. “But”, says Gulsan, “Microfinance institutions also have limited understanding about climate change and its impact on women’s life.  This is why there is a great need to conduct research on gender and climate change issues focusing on how institutional efforts, such as microfinance, can help women adapt to impacts of climate change”.

Different roles and responsibilities means different impact of climate change

Regarding existing gender differences and roles and responsibilities of women and men in this specific geographical location, Gulsan explains that they are distinct. “In Bangladesh, rural women are responsible for household work, such as food preparation, water and fuel collection, and taking care of the family. Additionally, most poor women need to also earn an income through shrimp fry collection from rivers and estuaries, cleaning weeds from shrimp farms and earth work related to shrimp farming (gher)”. She continues:  “Men are mainly engaged in fishing, shrimp field preparation, shrimp farming, van and rickshaw pulling, and working as day labors in nearby towns”.

Shrimp culture and climate change impacts (e.g. salinity intrusion and the impact of Cyclone Aila) have negatively affected the livelihood of the poor, especially that of poor, rural women. Their daily labor and hardship has been severely increased. “Agricultural activities have been almost demolished in the study area due to salinity intrusion. Rice production decreased two to three times, and green spaces and vegetation decreased significantly” says Gulsan. These changes are predicted to continue due to climate change. Consequently, women’s food security will be threatened more than men since women’s prime income earning activities based on shrimp collection will be harder due to climate change as fish and shrimp fry habitats are destroyed due to increase in salinity with sea level rise. Gulsan adds: “Compared with men, women have fewer opportunities to search for alternative livelihoods to cope or adapt to climate change”.

Addressing gender gaps in relation to climate change and food security

Gulsan Parvin’s research aims to examine the role of MFIs to enhance food security of women in the context of climate change. It also intends suggest policies to redesign effective MFIs. Initial findings reveal that the MFIs working in the study areas are doing almost nothing to address climate change and enhance food security of the women. “Instead”, Gulsan explains, “most micro finance recipients mention increase in their debts, hardship, and food insecurity, especially after cyclone Aila in 2009 when situation became severe”. Currently MFIs are not tackling these issues. In this context this research will identify not only the challenges that women face, but also identify the role of MFIs to addresses women’s hardship and food insecurity. “Since MFIs target poor women, thorough investigation and identification of problems and limitations of present MFIs policies are needed to improve to find out how MFIs may be able to address women’s needs in relation to the impact of climate change”. Eventually, this research would help to enhance women’s alternative income opportunities and food security in the context of climate change and thus decrease gender gaps.

Careful question formulation is key

On the question of the kinds of challenges Gulsan has faced during her research, she replies: “It is difficult to differentiate the impact induced by climate change and the impact induced by other factors. Women who are the target group of this research cannot clearly make this distinction”.  Since poor, rural people, especially women who have little understanding about climate change, it is difficult and time consuming to get their views about the impact of climate change in their lives, daily labor and food security. Therefore, formulation of questionnaire addressing gender and impact of climate change is complicated. 

Getting the message out to farmers and policy makers

Gulsan thinks it is important to build perception and awareness related to climate change among the local community. To build the sense of responsiveness to changes in the environment and biodiversity, messages are needed to communicate to the both men and women in the study area about these changes. “It is important to communicate to the farmers -especially the shrimp farm owners- about the long term effect of uncontrolled shrimp farming and conversion of agriculture fields to shrimp farms. Female farmers need to be trained about the importance and ways of homestead gardening, plantation and alternative income generating activities for their food security beyond shrimp farming” explains Gulsan.  

When it comes to policy makers, Gulsan emphasizes that they need to address the problems, expectation and potentials of local communities, especially that of women. They need to highlight the role of MFI and their need to address climate change and food security when offering loans to women. She concludes:  “Policy makers should also highlight the need to create a balance between agriculture and shrimp farming, and to evaluate the role of these two activities in climate change adaption and environmental protection”.

Learn more about Gulsan Parvin's research by downloading her technical progress report (PDF).

---

This story is based on an interview between gender grant recipient Gulsan Parvin and Moushumi Chaudhury, Science Officer Theme 4.1 Linking Knowledge with Action. The story was edited by Lisen Stenberg.

Original article Here

Betel-leaf

Betel-leaf (Piper betel) is locally known as Pan.....The Betel is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family......Betel leaves imported mostly from Tirur (Kerala-India) is famous in Pakistan as "Tirur Pan" and also from other parts of India.....Sri lanka & Bangladesh are also major producers of betel.........In Pakistan....consumption of betel leaf is roughly 5 million kilos and the total import of betel leaf from India is approximately 4.5 million kilos @ around Rs. 140 million PKR....or even more...............Recently president directed the Sindh Agriculture department to expand it's farming upto 10,000 acres.....Thatta & Malir......two regions of Sindh near the coast are ideal sites.......This is the most neglected crop in Pakistan........it can be successfully grown with proper modern techniques..... let's try something new if old is not working..

By Hadi Laghari

Bangladesh Temporarily Lifts Ban on Eggs

The government has removed all restrictions on the import of eggs and salt until 30 June in preparation for the Ramadan and to arrest the soaring prices of the items, said an official of the commerce ministry.

The price of eggs increased by 51.06 per cent to Tk 36 for four pieces from Tk 24 a year ago, according to data from Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).

According to The Daily Star, under current import policies, the commerce ministry permitted imports of eggs on a case-by-case basis, while there was a strict embargo on salt import.

“Between now and 30 June, businessmen can import any quantity of eggs without permission from the commerce ministry,” the official said. “They have to certify, though, that the eggs originated from avian influenza-free countries.”

Daily demand for eggs across the country is 2 billion while the production of all kinds of eggs in the country is 1 billion a day, according to data from Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association.

“Our industries will be sufferers, but we have little to do as we cannot produce the required number of eggs,” said MM Khan, secretary general of the association.

However, if the prices of these two items come down by June 30 the government might not continue with the withdrawal, the official of the commerce ministry said.

ThePoultrySite News Desk

Basmati rice risk losing its global position

BY GHULAM ABBAS

In the absence of a Geographical Indication (GI) law, the superior quality Pakistani Basmati rice may lose its position in the international market after the Philippines and Bangladesh moved to introduce their rice varieties.

Exporters said that the country's traditional exports, especially the Basmati rice, hitting the demand for the aromatic agricultural product abroad.

The existing Trade Marks Ordinance also does not fully encompass all issues covered by a comprehensive Geographical Indication law.

India has already adopted the GI Act in accordance with sections 22, 23 and 24 of the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) Trade-Related Aspect of Intellectual Property Right to protect its exceptional and traditional export-oriented products.

Pakistan, exporters believe, should also immediately approve the draft of the law still pending with the Ministry of Law to protect a number of agricultural and other Pakistan-specific products.

Although the aromatic rice known as Basmati are traditionally produced in Pakistan and India, but the Philippines also claimed to have produced the same variety and plans to export it to the Middle East by next year.

According to exporters, Bangladesh-based traders recently urged their government to register the Basmati variety as the common heritage of the subcontinent along with India and Pakistan under the GI Act.

Bangladesh is expecting to restart export of Basmati rice or 'Banglamotti' as the variety is being marketed abroad, within a few years in view of the frequent bumper crops.

Talking to Business Recorder on Saturday, Chairman of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) Javed Aslam said that despite persistent appeals of the association, the draft of GI Act was yet to be approved by the government.

He said that the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) had been given the task to formulate a draft of the act proposed in the Strategic Trade Policy Framework of 2009-2012.

The authority, he claimed, had reportedly forwarded the act to the Ministry of Law and the ministry was yet to finalise it before submitting it for the cabinet's approval.

He said that exporters raised the issue in a recent meeting with the Commerce Ministry and TDAP, adding that the GI Act had only been implemented in India, Pakistan's sole competitor for Basmati exports.

Terming the situation alarming, he said that his association had also informed the Secretary Commerce and TDAP chief about the development in the Philippines.

"The best quality Super Basmati, which is our legacy, should be at least protected through taking the required legislative measures, including the implementation of GI laws".

He was doubtful that the quality of the unique crop grown on the soil of Pakistan and India could be replaced by other rice varieties grown elsewhere, steps should be taken for the unique product's value addition and promotion abroad.

According to him, the country had limited options other than promulgation of a new law in this regard, as foreign traders preferred trade with countries which had intact laws.

The Chairman of REAP, however, rejected the impression that Bangladesh's intent to get the joint GI Act of the subcontinent would affect Pakistan's exports of Basmati rice, saying that Dhaka's variety was not of the same quality.

India and Pakistan were producing the same quality of Basmati rice because of the proximity of cultivable lands in Punjab.

He requested growers to enhance and improve the production Super Basmati to save Pakistan's rice markets abroad, which has over $3 billion share in the country's total exports.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2012

Cash-strapped agriculture research

By Ahmad Fraz Khan

AGRICULTURE research is fast becoming a forlorn subject. This is in spite of the fact it had helped multiply yield of almost all major crops that not only ensure food security but promote industrialisation.

Over the past six decades, wheat yield has surged by almost five times, cotton seven times and rice six times.

Despite all these, research is on a low priority list of the government, receiving meagre budgetary allocations.

The empowered provinces now have an opportunity to reorient the entire system to enhance productivity and make Pakistani agriculture produce globally competitive.

According to a World Bank study better research had been adding three per cent to world productivity since 1971. Local scientists insist that with better research agriculture has a potential to grow at six to eight per cent annually against the current two to three per cent.

Investment on agriculture research improves benefits and rate of economic return. Often a small breakthrough in any of the crop could immensely directly benefit both farmers through increased output and urban consumers through price reduction. This simple fact should make research the most deserving sector of official money, attention and planning. Most of scientists and economists also agree that the rate of economic returns on agriculture research is the highest as compared to most other sectors. The global investment in research has a rate of return of 41 per cent. In Pakistan, where agriculture is under-performing, the return should be much higher.

As things stand, Pakistan invests only 0.25 per cent of its agriculture output on research. The funds hardly meet administrative charges of these so-called research organisations, leaving small sums, or nothing for actual research.

Even India and Bangladesh are spending 0.45 per cent (almost double the given size of its agriculture economy) and 0.35 per cent respectively. The developed world manages three to four per cent.

In Pakistan, agriculture research (read innovation system), as scientists see it, has developed some inherent problems which mainly are: little and inappropriate investment on it, lack of coordinated planning, monitoring and evaluation, focus on routine rather than problem-solving, and little commercialisation of research outputs.

Owing to these constraints, the rate of innovation in this sector has slowed down for the last few decades, turning the entire agriculture sector non-competitive in international markets.

To begin with, agriculture planning cannot be compartmentalised, as has traditionally been the case. The sheer spread of institutions (universities, research organisations, official extension wings), private businesses, commercial activities and industrialisation in the field have brought it to a point where each segment has to cooperate and integrate to deliver.

On the second stage, research has to be need-based, rather than an academic pursuit. In the years to come, Pakistan would have bigger challenges emerging for its agriculture. The biggest of all would be the climatic change, which would need totally a new set of technology, agronomy, planning and practices.

Original Article Here