Developing Organic Agriculture and Its Effect on Sustainable Livelihood Improvement of Small Farmers in Bangladesh

Abstract

The promotion of organic farming in developing countries is a challenging and time-consuming task, and few non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are rising with this challenge in some countries such as Bangladesh. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the Organic Agriculture Extension Programme, as implemented by PROSHIKA (a well-known Bangladeshi NGO), in improving the sustainable livelihoods of small fanners involved in (non-certified) organic farming in Bangladesh. A random sample of 150 small farmers in Tangail District, among them 90 were active members of the PROSHIKA’s programme, were selected for present study. Empirical data were collected through personal interviews with the respondents. A conceptual framework was developed to measure the improvements in sustainable livelihood, and an econometric analysis of improvements in the sustainable livelihood of the respondents was performed using a binary logit model. Twenty-six per cent of the respondents have experienced on having improvements to their sustainable livelihoods. The researchers also found that a combination of social, human, and physical capital is important in improving the sustainable livelihood of small fanners. While these classes of capital assets, along with financial capital, are important in improving smallholders' livelihoods, a combination of natural, social, and human capital is important in improving sustainability of livelihoods.