Download - Haor Livelihoods Strategy Study
Research Report on
Strategy
of
Achieving Resilient Livelihood for Responsible Wellbeing
for
Haor Livelihood Programme
managed & implemented by
Oxfam Hong Kong (OHK) &
PNGOs
Submitted by
Shashanka Saadi
S N Azad
Khaled Hossain
Tanzina Haque
&
Team
Third & Final Draft 10 Dec. 2010
2
CONTENTS Page
Acronyms and Glossary 5
CONTEXT 6 Definition of Livelihood strategy 6
Rationale of the Title of the Report 6
Key objectives 7 Methodology for the research 8
Approach 8
Areas covered by the research 8
Tools 8
Demographic profile of the research subjects 10
Limitations and considerations of the research 10
Report formulation and finalization 10
Research Outputs 10
FIELD FINDINGS – PERCEPTION AND EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE 11
Location maps 11
Upazilla maps 12
Community brief 13
Livelihood – Vulnerability indexes (socio- economic- political) 14
Educational background in the communities 16
Health security 16
Food security 17
Mobility and exposure pattern 18
Practices of dowry / early marriage / domestic violence / divorce (by women) 18
Gender discrimination 18
Mediation and Legal aid 20
Perception on risks and risk reduction 20
Status of key dimensions of responsible wellbeing 21
Social safety coverage by group and with amenities – local government‟s role 22 Production and market 22
Migration as an alternative livelihood strategy 22
Migration as IGAs for women 23
Capacity building 23
Resource mobilization 24
WATSAN 24
Rights 24
Unavailability of actual statistics on the haor region 24
Existing coping and adaptation livelihood strategy of the poor in hour areas 25
Livelihood security – opportunities and obstacles for women 25
Major Occupations 26
Employment situation 27
Wage 27
Cropping pattern 27
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Page
Lifestyle and alternatives for nine idle months 27
Fishing and Fisheries in the Jalmahal 27
Land ownership and Dwelling 28 Kanda land 29 Credit from NGO vs. Dadondar 29 Institutional Support and accessibility 29
RECOMMENDATIONS ON A LIVELIHOODS STRATEGY FOR THE HAOR REGION 31
Challenging Choices: resilient livelihood for wellbeing of Poor people in haor region 31
Key Messages 31
Existing livelihood models 31
Constraints in the existing livelihood models 33
Project focus 33 Tools and methods 33 Measuring Impacts 33 Micro-meso-macro links 34
Linkages between vulnerability and livelihood protection 34 Missing the Technology 35
Typical features of this Strategy 36
Progression Path of this Strategy 36
Vision of the strategy 37
Expected Outcomes of the Livelihood Strategy 37
Oxfam‟s Work on Haor people 37
Approaches and focus 38
Women empowerment and livelihood security 38
The key outcome 38
Approach and strategy 38
Right to access and control over Resource and livelihood security 39
Health and Sanitation 40
Influencing Policy issues 40
Guide Grid for Haor Livelihood Strategy 41
Logical Framework of Strategy 43
Suggestive Activity Index for Community Development 48
Potential new occupations and changes in the communities 48
Health Security 49
Institutional Support & accessibility 49
Economic Security of women 49
Disaster risk reduction and human aid 50
Issues involved in livelihood strategy and responsible wellbeing includes 50
Women‟s agency development process 50
Support and initiative from state and stakeholders 50
Wellbeing & welfare issues – focus on the entitlement & social capital nexus 51
Awareness on rights & entitlements 52
Long term measures 52
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Page
Conclusion 52
Annexure
Annex 1 Field Findings 54 Annex 2 Checklists used during field research 66
Tables
Table 1: Types of Interviewee 9
Table 2: Basic Statistics on the research areas / Upazillas 13
Table 3: Status of key dimensions of responsible wellbeing 21
Table 4: Results of Vulnerabilities in relation to livelihoods 34 Table 5: Integrating Gender into the Livelihoods Framework 39 Table 6: Guide Grid for Haor Livelihood Strategy 41
Table 7: Logical Framework of Strategy 43 Figures
Fig. 1: Haor resources and basic community stakeholders at a glance 15
Fig. 2: Major Livelihood options in Haor 26 Fig. 3: Interaction between fishermen and lessee 28 Fig. 4: The pauperization process in haors 28 Fig. 5: Access to and support from Institutions in Haor region 30 Fig. 6: Sustainable Livelihoods Framework 32 Fig. 7: Haor region context in livelihood framework 33
Maps
Location Maps: Situating Tahirpur, Sulla and Astagram Upazilla in Bangladesh 11
Upazilla Maps: Maps of Tahirpur Sulla and Astagram Upazillas 12
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Acronyms and Glossary
ANC Ante Natal Checkup ASA One of the top NGOs of Bangladesh BARI Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute BBS Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics BRAC Top NGO of Bangladesh BRDB Bangladesh Rural Development Board
BRRI Bangladesh Rice Research Institute CBO Community Based Organisation CNRS Centre for Natural Resource Studies DAE Department of Agricultural Extension DC District Commissioner DFID Department For International Development
DLS Department of Livestock Services
DoF Department of Fisheries ENC Essential New Born Care FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FGD Focus Group Discussion GO Government Organisation GoB Government of Bangladesh
HH House Hold HIV/AIDS Human Immune-deficiency virus/Acute immune Deficiency Syndrome HYV High Yielding Variety IGA Income Generating Activities KI Key Informant KII Key Information Interview LGED Local Government Engineering Department
LGI Local Government Institution LH Livelihoods
NFE Non Formal Education NGO Non Government Organisation OHK Oxfam Hong Kong PDB Power Development Board
PNC Post Natal Checkup PNGO Partner NGO POPI A Non Government Organisation PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal REB Rural Electrification Board RWDO Reliant Women Development Organisation SMC School Management Committee
SSN Social safety net TBA Trained birth attendances UAO Upazilla Agriculture Officer UDMC Upazilla Disaster Management Committee
UNO Upazilla Nirbahi Officer UP Union Parishad VGD Vulnerable Group Development
VGF Vulnerable Group Feeding
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CONTEXT A haor (Bengali: হাওর ) is a wetland ecosystem in the north eastern part of Bangladesh
which physically is a bowl or saucer shaped shallow depression, also known as a back
swamp. In a country where one third of all area can be termed as wetlands, the haor
basin is an internationally important wetland ecosystem, which is situated in Sunamganj,
Habiganj and Moulvibazar districts and Sylhet Sadar Upazila, as well as Kishoreganj and
Netrokona districts outside the core haor area. It is a mosaic of wetland habitats,
including rivers, streams and irrigation canals, large areas of seasonally flooded
cultivated plains, and hundreds of haors and beels. This zone contains about 400 haors
and beels, varying in size from a few hectares to several thousand hectares. These haors
support major subsistence and commercial fisheries, while the seasonally flooded lake
margins support major rice-growing activities, and the abundant aquatic vegetation
provides rich grazing for domestic livestock and an alternative source of fuel and
fertilizers for the local people. The main crop grown in the haor basin is boro rice or dry
season rice. Early monsoon flash floods often cause extensive damage to the boro crop.
Protection in the form of full flood dykes or submersible dykes is being provided in some
of the developed areas.
Haors along with the rivers, canals and the floodplain, are a major source of fish
production. But, due to siltation, and harvesting of excessive amounts of fish to meet the
demand of growing populations production of fish from this source is gradually dwindling.
In recent years, the wetlands have also been used for rearing domestic ducks. Due to
scarcity of cultivable land, government lands (Khas land) including the wetlands are
increasing getting transferred to private ownership in Bangladesh. Thus most of the
haors and beels have now been sold or leased to private individuals for cultivation during
the dry season. This transfer is governed by the Haor Development Board Ordinance
(Ordinance No. IX of 1977) are under the direct control of the Revenue Department in
the Ministry of Land Administration and Land Reforms.
Definition of Livelihood strategy
A livelihood strategy is an organized set of lifestyle choices, goals and values, and
activities influenced by biophysical, political/legal, economic, social, cultural, and
psychological components.
Studies have shown that documenting the historical evolution, and present and emerging
patterns, of livelihood strategies is an essential foundation for successful development
and implementation of community-based strategies for development planning and
management.
Rationale of the title of the report:
The title of this report “Strategy of Achieving Resilient Livelihood for Responsible
Wellbeing” suggests that livelihood needs to be resilient and wellbeing will ideally be
responsible. As far as NGO and other development partner involvement is concerned,
resilient livelihoods means a process of livelihoods development that has inbuilt
mechanism of contingencies, monitoring and rebuilding after shocks and imbalances. This
resilience is fueled by individual agency but so far as this report is concerned
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development catalysts like NGOs and donor agencies are big partners in this process. A
sense of wellbeing can be seen in every individual regardless of their poverty situation
and position in the relative deprivation matrix. Responsible wellbeing is something one
needs to achieve over a period of time through strenuous negotiation process of
livelihood sustenance and collective development in living standard. In effect while the
former refers to individual effort and mindset, the latter clearly hints at a community
level situation.
Key objectives
OHK has already completed the process of initiating the discussion and sharing with the
partner‟s staff at the field level. At this state, OHK would like to engage with an external
resource to meet the following objectives:
o To facilitate the process for gathering a shared/common understanding of Haor
areas and the possible livelihood interventions that can contribute towards
delivering sustained impact in people‟s livelihoods and wellbeing;
o To bring about a common vision leading to responsible wellbeing through OHK‟s
livelihoods interventions;
o To identify the approaches and strategies for OHK and partners to realize the
vision.
In the process of reaching to above mentioned objectives, the following questions had to
be answered:
o What is the current poverty and vulnerability scenario in the haor region including
risks, trends, uncertainties, shocks, seasonality
o What are the existing the existing coping and adaptation livelihood strategies or
skill of the poor
o What are the emerging livelihood options for the poor and the factors which might
affect them
o How to design a programme that supports rural households that struggle to make
a living and to adapt their livelihood strategies to a changing environment?
o What interventions can support the development of sustainable livelihood
strategies and outcomes? – „sustainable‟ in the broad sense of the word i.e.
ecologically sound, economically viable, social (incl. gender) just, culturally
acceptable, boosting the poor‟s resilience, boosting the poor‟s ability to adapt
(to institutional changes, evolving vulnerabilities, new opportunities/constraints
etc.)?
o How can we work towards sustained, large-scale impact? – large-scale i.e. well
beyond the household or community level.
o How can we link „agency‟ to „structure‟ i.e. how can we link our local, technical
interventions to our agenda of broader institutional change?
o How to make the most efficient use of available resources?
o How to make choices regarding development interventions that take into account
the variety of livelihood situations of people?
o How to deal with the complexity of livelihoods and their context?
o How to combine different approaches (gender, livelihoods, agrarian systems, etc)
that foster learning and dialogue among partners?
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o How to include disadvantaged groups, their voices and visions of the future in the
formulation of development activities? How to involve poor people themselves in
designing possible interventions?
Methodology for the research
Approach:
This is a qualitative research. Hence tools have been chosen and mixed carefully. The
research techniques will be participatory and the key methods and tools for information
generation, analysis and presentation in relation to the objectives of the study would be
field visit, In-depth Key Informant Interview, Focus Group Discussion, Community
Consultation, consultations with local actors (Local Government Institutions), wealth
ranking, resource mapping, seasonal calendar, and case studies with individuals.
Areas covered by the research:
The research covered 2 Unions under each of the three Upazillas across two districts.
These included: Astagram Upazilla of Kishoreganj District and Tahirpur and Sulla
Upazillas of Sunamganj District. Unions included:
a) North Sripur and South Sripur Union under Tahirpur Upazilla,
b) Hobibpur and Bahara Union under Sulla Upazilla, and
c) East Astagram and Kastul Union under Astagram Upazilla.
Tools:
The intervention under the research for Haor Livelihood Programme Strategy
Development used different participatory tools and methods with the active participation
of the community people (farmers, fishermen, women, children, ethnic and religious
minority, community leaders, etc) and local actors (Local Government Institutions, local
administration, NGOs, local institution, professionals such media). This participatory
approach can best utilize local knowledge, concerns and priorities to enable the
community expressing and analyzing views in relation to the needs of the research.
The tools and methods have specific relevance and particular importance to Haor
Livelihood Programme Strategy Development. These, however, are not exclusive, rather
complements each other to have a proper assessment of the household livelihood
vulnerabilities and strategies to link it with development initiatives in haor region.
In total seven methods/tools were used. Again in PRA method six tools were used.
a. Secondary literature review
b. Consultative meeting with local level stakeholders
c. Key Informant Interview – KII
d. Focused Group Discussions - FGD
e. Case studies
f. PRAs
g. Consultative meetings / workshops with OHK and partners
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The following describes individual tools and methods:
Secondary literature on haor, vulnerability, wellbeing, agency, and livelihoods strategies
were collected and reviewed. Programme related workshop papers, quarterly reports of
local partner NGOs and previous studies on the haor region focusing OHK programme
was also reviewed in the process. In the process more than 35 literatures were reviewed.
OHK and its local level implementing partners were consulted during the process to have
a clear idea and feed back on different checklists for interviews and research was sought.
A comprehensive consultative meeting was organized in one of the project Upazillas –
Sulla in Sunamganj, with participation from twenty available representatives/officers of
the Local Government Institutions like Union Parishads, Local Administration at the
Upazilla level, and Local Partner NGOs/NGOs to get their views and concerns.
Ten Key Informants were interviewed (KII) to tap knowledgeable people who gave
reliable and practical information about the vulnerabilities, needs and insights in the
project areas. In total seven key informants were interviewed at the field level and two
interviewed in Dhaka. These interviewees included:
Table 1: Types of Interviewee
Sl no. Types of interviewee - KII Details / remarks
1. Local Govt. Institution – LGI (Union Parishad – Female / Upazilla Chairman / Vice Chair)
2. Local Admin (agri / fisheries / livestock / social welfare /)
3. Local partner (NGO – CNRS)
4. Dhaka (ActionAid Bangladesh, CNRS & Concern Worldwide)
Two FGD or Focused Group Discussions were carried out in each of the three upazillas.
Six FGDs were done under the research.
Thirty six PRAs were done in all three Upazillas. PRA tools included:
1. Wealth ranking
2. Mobility mapping
3. Institutional mapping
4. Social Resource mapping
5. Seasonal calendar
6. Livelihood matrix
FGD and PRA tools were used to assess current poverty and vulnerability scenario,
livelihood options for the poor, mobility and level of exposure, available resources, crop
pattern, income option, stake, and occupation of a particular community. On an average
16-17 people participated in the PRA and FGD exercises.
Case studies were done to identify household level risks and vulnerabilities toward
sustainable livelihood of the poor and marginalized. Roughly eight to six to seven
occupations were covered in three Upazillas by the case studies. Women as head of the
household, person with disability and ethnic minority were covered under case study. A
total of eleven case studies were done.
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The preliminary findings, strategy framework have been shared at a coordination
meeting of the OHK and its partners. Inputs were sought, duly incorporated in the report.
Demographic profile of the research subjects:
Demographic profile of the subject of the research is as follows:
Female/Male ratio: 75:25
Age group: for PRA - 30 years & above. For case age was 50+
Occupation: Boatman / day labour (stone collection labour) / farmer /
fisherman / petty trader (shop owner) / opinion leader (teacher)
Limitations and considerations of the research:
Based on timing of the research and resources it was designed to enable people /
respondents to participate but had to be a less exhaustive affair in terms of their time.
Considerations during field investigation included: location, effect of disasters,
remoteness / accessibility, coping / adaptation, etc. factors. The research is not an
ethno-graphic one in nature. So, a qualitative insight of that length cannot be expected
and was not produced. Neither was it a quantitative one. Hence the study does not offer
exact and predictive models or frameworks in formulating a strategy.
Report formulation and finalization:
The study team used the workshop process to collate information and develop the
content of the report. Methodology of gender analysis was done following parameter
considering stress and shocks and opportunities. The draft report is being shared with
OHK for comments and suggestions. The final report will incorporate all other
suggestions and comments.
Research Outputs:
- A plan for developing the strategy
- A draft strategy for comments and discussion
- A final strategy incorporating comments from local partners and OHK staff
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FIELD FINDINGS – PERCEPTION AND EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE Towards a shared/common understanding of haor areas
The current poverty and vulnerability scenario in the haor region including risks,
livelihood types, uncertainties, shocks, seasonality, mobility, needs on specific issues and
practices in life, etc. are discussed in this section.
Location maps:
Source: Wikipedia
Astagram, Kishoreganj
Tahirpur, Sunamganj Sulla, Sunamganj
12
Upazilla maps:
Source: Banglapedia
13
Community brief:
There is hardly any incident of discrimination in class or communal and racial line in the
haor region. There are examples of regular support from the Muslims in needs of their
neighboring Hindu households. In turn Hindu families slaughter cows for the Muslims
invited in their weddings. These are some of the rare examples of communal harmony in
Bangladesh.
Table: 2 Basic Statistics on the research areas/Upazillas
Item Tahirpur Sulla Astagram
Area (sq km) 313.7 260.74 355.53
Total Unions 7 4 7 Unions
Total mouzas 131 67 59 Mauzas
Total number of villages 234 113 73
Population 1,64,655 89,941 1,32,303
Population Density (sq km) 1666 7084 678
Male 83,271 –
51.67% 45,944 – 51.08% 68,017 – 51.41%
Female 81,384 –
48.33%
43,997 –
48.92% 64,286 – 48.59%
No. of household 21987 13881 21077
Literacy rate 17.2% (7+ years) 21.8 38.2% (7+ years)
Population by Religion
and ethnicity
(%)
Muslim - 78.22
Hindu - 19.86
Christian - 1.03
ethnic nationals (Garo
and Hajang) - .89
Muslim - 48.03
Hindu - 51.09
Buddhist - 0.26
Christian - 0.08
others - 0.54
Muslim - 82.84
Hindu - 15.64,
ethnic nationals
and others -1.52
Schools & colleges
(madrasa, non-govt. reg.,
community primary,
satellite primary, lower
secondary, secondary)
60 150 68
Health Centres 9 5 3
Unemployment Ratio
(% of HH – house hold) 1.58% 2.15 % 1.63%
Improved Sanitation
Coverage (% of HH) 11.23% 14.98 % 13.85%
Improved Drinking Water
(% of HH) 81.30% 87.70 % 93.28%
Electricity Connection
(% of HH) 3.93% 5.13 % 12.56%
Land control among the
peasants (%)
46 – landless
12 - marginal
26 – small
12- intermediate
4 – rich
53 - landless
28.46 - small
13.20 - intermediate
5.34 - rich
36 - landless
20 – small
30 – intermediate
14 - rich
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Item Tahirpur Sulla Astagram
Main occupations (%)
Agriculture - 45.19
fishing - 2.42
agri labourer - 26.10
wage labourer - 6.39
commerce - 7.86
service - 2.67
others - 9.37
Agriculture - 59.35
fishing - 3.93
agri labourer - 20.40
commerce - 3.47
wage labourer - 3.10
service - 1.34
others - 8.41
Agriculture - 48.55
fishing - 3.43
agri labourer - 29.36
non agri labourer-2.47
commerce - 5.53
service - 1.75
others - 8.91
Land use (in hectares)
(in acre) cultivable land
- 58,918
(in acre) uncultivable
land - 430,03
Arable land - 19524.08
barren land - 1727.64,
cultivable land under
irrigation - 3.46%.
cultivable land - 22899.07
fallow land - 303.52
single crop- 79.24
double crops-19.50
treble crops land-1.26%
Communication facilities
Metalloid road – 8 km
pucca road - 0.5 km
mud road - 201 km
pucca road - 1.2 km
mud road - 210.26 km
pucca road - 2 km
mud road - 214 km
Source: District Development Coordination Committee and District Administration, 2002,
Wikipedia,
Population Census 1991
BBS, Jan 27, 2001
GramWeb: http://gramweb.net/regional_search.php
Banglapedia
Livelihood – Vulnerability indexes (socio- economic- political):
Most of the people‟s livelihood is related to agriculture, specifically with the mono
crop of paddy – Boro. Since 1977 the cropping pattern changed. High yield variety
„BR 29‟ was introduced and slowly became popular.
A large number in the population is also involved in fishing though they have little
access to the water bodies.
Government is supposed to lease open water bodies to the real fishermen through
samities. However, it is managed by the local influential elites.
A few numbers of households also produce and sell vegetables. Some
communities involve in craft business.
Traditional occupations: Rang joma1, day labourer in sand, stone, coal collecting,
loading and unloading. It is to note that people have little access to market and
deprived of fair price due to lack of knowledge of the market, information and
communication.
1 a form of contract which is locally seen as better than share cropping. Depending on the quality of the land
money or crop is shared up front and the rest remains with the farmer.
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Vulnerabilities:
Natural calamities (flash flood, flood, hailstorm, cold wave, fog)
Chronic indebtedness / vicious cycle of loan
Poor access to health, education, sanitation, safe drinking water, appropriate
institutional credit
Dispossession of real fishermen
Lack of IGA opportunities, particularly in lean period
Siltation of haor
Very difficult communication infrastructure during flood, rain, disaster,
Domestic violence against women
Figure 1: Haor resources and basic community stakeholders at a glance
Boatman
Cattle/duck keepers
Fishers
grazing landgrasses
crops/rice
fishSmall Farmers
water fruits
wild birds
mollusks
ducks
patipata
Craftsmen
Haor
water
vegetables
fuel wood
manure
Landless poor
haor
leaseholders
crabsGO
NGO
UP ?
Haor region resources and stakeholders
Reeds peat wildlife/swamp forest
Poor Women
Children
Hunters
Traders
Source: This figure has been adopted from presentation of Abu Sumon, UNDP Bangladesh, 2009
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Educational background in the communities
There is no normal atmosphere of education in these areas. According to government
documents forty eight percent people are educated in Sulla. But the actual percentage is
quite low. Schools lack sanitary latrines, tube wells. In Sulla drop out rate is thirty
percent. But a major portion of the remaining seventy percent does not or cannot go to
school regularly. They remain engaged in supporting their families as wage laborers, in
ripping paddy, fishing, collecting cow dung to use as fuel, etc. household chores. Girls
also drop out because of early marriage. Recruitment of teachers, attendance of teachers
at the school, distribution of stipends/scholarships are not regular. SMCs do not operate
effectively or regularly. They only provide signatures when needed. Monitoring is also
irregular. The other specific problems include:
a) scant education material
b) scarcity of teachers
c) lack of quality education and quality teachers
d) lack of development and refurbishment budget
e) bad condition of road and transport network
f) lack of nutrition of boys and girls
g) during harvesting season adolescent boys and girls are engaged in ripping
paddy
h) there are no haor specific high schools
i) stipend is given to children of the influential, children from poorer families
are often not listed for stipends
j) although stipend substitutes a possible additional income source for the
family, they often cannot afford the associated costs in education materials
Government rules suggest 120 kids have to go to a specific school in a single catchment
area. But in haor areas houses are dispersedly situated. No many children can come to a
single school from far fetched areas. Rather floating and smaller units of schools can be
floated to take care of the problem.
Education of the girls:
In the haor areas, enrollment of girls at the primary level is higher than that of the boys.
But dropout rate is high due to some reason. Early marriage, involvement in the
household chores like fuel collection, fishing for daily consumption, etc. has its affect on
the continuation of education. Some time they get to work in the field during the
harvesting period. During pick rainy season/monsoon the water level is high and it is
difficult to move from one mound (hati) to another. Since every mound does not have a
school continuation of education is severely disrupted.
Health security:
Health security scenario here can be seemed to be plagued by the following three points:
a) bad communication,
b) limited access to services, and
c) lack of awareness
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Transportation and communication system in haor area is in such a bad condition that
health workers cannot regularly visit the haor area. Women cannot get health
information and access health facilities as often. As a result they remain ignorant about
health. On the other hand health complexes are situated in the main land and it is
difficult to move the patient especially pregnant mother to health complex during an
emergency. Lack of trained birth attendances (TIB) is another factor contributing to the
high rate of child and mother mortality. Scarcity of clean water is another problem in
hygienic living of the people especially for the women in their monthly specific period.
People perceive that most of the diseases of women result of exorcism (bhut pret/ batash
laga) and they receive treatment in the form of incantation (jhar fuk) and Kabiraji. Due
to poverty and ignorance on health hygiene, malnutrition is common in the people‟s lives,
specifically for women and children.
Family planning is controlled by the male, i.e., husband. Lack of access to family
planning facilities and lack of recreational facilities contribute to the high rate in fertility
in the haor area. Consequently health risks for women increase significantly.
Summery of Health situation:
Provisions like medicine, med equipments, doctors are not available.
People take the ill and sick to the District or Divisional level.
Poor try to get cured by the Auyrbedic2 and local kabiraj3.
Infant mortality, maternal mortality rate is still high.
Women lack access to health advice and hygienic living.
Family Planning HWs provide pills, condom and vaccines for kids while visiting.
Department of Public Health Engineering is simply inactive.
Food security:
Poor people in haor area eat once or at best twice a day. Previous research on haor
shows that nutritional intake is not up to the mark. From this research it was found that
due to ignorance of family members especially women members, pregnant and lactating
mothers are compelled to fast during Ramadan, which is harmful for both mother and
baby. Sometimes lactating mother take gruel of wheat to enrich the breast milk.
Population increase in the poorer families in the haors is a big challenge in ensuring food
security for all ages and all classes. Mobility and exposure with its multiplier effects may
be the only way to change this attitude towards life in this remote area. Otherwise with
almost no scope for entertainment like folk drama / dances / musical soirée that used to
take place before, there will be more unplanned births and unwanted mouth to feed.
2 Auyrbedic – ancient knowledge and medicinal practices based on herbs 3 kabiraj – person offering medi-care support to mainly village people with the support of oral tradition /
indigenous knowledge on medicinal cures
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Mobility and exposure pattern:
From the Sunamganj district mobility is more related and caused by need for work and
as part of a process to securing one‟s livelihood. Since a significant number of people in
Tahirpur Upazilla are settlers from outside Sunamganj, they also visit families in other
districts. From Astagram of Kishoreganj people can move towards Dhaka, Brahmanbaria,
Narayanganj, Bhairab and other adjacent districts. They move not only in search of work
but also for shopping, purchasing the needful for farming, visiting family and relatives in
other districts and so on. Mobility has a positive correlation with exposure and change in
outlook. The research finds that people often are more receptive to newer ideas and take
initiatives when they are more mobile. This is a result of exposure.
Internal mobility in the haor area is more to do with daily routines and chores: school
going when they can, shopping for living from nearest bazaars, treatment for severe
ailment, occasional trips to nearest towns for recreation, and so on.
Practices of dowry / early marriage / domestic violence / divorce (by women)
Like many other poverty stricken areas in Bangladesh dowry and early marriage are
interrelated issues in this area. People see girls at their early ages as more demandable
for marriage. And demand of dowry is also less for each girl at this stage and age. The
more these girls grow, demand on dowry increases. As a result prevalence of early
marriage is high in haor areas. Unfortunately this way of early marriage and dowry has
become a livelihood option for poor men.
It has found that women experience various types of violence. Women‟s bargaining
position in the household weakens as their income-earning options are inferior and as
they remain less mobile. Due to successive years of bad harvest haor people become
poorer. That creates the age old patriarchal psychological crisis in men. As always it is a
general but peculiar mix of crises, a result of a combination of:
a. fear of uncertainty,
b. severe socio-economic insecurity,
c. a way of venting out frustration,
d. lack of 3 Es (education – exposure – esteem),
e. lack of gender sensitivity,
f. the need to be in command – at least visibly, and
g. to show that after all men are the stronger “fall-back option” in any situation,
they beat their wives some times without any fault of the latter. Unfortunately, women
with battered body shattered mind perceived that beating by husbands is a normal way
of life and is an easy way to go to heaven. Divorce by women was not found during the
research. The research presupposed a correlation between divorce and empowerment
where divorce initiated by women was seen or assumed as a key indicator of agency on
part of the women.
Gender discrimination
Analysis Parameter of gender and diversity included, a) control over resources and
production, b) household resources and assets, c) personal resources and assets. But it
has to be mentioned that since the research was not a quantitative one these parameters
were fed by qualitative information only and does not provide a definitive answer. The
following indicators were checked against the participation of women in the PRA:
19
Mobility a. Inside community b. Outside community
Participation a. Decision making about Personal affairs b. Decision making regarding household affairs c. Community decision making and activities d. Project specific indicators
Knowledge and awareness a. Own rights b. Services c. Supports
Life management skills
a. Plan for future b. Plan for crisis management c. Have leisure time Linkage with other organization a. Registered NGOs b. GOB organizations
c. Local Samities /clubs d. Legal Support providers
Based on the above mentioned analytical framework a summery of the field findings may
be presented as follows:
Women are often in the clutch of the samaj – society. The community norms and
elderly people set the rules or more truly maintains the status quo. They
participate only in those vocations where they are allowed. One or two percent
women go out to work in different garment factories and as house help whom
they know.
They do not have access to proper education, especially the adolescent and grown
up women.
The research found that they do not have control over the family earnings or
expenditure. For example they do not even have any right to decide on selling
duck eggs they produce.
Women have no / little participation at family level decision making (purchasing/
selling of family‟s asset, decision about children‟s marriage)
They still have no choice over taking contraceptive measures or in conceiving.
Their desire for or right to deny sex is not accepted.
They have no control over polygamy of husband.
Sexual harassment, teasing, physical violence still affects the women.
Women‟s mobility is very much restricted.
Women still cannot have their say in public spheres like SMCs, shalish.
Women cultivate kanda4 lands but not on a commercial basis.
4 Kanda – known and utilized as a common property. Mostly a fallow land utilized for grazing of livestock and
small scale vegetable gardening.
20
Women are benefiting from and developing due to NGOs‟ women focused
interventions.
Mediation and Legal aid
The judicial / legal system of the country cannot be accessed by the haor people. They
have to come to the cities and towns at the Upazilla and/or district level.
The local people are, however, happy with mediation – shalish5, at their locality
adjudicated by the local shamaj6. Beginning from their own mouja7 there are four tiers of
this shalish system. The first tier is comprised of four moujas. The second tier is
comprised of eight mojas, the third of sixteen moujas and the fourth mouja is comprised
of forty eight moujas. If a complainant or the accused is/are not satisfied with the
judgment he/she/they go to the next tier. In this process by the time they reach the final
and fourth tier they become satisfied. Generally nominated mouja elders sit to
adjudicate. Local haor people are pretty satisfied with the standard the shalish keeps and
happy with the results.
Perception on risks and risk reduction:
Hilly torrent and/or flash flood, riverbank erosion, thick fog, hail storm, drought, etc. are
common place. People of the localities adapted to these risks and calamities for ages. In
recent years, however, the timing and type of the calamities have changed with a degree
of unpredictability.
Hilly torrent generally destroys the crop in the field. Overflowing of river bank has
become common in recent years due to siltation on the river bed. As a result
embankments are breached and inland localities are inundated. Fishing ghers in Bills and
Haors are also overflowed and families dependent of fisheries are directly affected.
Deep thick fog has increased in density as well in the recent years. It gets foggy from the
dusk and damages crop. Apart from during the winter fog persists in the Bengali months
of Falgun-Chaitra. Falgun-Chaitra is becoming a bad patch because of the early flash
flood/hill torrent for the last two years. This torrent and flood inundates/submerges
paddy fields and destroys eighty percent of the paddy.
Interestingly people perceive even the shallow engine driven boats plying over the haor
water erodes the bank soil and damages the eco system by destroying fish habitats
hence their reproduction. Due to water level reduction and siltation fishing is becoming
difficult by the years. To avoid starvation, the fishermen are now compelled to catch the
fish fries. In their words: “before we used to have plenty of fish in the net during the
5 shalish – mediation/adjudication system run by elders and elites of a samaj in the rural Bangladesh 6 samaj – society which controls norms and rules of living in a community at the rural level 7 mouja – smallest land measurement – administrative unit used in records of land office
21
rainy season but now we get one or two from ten nets.” Due to increase in population
there is additional pressure on the same or more often depleting fishery resources in the
haor areas.
Other risks arise from natural calamities like:
a) long term flood
b) cold wave
c) thick and deep fog
d) cyclone
e) attack of pests
Table 3: Status of key dimensions of responsible wellbeing8
Dimensions Status in Tahirpur Status in Sulla
Status in Astagram
Self-Sustenance
they work for 3 months
and sit around for 9
months indulging in
cultural activities, card
playing, etc.
they work for 3
months and sit around
for 9 months indulging
in cultural activities,
card playing, etc.
better off due to
mobility (livelihoods,
shopping, )
Self-Esteem
the idea is not clear
to them.
they remain
submitted from the
beginning of any
dealing
the idea is not
clear to them.
they remain
submitted from
the beginning of
any dealing
situation is a bit
better because of
mobility and
exposure
Self-Determination
absent/indifferent
only the migrants
become different and
careful to decide
reluctance to change
absent/indifferent
only the migrants
become different
and careful to
decide
reluctance to change
absent/indifferent
only the migrants
become different
and careful to
decide
reluctance to
change
Responsibility
the idea of taking
responsibility of
others in the
community is an alien
one at this stage.
the idea of taking
responsibility of
others in the
community is an
alien one at this
stage.
the idea of taking
responsibility of
others in the
community is an
alien one at this
stage.
8 responsible wellbeing means a situation where people will consider and act for the betterment of others in the
community as well
22
Social safety coverage by group and with amenities – local government‟s role
It is the finding of this research that in some cases the local government structure exerts
more influence than local administration of the government. It may be seen as part of
the empowerment process of the LGIs or as a not so significant one off case or as an
example of how lack of coordination may render government agencies ineffective at the
local level. For example, in Kishoreganj the local Union Parishad and Upazilla level
committees work in the name of the agriculture department of the government. Local
MP, Upazilla Chairman, and UNO decide for the local level office of the agriculture
department. In most cases the local government is yet to function structurally or in a
systematic manner where interests of the poor will be protected. Mostly the Local
government functions in accordance to the cycle of political patronage and interest loop.
Different packages are offered by GoB & NGOs in the guise of short and long term Social
safety net (SSN). In a nutshell these are: short term: VGD, VGF, FFW/ CFW, Old Age Allowance, Widow Allowance,
Disability Allowance, Freedom Fighter Allowance, Maternity Allnc.
long term: FFW (assume one month per worker),
Cash for Work (assuming 1mm/w),
VGF (Three months per beneficiary), Test Relief (one time grant),
GR-Food (one time grant), 100 days employment scheme
These social benefits and supports are primarily distributed in line with political identity
and influence network. This political identity is again selected through constant party
affiliations and involvement with groups who exchange favours.
Production and market:
Apart from the one crop „boro‟, people in the haor areas are engaged in wage labour.
Very few are involved in new income generating activities. NGO led duck rearing or their
own kanda cultivation do not hold much promise in terms of commercial value. Those are
seen more as means utilized for sustenance.
The basic of marketing a product – transportation and communication infrastructure is
lacking in the haor region. There is no way that without appropriate resources farmers or
fishermen can sell their produces to the markets of significance where they can get a
good price. Ultimately they suffer from domination, intimidation and despair. Private
sectors‟ involvement in upgrading the market links in haor region is by and large absent.
Only in Astagram shoes are produced or finished and send to markets. Garment
industries also involve local population in this area and people have more options due to
advantage in transportation and communication.
Migration as an alternative livelihood strategy:
Seasonal migration for work is a trend whereas incidences of international labour
migration are found to be insignificant amongst the poor. More well to dos engage in this
migratory habit.
Primarily the poor and male engage in seasonal migration for work. This trend continues
from 2/3 to 6 to 9 months. A very small percentage of these take full family along. But
23
when they do, usually it is a long term migration for a good nine-fifteen years and again
it is a circular migration, i.e., the full family comes back. Migration decision is often not
informed but based on shared knowledge and information in the locality.
In one Union of Tahirpur 40% of the idle/jobless never migrate. People from Tahirpur go
to Bholaganj, Sylhet, Chittagong, Tangail and Dhaka. People from Astagram go to
Bhairab, Dhaka, and lot many other districts. Apart from Sulla, other areas see more
regional migration. People from Sulla go to Bholagonj, Chatak, Sylhet, Dhaka and
Chittagong. Occupations of the seasonal migrants from haor areas include – stone
collection, carrying and crushing, coal carrying, rickshaw peddling, petty trader, raw
material hawker, etc.
Migration of fishermen of the haor region is also caused by fear of getting beaten up,
intimidation coming from the local elite and investors in leases of water bodies. As much
as sixty percent of the fishermen at some stage of the year leave haor region in search of
work. This joblessness is caused due to government ban on fishing for three months, and
due to the dry season. They migrate in fear of the local Ijaradars9 (Lessee/investor
behind the lessee) of the Jalmahals10 (water bodies/haors).
Migration as IGAs for women:
Migration decision is primarily controlled by the male members of the family.
Women/adolescent girls of less than 5% households migrate to work in garment
industries, as day labourers and as house help. Their destination is usually Dhaka,
Naraynganj and adjacent districts. Under extreme hardship few females from Sulla even
migrate to work as day labourer to carry stone, coal, etc. At times they accompany their
husbands or their male acquaintances – labour from the locality.
Capacity building:
Capacity building of institutions and individuals both are of high importance in the
context of any intervention aimed at haor livelihood development.
Institutional capacity always starts with quality of available resources. This quality again
depends on willingness of the manpower to maintain and improve efficiency level.
without appropriate pay and perks the government officials are not motivated enough to
exercise this will power to improve.
Capacity building at the individual level is important in terms of changing community
living and measures of initiative. Along with officials from government agencies NGO
activists needs to be trained on the realities and variations of the haor region, sensitized
on:
cultural diversity,
gender specific choices and vulnerabilities,
locational (geographic) and relational (class) needs,
9 Ijaradars – lease/investor behind the lessee 10 Jalmahals – water bodies/haors
24
problems arising out of haor specific traditions
class distinction and social practices in haor,
disaster management, and
inventing new IGAs, etc.
Resource mobilization:
Requisite manpower to ensure reach and sustenance is a must for any program. When a
particular department of the government needs 23 people they have half that number.
This is a typical example of the situation at the local level administration around the
country. This research can hardly over emphasise the need for requisite manpower
especially in the haor region to successfully implement any program.
Budgetary allocation is also meager. Not even 20% of proposed or requested allocation
of local offices is met from Dhaka.
WATSAN:
Pure drinking water in Haor areas is scare. There was no tube well 20-30 years ago.
Now a-days due to governments and NGO‟s interventions, there are tube wells in
villages. It should be mentioned that numbers of tube well are not sufficient in
comparison to the need. However, the tube wells also become useless during the rainy
season as they remain submerged.
There are few household who use sanitary latrines. Open defecation is common practice
and areas. Hanging latrines are abundant.
Rights:
Right to information, right to secure living their interconnectedness nothing make sense
to them. Under the hegemonic social construct women relinquish their right of having
dignity as fait accompli.
Unavailability of actual statistics on the haor region:
The problems in haor region are not properly projected because of the lack of actual hard
core data on different aspects of demography, development, life and livelihoods. Without
this data policy advocacy gets bogged down. When data from haor region is mixed with
dry / main land of the same upazilla then the data is diluted and distorted. Either haor
specific data needs to be produced through separate structure and category in censuses
or haor areas needs to be demarcated specifically as separate administrative units.
25
Existing coping and adaptation livelihood strategy of the poor in hour areas
Livelihood strategy in the haor areas is unique. Plain land developmental realities will
often bear no meaning in this topography and cultural practices. People living under
poverty line are a common place. People live under subjugation and even submit to such
practices by choice because of lack of options. The natural topographical and climatic
issues have set the tone of their life, coping with disaster and adapt to continue
livelihoods in dire circumstances and in the face of calamities. The region remains
submerged under water for nine months. People live on fishing and then mercy of the
landlords/dadondars during those nine months. They can harvest the land only for three
months during the dry season. Due to changes in crop pattern and in growth of natural
flora fauna, vulnerability has increased, living conditions has changed significantly. The
following discussion will suffice.
Livelihood security – opportunities and obstacles for women:
In Haor areas, generally women are neither considered bread-winners nor future
successors in the family, which provide ample logic to support the systemic
discrimination against women.
Most Haor people are poor and in absence of asset-based entitlement, men have freedom
to exchange their labour power in the market and obtain remuneration. On the other
hand, poor women do not have freedom to exchange their labour power. They need
approval from their families. Employment opportunity is also restricted due to gender
discrimination in division of labour, social customs and religious prejudices. However,
some women‟s with livelihood options and opportunities were found in following cases -
Women in Astogram upazilla got some scope to involve themselves in embroidery
on garment products and embroidery for shoe laces/belts. As transport and
communication system of Astogram is better then Shalla and Tahirpur, garment
industries and shoe companies has come to Astogram and involved the women in
their factories.
Sometimes women are engaged with agricultural activities at a smaller scale just
enough to ensure supply for family consumption.
Few small grocery shops were found near the homestead, which are run by the
woman members in the family. Some women sell items of daily needs from their
home.
In some areas women started poultries with seven to ten ducks with the help of
NGOs but they reported that these scheme is not feasible as the numbers of duck
is limited. It does not allow them any scale of production and thus not
economically viable.
Women do homestead/kitchen gardening but not on a commercial basis.
Sometimes poor women get into earth work under the SSN of the Government.
Women labourers face wage discrimination and harassment.
In some cases women are members of micro-credit program of different NGOs but
they are not satisfied with this credit system.
There are provisions of government safety net program like VGF, VGD,
widowhood and old age stipend. But in most of the cases it is disrupted by the
anomaly or corruption of authorities.
The female-headed households have virtually no options other than being
destitute, as they have nothing to sell and very limited options to exchange their
26
labour power. On the other hand, the poor male-headed households can sell their
minimum physical asset or the homestead, achieved through patriarchal
inheritance, or can migrate for wage work.
In haor areas woman fall in deep crisis when their husbands are away from her to
work as a year-long bonded labourer in exchange of small remuneration and
leaves insufficient small amount for household maintenance.
Though it is illegal, men can also seek dowry as primary accumulation of asset or
money but women have no such types of options.
Major Occupations:
The following findings and discussion is very instructive. Most studies done three years
earlier on the areas show that major occupation is agriculture followed by fishing.
Selection of areas under this research and its methodologies can obviously play a part in
the following result. Still, the trend of major occupations found in this research is quite
alarming. An overwhelming number of people have turned into day labourers (see Fig.
4). Disasters in last few successive years may have taken a toll on the occupation trend.
The three upazillas covered under this research show similar trend (see Appendix 1).
Figure 2: Major Livelihood options in Haor
Major livelihood options of
poor people of Haor Region
Livelihood
options
Fish trade
Fishing
Small
Farming
Local Ag. Laboring
Coal picking
Collect Natural Resources
Sand & stone labor
Migrant labor
Rickshaw/van
pulling
Earth work labor
Sand/stone Collection
Dry fish
trade
Firewood collection
Small trade
Source: CNRS reports, 2005 and OHK study findings, 2010
27
Employment situation:
Seventy percent people in these areas remain unemployed. But sixty percent of this idle
bunch moves out to different districts in search for work. Only in Astagram situation is
better (see Appendix 1).
Wage:
Farmers receive all their payments in grains. After the season, if they get a good harvest
they are paid in grain. But the problem is when payment is made with grain proper
accounting cannot be maintained. So, often this process and tradition of economic
exchange deprives the poor segment.
As in other parts of the country here also male female ratio in wage has a gap. For the
same work if men are paid BDT 150 daily women are paid 100 taka. So there is a gap of
fifty percent. In stone and sand carrying pay is equal.
Cropping pattern:
Generally these areas grow a single crop – boro. All the areas remain submerged in hilly
torrent and flood water. Since the introduction of high yield „BR 29‟ the affects of flash
floods has started to catch up on the haor people and farmers on their wrong foot.
Because this crop‟s life is 165 days, flash flood destroys the crop before they can rip the
harvest. Whereas the previous „boro‟ crop was ripped within 120 days thus giving them
time to avoid flash floods. But the trade off is quantity. The high yield is six to seven tons
whereas the earlier boro was two to three tons. This trade off is handsome if only
disasters like flash floods do not take a toll on it in a particular year.
Lifestyle and alternatives for nine idle months:
In the dry season, people remain busy with preparing seedbeds, sowing the seed, etc.
Then they rip the harvest fighting with the nature. After these 3 months during the 9
month gap of workless ness their culture revolves around enjoying cultural programs like
music and drama troupes. The absence of work for such a long period of time has also
given rise to a decedent practice where men engage in bizarre sexual activities.
Unmarried girls/women remain unsafe at this time.
Fishing and Fisheries in the Jalmahal:
Poorer lot cannot participate in fishing in Beels and Haors because of manipulation and
control over leased water bodies by the local elite with national level connections in
business and patronage (see the Fig. 1). Economic insolvency does not allow them to
fight or even raise voice against the financially powerful most of time. During the
monsoon and flooding the big money leases reserves the right to exercise their power
and control over the extended water body when their beels over flow in monsoon and
normal ponds and land is submerged. Poor people generally cannot catch fish on their
own land. Otherwise they face various and severe forms of torture.
28
Fig. 3: Interaction between fishermen and lessee
Land ownership and Dwelling:
The poorer segments are fast becoming landless due to successive and years of
disasters. These landless people ultimately turn into day laborers, percentage of which
this research found to be disproportionately high.
Fig. 4: The pauperization process in haors
In haor region, most of the pauper and poor segment of population live on others‟ land.
They live on the edge of the high lands. It is called “Haati”11. These paupers living on the
edge of the haatis at the bank of the haor are supposed to protect this edge/bank by
undertaking pilling and other initiatives. They serve the land lord doing their menial jobs
and by providing other assistances. A previous in depth household study on haors12 in
11 A cluster of dwellings situated on a mound. It looks like an island in the haor. 12 Effect of FRRAS Schemes In Four Upazilla At Sunamganj, Final Report, August, 2007, Dr. Monirul I Khan Professor Department of Sociology, University of Dhaka.
Fish Trader
SUFO
Local Elites UNO
Net Owner
Boat Owner
DC
Jalmahal (water body)
Lessee
Fish Cooperative
Society
Farmer
Vicious cycle of
loan
Pauper
Day labourer
Flash flood +
other disasters
29
the Sunamganj district shows that 98 percent people own less than 50 decimal of
homestead land. The same study show that more than 10 percent of the surveyed
households are without any cultivable land and 41 percent households have 51 to 250
decimal cultivable land.
Kanda land:
This is a high and raised land that does not get submerged in flood water. This type of
land previously used to be allotted to community / family by elder(s) which in time turns
into a land for the community with the enlargement of the family. This piece of land is
utilized by the family turned community (simply by the increase in numbers of the family
members) in rearing livestock – their grazing, for small and irregular use for kitchen
gardening, etc. It is not owned by a single person or a single family. It is essentially a
community property. The government also does not have any control on this land.
There is not much economic rationale of utilizing kanda land for commercial venture. If
they try to do harvesting the cost of seeds, fertilizer and other tools have to be collected
from far away and will cost much than the return. The distance between substantive
chunk of kanda land and localities is another problem which cannot be cultivated by
women. Only the kanda lands near the haatis where they live can be cultivated by the
women and can yield for sustenance only but cannot be used as a commercial venture.
Credit from NGO vs. Dadondar:
People are discouraged to take credit from the NGOs because of the weekly installments
for repayment. Credit procedure involves lengthy bureaucracy. The commuting costs
much. On the other hand the loan from dadondars13 is far more accessible and needs to
be paid in one installment with paddy at the year end with a successful yield. Only
drawback is that if they fail to pay dadondars back they stand to loose their land and
homestead. But still credit from dadondars remains attractive to these poor people.
The credit amount offered by the NGOs is also insignificant for them. In contrast to
NGOs‟ three thousand (BDT 3,000) dadondars can lend up to (BDT 20-50,000) twenty or
fifty thousand taka at a time. There is no processing time and it‟s within the reach of the
people.
Institutional Support and accessibility:
Institutional support and accessibility is crucial for development in any poverty stricken
area. Especially remote places are even more susceptible to pressures and
vulnerabilities. The haor region is already remote and underdeveloped. On top of this it is
not well attended by government officials and by officials from other stakeholders posted
out to Haor. People do not generally go to the Upazilla complexes unless compelled. They
mostly visit Upazillas for treatment, schooling of their children, and so on. On the other
13 Dadondars are money lenders. In the initial days of inhabitation of the haor region, dadondars used to come
from Munshiganj, Mymensing, Tangail and Dhaka.
30
hand government officials do not have appropriate motivation to travel to remote villages
and haatis to see the problems and living conditions for themselves. Even many officials
do not live in the region. They come and go and travel between Dhaka and other nearby
big cities and the haor region.
In this context it becomes almost impossible to ensure good and adequate support from
institutions and access of the poor haor people to the institutional remedies that may be
so much needed at times of crises and need. The cause of this situation or problem is a
combination of factors. Feudal and patriarchal structure of the society, nature of the
administration as run in the bureaucracy of the country, etc. are constitutive factors that
create the obstacles in people‟s way of getting institutional support from the government,
service providing agencies and other local circles of influence and power. Below the
research finding is presented for an understanding of the situation:
Fig. 5: Access to and support from Institutions in Haor region
The above figure amply, aptly and clearly shows that the government agencies and
departments are far far away from people. Much needed service providers like hospital,
thana, agriculture officer, fisheries officer, livestock officer, law enforcement agencies,
water development board all are miles away from the reality and reach of the haor
people. It also shows that local elites, dadondars surround them along with the UP and
local NGOs. Until this above scenario changes it is now on the handful of people from
Directorate of family planning, GoB, local government institutions like Union Parishad
(UP) and local NGOs and PNGOs of Oxfam Hong Kong to serve these hapless people.
Women & Children
Affairs off. /
Public Health Eng. /
Grameen Bank /
BRAC / ASA /
Bazar committee
LGED /
SMC /
Land office /
Post Office /
Soc. welfare Off. /
Education officer
Dadondar /
UP /
local & OHK
PNGOs /
Fam Planning /
Elite /
opinion
leaders /
samaj
Poor Mass
Water Dev. Brd. /
Fisheries Off. /
Agriculture officer /
Hospital /
Livestock officer /
Law enforcement /
Thana /
BRDB /
CARE BD
Electricity – REB/PDB
31
RECOMMENDATIONS ON A LIVELIHOODS STRATEGY FOR THE HAOR REGION
Challenging Choices:
A resilient livelihood for wellbeing of Poor people in haor region
Key Messages:
Strong linkages needed to establish
between haor people‟s threats to
protection and threats to their
livelihood
Women of haor need to be put in
the center of all approach and long
term funding for their mobilization
and protection
Poor people‟s dignity and safety
should be enhanced through linking
socio-political asset-building and
livelihood programme; i.e., group
formation, strengthen alliances and
promoting access to haor resources.
With a action research approach,
organizations can take more joint
action and flexible long term
funding to build a strong linkage
between livelihood and positive
outcomes in the haor region.
The study and available documents of OHK (on livelihood projects and previous strategy
papers) shows that poor people of the Haor region faces threats to their safety and
dignity through destruction of livelihoods frequently, due to the natural hazards as well
as the consequences of immediate causes (i.e., violence and coercion), underlying causes
(i.e., food insecurity, lack of support for poverty reduction, lack of access to resources,
socio-cultural & behavioral practices) and dynamic pressures (i.e., political insecurity,
inaccessibility to market). As Adato and Meinzen-Dick describes, Livelihood strategies are
the choices one employs in pursuit of income, security, well-being, and other productive
and reproductive goals (Adato and Meinzen-Dick, 2002). Ashley and Carney (1999) puts
DIGINITY as one of the major component of livelihood strategy, that people pursuit
sustainable livelihood to enhance and regain their dignity. A livelihood strategy should
enhance poor people‟s capability and protect the means of living including food, income
and assets through tangible assets like resources and intangible assets like claims and
access. The livelihood strategy should assist poor people and women to have socially
sustainable livelihoods those can cope with and recover from stress and shocks and
provide for future generations.
Existing livelihood models:
The conceptual framework of livelihoods strategy for this research includes the idea of
promoting a resilient livelihood strategy in the haor areas for the poor people who will be
able to enhance the well-being through income security, other productive activities and
increasing claim, access and control over resources and services. To achieve that idea a
resilient livelihood process need to be reflected in the program design and joint activities
generating reflection from field in feedback forms.
32
All livelihood strategy discussion and programme design considers the sustainable
livelihood framework of DFID (1999) though it is more of „tangible assets based‟ concept.
From this sustainable livelihoods framework championed by DFID the livelihood
framework seems to be evolving and expanding suiting the local level needs in last one
decade.
Fig. 6: Sustainable Livelihoods Framework
Source: DfID 1999.
The other diagram analysed in the study has been taken from OHK study on a livelihood
Framework in haor context. Both the diagram analysed livelihood strategy at a national
context or macro level, though, the second diagram (figure 5) tried to identify and
highlight issues linked to specific haor region. In the haor context, resilience against
hazards though reduced vulnerability and risks need to be considered as a key factor
where women groups, fisher-folk unions and pro-poor alliances will play a catalyst role to
promote the claims and access of the poor people to resources and services. The link
between the sustainable livelihood of haor people and dependence on the wetland
resources need to be also considered as the key factor within any livelihood framework
and strategy.
33
Fig. 7: Haor region context in livelihood framework
Source: Huda & Sarwar – OHK Study, 2008
Constraints in the Existing Livelihoods Models:
Both the models provide following constraints where focus on longer term need and
priorities and understanding of the root causes of poverty alleviation is not considered:
Project focus: Missing the holistic perspective, lead to sharply focused sectoral projects.
The difference created due to the way these projects are conceived and overall
objective of sustainable livelihood framework and became a narrow sectoral goal (e.g.
km of road built, increase in yield, etc.). Failed to achieve sustainable livelihood
framework guided programme rather than over-ambitious projects and prove to be
off-putting to poor people.
Tools and methods: both the framework variety of methods and tools to operationalise
the sustainable livelihood framework though didn’t put the analysis of risks and
vulnerabilities to livelihood at the center. As a result the impact of shocks and
hazards remain as a separate pillar in the programme design and not integrated to
the livelihood strategies. It is important to build on learning from employing a wide
variety of tools. However, it is more important to ensure a commitment to the
underlying principles of sustainable livelihood rather , than worry about particular
tools and methods.
Measuring Impacts: The sustainable livelihood frameworks provide a checklist to see the
impacts of projects on the poor, but not easier to measure changes in livelihoods.. It
is important to avoid undue complexity, spending large amount of time and budget
on monitoring which is also beyond the control of the project-level staff to take
34
responsibility for outcomes. . This is most of the time counter-productive and makes
the process unsustainable.
Micro-meso-macro links: Sustainable livelihood frameworks highlighted the importance
of micro-macro links and the need for policy change. They also established the
influence and profound effect of policies on livelihoods and need for policy and
institutional reforms. -. However, an adequate understanding of the nature and
operation of policies, institutions, organisations and governance at the micro and
meso (at sub-district and sub-national level, i.e., union and upazilla) are not properly
elaborated. The catalysts of changes at the meso level may have bigger role for
strengthening the micro-macro linkage for sustainable livelihood of poor people in the
haor region.
Linkages between vulnerability and livelihood protection: both the framework proposed a
link between vulnerability and livelihood protection. However, the broad frameworks
do not provide an analysis of vulnerabilities and those outcomes which reduce
livelihood protection of the poor people and promote migration, forced displacement
and disruption to rights. The following table provides some type of vulnerabilities
extracted from the study and other documents and their outcomes on people’s
livelihood.
Table 4: Results of Vulnerabilities in relation to livelihoods
Type of vulnerability Outcome
Physical Labour Loss of income Loss of employment
Extended unemployment
Disability Lack of appropriate skills Suicide
Human capital Inability to invest or maintain investment in education Old age dependency
Destitution
Economic infrastructure Inability to use productive assets Lack of technical skills Lack of economic rights Debt Lack of services, drinking water, electricity, transport
Household security Increase in domestic violence
Alcohol abuse
Split households Sexual exploitation
Socio-cultural capital Decline in community-based participation Lack of adequate childcare
Lack of caregivers for elderly
Socio-political capital Crime, harassment and homicide Lack of security and physical mobility Lack of access to decision making process
Shocks flash floods Change in policies violence and coersion
35
Missing the Technology: We now turn to the way in which various groups have dealt with
the issue of technology. Certainly, the impact of innovative technologies on poor
livelihoods is of increasing concern to policy makers, donors and international
agencies. The criteria of an appropriate14 technology strategy for sustainable
livelihoods should be to improve productivity of community assets; enhance
capabilities and opportunities; be sustainable in the social, economic and
environment sense; empower communities (particularly vulnerable communities) and
link communities in similar circumstances and relevant stakeholders through
appropriate networks.
Nexus between the high dependence of haor people on wetland resources and the huge
potential that sustainable management of these resources offers for national
development must also address local sustainable livelihoods. At the national and sub-
national level, the ecological functions that haor region‟s wetlands provide are essential
for national development, though not at the cost of the poor people‟s protection and
livelihood. These implications of the macro benefit to local communities are wide ranging,
including increase of rural to urban migration, of unemployment and local
food insecurity. This requires a two-track strategy of promoting sustainable livelihoods
based on management of wetland resources, adaptation strategy of the poor haor people
and on influencing policy-making processes to be more conducive to sustainable
development.
This study has followed an approach to poverty alleviation based on recent
understandings that recognize that sustainable livelihood strategies are based not only
on the use of a range of natural, material and economic resources, but also social and
cultural resources as well as increased access to claims and access. Poverty reduction is
not simply a matter of income and consumption but is also concerned with strengthening
the capacity of people to manage their natural resource base, to represent their interests
and rights, to participate effectively in decision making processes, and to benefit from
changing relations of production and exchange.
Thus this study proposes a change in the above framework (figure 7) to better suit the
reality of the haor region. Political capital cannot be treated as a separate capital or
issue, rather it is seen as pervasive in every other five capitals. Within a power structure
– relationships and negotiations process an economic activity and transaction has a
political relationship embedded and it is manifested when the negotiation process goes
on. Same happens with all other capitals. Local level party politics revolving around the
election process is highly susceptible and somewhat of low level priority to a greater
power structure shaped by decades of control and fight for control over physical,
financial, social and natural capitals.
The proposed strategy framework has put emphasis on “Political Capital” which needs to
be enhanced to ensure protection of women and poor haor people. Attention is also
needed to review the socio-political structure of Haor community. As study revealed,
there are 4 gross divisions in Haor community - Jongalia (native Haor people), Aabadi
(migrants from Tangail, Mymansingh, etc.), Mymon (native muslim fisher flocks) and
14 It states to be 'truly appropriate, technology must be compatible with available natural, human and financial
resources and correspond to the cultural practices of users'.
36
minority (mainly Hindus). Economy and development of this region immensely depends
on the inner struggle of the four section of Haor community and always threatened by
the pro-feudal power structure and influentials. As political and economical power of Haor
mainly controlled by the aabadi section, the livelihood strategy considers strengthening
of alliances and groups of the other three and empowerment of the women in all section
as a challenge to choices.
Typical features of this Strategy:
Ensure that gender issue is treated as a cross cutting issue, but with clear
emphasis on women empowerment.
Ensure that political capital is seen as pervasive and manifested in other
capitals of the livelihoods framework – not to misunderstand the power
relationship and the process of realizing it.
Progression Path of this Strategy:
As mentioned above, haor livelihoods are almost exclusively dependent on the use of a
vast range of available natural wetland resources – including the cultivation of a wetland
crop (rice), the harvesting of fisheries, and collection of aquatic plants. Management of
water channels and cope with the flush floods are central to the livelihood sustainability.
The process of responsible wellbeing starts from the very first stage. But we cannot call a
person capable of responsible wellbeing unless s/he finishes the following process. At the
individual level there will be a sense of relative wellbeing as work for independence,
sustenance and esteem starts through interventions by the partner NGOs of OHK. But
For practical programme implementation purpose and benchmarking-evaluation we have
to identify separate stages of the development in three phases. We need to see the
process as a dynamic one and non-linear one. Because there are and has to be ups and
downs at every stage and after completing a cycle a person gets to the next level of
development and needs new set of measures to create absorption capacity. Hence
capacity building process starts afresh. The elements of need and aspiration, access and
realization are described in the grids and log frames latter.
Resilience Responsible institutions & Agency15 of People Wellbeing
As mentioned above, Oxfam Hong Kong needs to follow a two prong strategy. It needs to
continue to fund programs on soft development issues, liaison, advocacy and at the same
time coordinate with the government on structural development of the region with
support from stakeholders i.e., environmental groups, civil society, FAO, BRRI, etc.
15 Agency of people (men/women) is his/her ability to take initiative, organize and to build their lives as they
deem fit utilizing, exploiting, manipulating the resources (5 livelihood capitals) within the relational settings
existing in the society.
37
Vision of the strategy:
“To achieve Resilient Livelihood for Responsible Wellbeing”
Expected Outcomes of the Livelihood Strategy:
achievements and outputs of livelihood strategies
sustainable and resilient in the face of external shocks and stresses
higher income levels,
an increased sense of well-being,
reduced levels of vulnerability
Oxfam’s Work on Haor people:
Oxfam Hong Kong is working on the Haor areas for a few years now. It has a set of
categories, which are put to use in regard to program implementation. These are:
Oxfam Hong Kong’s identification of approaches to development:
1) Capacity building
2) Networking / Partnership Development
3) Research
4) Community Development
5) Disaster Response & Preparedness
6) Public Education
7) Like UNICEF in Child development issues, like Save the Children USA in New Born
Care issues Oxfam Hong Kong can attempt to undertake the role of national lead
by engaging early and swiftly in the haor region.
Oxfam Hong Kong’s classification of Technical sectors:
1) Natural Resource Management & Rural Development
2) Urban Development
3) Enterprise Development & Micro-finance
4) Basic Health
5) Basic Education
6) HIV / AIDs
7) Emergency Response
8) Risk Management & Mitigation
9) Participatory Governance
10) Civil Society Development
11) Gender Mainstreaming
12) Women‟ Equity & Rights
13) Development Education
During the third year (2009-2010) of intervention OHK investment / funding have been
done in the following manner. Roughly:
a) community development was given highest importance (30-70%) along with
b) capacity building (10-50%)
c) disaster response and preparedness (10-15%)
d) public education (5%)
38
Among the technical sectors highest attention was received by:
a) natural resource management and rural development,
b) enterprise development and micro-finance,
c) risk management and mitigation
Other technical sectors receiving OHK fund (5-10%) in the three Upazillas under this
research were:
a) development education
b) gender mainstreaming
c) women‟s equity ad rights
d) basic health
e) participatory governance
Approaches and focus:
In the strategy, following are the key focus for all future programme design:
Women empowerment and livelihood security
Women and girl children play important roles within the household in managing natural
resources particularly fisheries, as well as taking on domestic responsibilities. Women
and children tend to fish and collect aquatic resources in streams, ponds, and backwater
swamps; areas requiring less expensive gear, and often yielding less commercially
valuable species. Women are involved in the post-harvest processing of fish, and in
many cases, are the primary marketers of aquatic resources caught by the household.
Interventions targeted at these areas should offer the potential to empower women, and
to take into account their needs.
The key outcome: Women and girls have easy access to health and reproductive health
services and education. They are free from all type of domestic violence. And enjoy
the right to take decisions and have the right to put opinion in any family decision.
Approach and strategy: Targeting women is a mechanism to ensure equity and to
identify opportunities for women. Equally, often women have specialist knowledge
about natural resources, production, health, sanitation and food and their full
involvement in natural resource management is a means to ensure effective and
appropriate design and implementation. The following are instructive in this case:
Formation of the women groups and engaging them in market-oriented income
generation activities.
Ensuring consultation and effective participation of women in all stages of
planning activities
Supporting women to participate effectively in community level management
Ensuring women‟s access to and control over natural resources that are of
particular importance to women and poor families
Identifying opportunities for women to enter into value added production activities
Ensuring that Programme benefits accrue to women and girl children
39
Table 5: Integrating Gender into the Livelihoods Framework
Macro-meso-micro level
Gender dimensions in sustainable livelihood
National level - Policy
goals and strategies
Gender based data
Availability of gender specialists/ structures Participatory
assessment at grassroots, development of action plans
Economic, political, socio-cultural and legal factors.
Impact Assessment and Shared learning
District, Upazilla and
Union Level -
Institutional factors
Service Analysis
human resources development and opportunities, financial
allocations, evaluation and strategic planning
Integration of women perspective in programme design
Women focused development planning
Customary laws that affect access to credit and resources,
unpaid work of women
Household level Power relations
Activities analysis
Resources analysis
Relationships analysis and identification of gender biasness
Source: adapted from UNDP (1999a)
Right to access and control over Resource and livelihood security
Natural resource-dependent individuals, households and communities become
marginalized because they either have no rights to the resources on which they are
dependent -- or no feasible way to exercise the rights they do have. Clashes between
traditional and contemporary systems of property rights are at the root of livelihood
and environmental insecurity. The most vulnerable communities are invariably the
poorest and most marginalized (i.e., moymen, minority and gongalia), for whom
alternatives are non-existent or come at exorbitant cost.
The strategy is focused on the livelihood security of haor communities from the
perspective of rights to aquatic resources – the “missing link” between poverty and
resource degradation -- and demonstrate the links between the existence and quality
of rights to aquatic resources and the economic role of resource rights in sustaining
livelihoods. Land and resource rights are highly sensitive issues, both culturally and
politically. They must be addressed objectively and in conjunction with other variables
in the equation of livelihood security, including among other factors, resource
degradation and population increase.
Considerable work requires to be done to mobilize people across villages, Upazillas
districts, to:
Facilitate dialogue within and across geographical areas to sort out conflict among
users relating to access and control over wetlands resources
40
Promoting awareness of rights and how these rights can be represented in a
range of arenas at local, national and regional level
Health and Sanitation
There is an immediate need to the provision and strengthening of health care services for
people and livestock. State and non-state agencies with the participation of people
need to address the health care issue urgently.
Many health issues are beyond the immediate scope of programmes but as health
issues are so clearly determinants of poverty and vulnerability and the biggest
stress on livelihood in the poor families, and that the linkages between poverty
and vulnerability and natural resource management are so significant, health
issues cannot be ignored. For local people health issues are so much at the
forefront of their concerns that strategy and programme must address these
issues.
Managing water resources, both for nutrition and for sanitation, will be central to
village level activity.
The most appropriate way for the programme to address these issues is to work
through partnerships with government agencies and NGOs involved in the health
and sanitation sectors, and to ensure that these issues are incorporated into an
integrated approach to natural resource planning and management.
Influencing Policy issues
Reverse the process of privatization of natural resources, restore commons for the
benefit of all people
Substantial reduction in area of fishing concessions to protect critical habitats and
to free areas for community fishing
Equity and justice principles in defining access and distribution of benefits. The
poor must gain access to good fishing grounds, and access to gear appropriate for
sustainable harvesting
Recognition of community fishing rights by giving them priority over revenue
oriented fishing concession management
Integration of fishing management with overall rural development initiatives in
fishing communities
The extension of institutional responsibilities for fisheries management to fishing
communities
Assessing the opinions from the field and previous intervention methods and inclinations
this research proposes that along with community development policy influencing must
be given high priority from next intervention phase. Following the guide grid laid out
above this research proposes the following strategic roll out in the log frame below.
Approximate time frame for each intervention phases must be of at least five-seven
years for fruitful result.
41
Table 6: Guide16 Grid for Haor Livelihood Strategy
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Resilience
(fighting &
building)
Responsible agency
Agency
(assertion &
initiation)
Responsible agency
Responsible
Wellbeing
(giving &
planning further)
Responsible agency
The first
intervention at
this stage must
be in the
transportation
network and
communication
infrastructure
GoB
+
Private
Sector
+
NGOs
+
Env. Civil
Society
At this stage
individuals must
start developing
institutions like
CBOs, local
people owned
businesses, etc.
NGOs
Maintenance of
local transport
network and
further
development
GoB
+ Businesses
+
Local
communities
Individual level
training and
capacity building
needed at this
stage – through
advocacy in
softer human
issues
NGOs
Developing
overall economic
condition of the
haor region
by attracting
investment from
private sector in
businesses and
industry in the
locality
with incentives
and conditions
like:
reinvestment of
a portion of
profit in
development of
local community
Private
sector
conditions
to be set by
the GoB
Maintenance of
water resources
and ensuring
enriched
livelihoods
through stopping
depletion of
aquatic
resources:
Planning &
incoporating
Haor eco-
enrichment
components
within livelihood
security projects
Local people
+
CBOs
+
Local
businesses
Investment in
innovating haor
specific crop,
wave resistant
floating seed bed
etc.
Reintroduction of
haor weed –
chaila gash in
mass scale to
BRRI, GoB
+
NGOs
+
local people
+
environmen
tal groups
& scientists
Investment by
community and
local individuals
in improving
livelihoods and
lifestyle
Local people
+
CBOs/NGOs
+
Local
businesses
16 This is only a guide to the main strategic framework elaborated below.
42
resist and reduce
affects of wave
Mediation /
adjudication
processes can be
initiated.
Once agency of
people is
established on a
large scale this
initiative can be
taken. With a
strengthened
base fear of
repercussions
will be lessened.
NGOs
Culturally very
sensitive issues
can be addressed
at this stage
Local
leadership
+
NGOs
On the basis of discussion with several KIIs and after careful and overall analysis of
previous research works commissioned by OHK and other development partners and
NGOs and after reviewing relevant literature the research team is of the opinion that the
first measure is the single most important initiative that needs to be undertaken by
concerned agency / catalyst, i.e., GoB in order to bring necessary and ultimate change in
the Haor region. Here GoB as a stakeholder will have to be comprised of – Haor
Development Board, Ministry of Finance and Planning, and Ministry of Communication &
Transportation, Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, Disaster Management
Bureau, DRR to have a positive impact in the process of initiation of a major undertaking
in the haor region.
The first step is intended to be initiated by the government and it is a generational
investment. This step is crucial to break away from feudal and patriarchic structure of the
society in the haor region. Because this step will ensure that people will have mobility,
contact with outside world and have better exposure. Mobility for job and service
augmentation will also increase significantly. For initiating this step OHK and its partner
NGOs can only advocate with the government and stakeholders.
The research found that the communities are in a passive mode now. They think and find
themselves at the receiving end. Rights related awareness raising and counseling is
needed at the very onset of programme intervention by the PNGOs of OHK. But that is
not an end in itself, only the beginning, point of initiation.
43
Table 7: Logical Framework of Strategy
Resilience Stage (individual + community):
Strategy Approaches to Program Outputs
1. Empowering women
and marginalized
groups
1.1 Mobilization and self-help
group formation
1.2 Capacity development
1.3 strategic planning and
advocacy
1.4 Income generating activities
1.5 Education and Health
service
1.1.1 Women and marginalized groups are
mobilized to claim and access resources
1.2.1 Development of community focused capacity
building services
1.3.1 Risk Management & Mitigation strategy
1.3.2 Participatory decision making
1.4.1 Increased income of women and marginalized
groups
1.5.1 increased rate of education among boys and
girls
1.5.2 safe motherhood
1.5.3 decreased health costs
44
Strategy Approaches to Program Outcome to be observed
2.Capacity building –
who may play the
catalytic role
(at individual
level - targeted at
NGO staff, potential
CBO leaders, local
businessmen
/potential
entrepreneur among
the communities)
2.1 Community
Development
2.2 Capacity building
2.3 Public education
(advocacy)
2.4 Networking /
partnership development
2.1.1 Natural Resource Management
2.1.2 Enterprise Development Basic Education
2.1.3 Basic Health and reproductive rights
2.2.1 Development Education
(employment opportunity,
skill development training, etc.)
2.2.2 Gender Mainstreaming
2.3.1 Women‟ Equity & Rights
2.3.2 Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change
Adaptation
2.4.1 Participatory Governance
2.4.2 Civil Society Development
45
Institution Stage:
Strategy Approaches to Program Outputs to be observed in
Technical Sectors
1. Developing
Institutions
(targeted at the
CBOs / local
businesses / locally
owned coops/local
government, etc.)
1.1 Capacity building
1.2 Networking / Partnership
Development
1.3 Research
1.4 Disaster Response &
Preparedness
1.1.1 Participatory Governance
1.1.2 Gender Mainstreaming
1.1.3 Development Education
(trade skill development)
1.2.1 Pro-poor Civil Society Development at local
and national level
Possible Focus:
1.3.1 “Civil society potential”
1.3.2 “Local CBO – Dhaka based environmental civil
society link & development.”
1.3.3 “Profit – non-profit nexus & conflict
resolution”
1.4.1 Natural Resource Management & Rural
Development
1.4.2 Enterprise Development
1.4.3 Emergency Response
1.4.4 Risk Management & Mitigation
46
Strategy Approaches to Program Outputs to be observed
2. Developing economic condition of
women and poor marginalized
groups in the haor region
(possibly by
attracting investment from the
private sector with support from GoB)
(targeted at sub-national and
national level businesses/corporate
structures, GoB, the CBOs / local
businesses / locally owned coops
etc.)
3. Investment in innovating haor
specific crop, wave resistant
floating seed bed, protection of
land from erosion, utilization of
land in dry season for integrated
management approach,
2.1 Capacity building
2.2 Networking / Partnership
Development
2.3 Research
2.4 Policy Influencing
3.1 Research
2.1.1 Participatory Governance
2.2.1 Civil Society Development
Possible Focus:
2.3.1 “market studies”
2.3.2 “need gap analysis of haor region”
2.3.3 “haor specific unique market points‟
2.3.4 “environment based business opportunities”
2.4.1 Natural Resource Management & Rural
Development
2.4.2 Enterprise Development
3.1.1 Natural Resource management
& Rural Development
(advocacy with parliamentary
groups/caucus, involved policy
makers, local level politicians,
environmental groups for claim and
access of the poor groups and women in haor resources
etc.)
3.2.1 Research & Pilot projects to be implemented with
support from and in collaboration with BRRI,
BARI, National Herbarium, Ministry of Food &
Disaster, GoB.
47
Wellbeing Stage (community focus to effect redistribution of wealth generated from
individual development):
Strategy Approaches to Program Outputs to be observed in
Technical Sectors
1. Maintenance of water
resources and
ensuring enriched
livelihoods through
stopping depletion of
aquatic resources:
Haor eco-enrichment
component within Haor
livelihood project
1.1 Capacity building
1.2 Networking / Partnership
Development
1.3 Community Development
1.4 Disaster Response &
Preparedness
1.5 Public Education
2.1 Policy Influence
2.2 Capacity building
2.3 Research
1.1.1 Participatory Governance
1.2.1 Civil Society Development
1.3.1 Natural Resource Management & Rural Development (focus on
transport system & road network – in one word: infrastructure &
communication) 1.3.2 Enterprise Development & Micro-finance
1.3.3 Basic Education
1.3.4 Basic Health
1.4.1 Emergency Response
1.4.2 Risk Management & Mitigation
1.5.1 Women‟s Equity & Rights
1.5.2 HIV/AIDS
2.1.1 Natural Resource Management & Rural Development
2.1.2 Risk Management & Mitigation
2.2.1 Emergency Response
2.2.2 Participatory Governance
2.2.3 Civil Society Development
2.2.4 Gender Mainstreaming
2.2.5 Development Education
(wetland management & community living)
2.3.1 Collaboration with World Fish Center, IUCN, CEGIS, CNRS, etc. to
research and feed the relevant policy agenda
48
Suggestive Activity17 Index for Community Development:
Following measures can be possible livelihood interventions that can contribute towards
delivering sustained impact in people‟s livelihoods and wellbeing:
Potential new occupations and changes in the communities:
To increase livelihood options the following can be done:
Pigeon can be reared for income generation
Crop diversification is needed. Mustard, garlic, lentil, etc. should be tried for more
profit
New IGAs like katha shelai, beter kaj, shoe/sandal making, etc. should be encouraged
Livestock – cows/goats of good health can be brought from other districts and cow
fattening projects can become an IGA
As part of promoting migration as a substitute IGA, both seasonal and long term
migration can be targeted and male members of families could be trained as drivers
or on some other skills where they can pick and choose regions/cities and work based
on their skills.
Poor people of the haor can be brought under samities formed by them and financed
to start water irrigation business with purchase of shallow pump. This opens up a new
avenue for income generation and lowers the price of irrigation water.
Local people can be trained as medical assistants who can then be certified and let
practice first aid and work as counselor and as referral points in other critical medical
needs. It can itself be an income generating program.
Engaging community and especially women in:
in disaster management (role of UDMC, SMCs, women UP members)
in generating and sustaining general livelihoods. For example:
o as part of the IGAs girls / females could also be trained to become skilled factory
workers in shoe/sandal manufacturing industries or garment industries.
o To fast increase employment opportunity for the people in the haor region,
training schemes could be introduced for girls/females who wants to work as
house help in other cities or aspiring international labour migrants.
Government can initiate private-public partnership through the haor development board.
NGOs can play a significant part as a go between in this initiative. So, the private sector
will have all the insights to plan their businesses and development partnership
accordingly. Joining hands from businesses, NGOs, and GoB can generate work.
Following could be seen as measures:
NGOs can be persuaded to take lease of these large water bodies and employ
community fishing and harvesting.
17 Please note that this is not the strategy. It is a wish list of activities to ensure better livelihoods. Except a few
most of the point in the list has come from the field survey.
49
Road and embankment network can be built jointly and management can be run by
the private sector to secure their investment. Or the same benefit can be given to
them by tax breaks for businesses instituted in the haor region.
Agro based projects can be developed incorporating newly invented – low cost tools
by farmers in the different parts of the country.
Service sector development – transport, health care, schooling, etc. can be an option.
Health Security:
Provision of technologically sound hygiene Latrine and pure drinking water is a must.
Create health volunteers in the community with training on health and equipping
them with knowledge and first aid kits.
Create more Trained Birth Attendance (TBA) through training and provide necessary
primary ENC kits considering ANC and PNC.
Provision of boat or Van for carrying the patients to the health complex.
Providing health messages to the communities through health volunteers to ensure
good health for the people, especially for pregnant, lactating mother and children.
Raise awareness against traditional perception on disease and treatment. Promote
referral system along with doa and tabiz.
Institutional Support & accessibility:
Seed, fertilizer storage and distribution facilities are not available to GoB at the Upazilla
level. Proper timing and planning is not done to build (link)roads and provisions for
commuting services.
NGOs only stick to their plan and program. Reality and needs are often overlooked.
SMCs, UDMCs are inactive and unknown to people. Distribution of allowances (SSN) from
Union Parishad and Upazilla still do not reach the poor only.
Economic Security of women:
In improving their lives and livelihood conditions women claimed and suggested following
options:
Need and situation based soft loan (with terms of long term refund system) in large
amount for petty business like bamboo craft, grocery shop, pottery product,
garments in small scale, etc.
Provide support for technologically sound vegetable cultivation like floating vegetable
cultivation system that can be protected from Afa18l. Training support for seed
production, preservation etc.
Woman can farm potato within chollisha19 in the nearby fellow land – kanda before
sowing paddy seedlings.
Provision for large scale duck farming and training for vaccination and farming
procedure.
18 Afal – big wave that destroys seed beds, edge/banks of haatis. Poor squatters live on this edge. Now a days
Afals can be of 3-5 meters which had previously only 1 meter height. 19 chollisha is a term used by the haor people to mean cultivation period 40 days
50
Provide support of good variety of cow from outside the haor area and training of
vaccination, fattening for cow farming.
As it is found in some areas women are involved in embroidery of garment and shoes,
women folks can further be trained on garments production.
It is need to be involved husband or man member of the family in any intervention to
woman for keeping free her from over burden of work. And it also helps man to feel
ownership of such activities
Disaster risk reduction and human aid:
a) Silted river beds needs to dredged and depth increased. At the same time the
dredged soil from the river bed should be used to raise the bank of the river to
contain flash floods. This containment will effectively reduce affects of flash flood and
hence do away with more than sixty percent of the problems.
b) Haor centered local aid collection system should be introduced to compliment NGO
and Government interventions.
c) climate change related training and community awareness can be planned and
disseminated.
Issues involved in livelihood strategy and responsible wellbeing includes:
Women‟s agency development process:
To free the women from social stigma, religious prejudices awareness raising activities
have definitely contributed. It helped in breaking the silence against the centuries-old
tradition that perpetuates discrimination and violent culture against women. Awareness
raising program on human rights especially on rights of the women and children are
important.
Support and initiative from state and stakeholders:
a) Communication and transportation infrastructure is a must and first. Without mobility
people cannot access anything. The first step must be transportation and
communication infrastructure which will reflect haor‟s natural make up. That is no
road network should be built making the haor areas water logged. Dykes and slues
gates should be built that will be connected through raised embankments which will
be used as road during dry season. These may remain submerged for a period of 3
months only when communication will be done with boats.
b) Rather than focusing only on building embankments and dykes, the government
should concentrate on river dredging, improvement of irrigation facilities and
mechanisms, ensuring availability of seeds – fertilizer – pesticides, alternative
methods of farming and agriculture for the haor areas.
c) Floating and smaller units of schools may be used
d) floating net fish hatching system
51
e) floating seedbed should be introduced provided there is a way for scientists to
innovate wave resistant floating seed beds.
f) Seed, fertilizer and grain storage and marketing/distribution system/support
mechanism should be in place at the Upazilla level.
g) Silted river beds needs to be dredged and depth increased. At the same time the
dredged soil from the river bed should be used to raise the bank of the river to
contain flash floods. This containment will effectively reduce affects of flash flood and
hence do away with more than sixty percent of the problems.
h) Exchange visits of the community people (project beneficiaries) in the haor system
through the PNGO network should be initiated immediately to get result from
increased mobility and exposure.
i) OHK should only initiate IGAs where sufficient fund for a scale would be ensured
rather than going for numbers. Less will be more. For example, in duck rearing 40-50
would be good number than current 8-10.
j) Market linkages and means of transporting produces need to be established for them
and assistance given in sustaining them for a period.
Wellbeing & welfare issues – focus on the entitlement & social capital nexus:
a. There has to be a way of ensuring that haors/water bodies do not degrade at their
current rate and stop in the near future. That itself will help livelihood situation.
Hence, associated issues like haor lease management, resource distribution needs to
be revised.
b. ensure safe drinking water Haati based tube wells should be given.
c. Mobile floating hospitals can travel through the region for 9 months.
d. Haati based vaccination volunteers, birth attendants (to become TBAs) should be
trained and given responsibility to cover their areas.
e. Well to do people of each Haati can be brought under solar power project through
NGO-Private sector collaboration to provide electricity.
f. People need to be made aware of the fact that there are „committees for
development‟ at the Ward and Union level where they can participate.
g. PNGOs can intervene with legal aid in cases of early marriage and dowry.
h. Capacity of PNGO staff in terms of outlook development, skill development and self-
belief in the haor livelihood project should be developed significantly.
i. Haor centered local aid collection system should be introduced to compliment and
supplant the fund for OHK/PNGO‟s interventions.
52
Awareness on rights & entitlements:
NGO field activists must be trained first.
Community awareness development must be undertaken and monitored. This
awareness campaign and results must be monitored regularly, compiled and analysed
after dissemination to check on the results.
Advocacy measures can be taken up at the local and national level to raise awareness
and attitude in the government, its agencies on the issues pertinent to the haor
areas.
Long term measures:
NGOs should find out a way to patch up with private sector financial institutions that
will invest with NGOs to take lease of the Jalmahals from the government and involve
real fishermen for community fishing.
Depletion of resources in the haor area needs to put at full stop. If there is no
resource is left to play upon all capacity building of the katalysts and stakeholders‟
interventions will fall on the face. „Haor eco-enrichment‟ components need to be
planned along with livelihood security projects.
Responsible wellbeing will bring agency of poor in proper light. But to initiate
„responsible wellbeing‟ in its true sense OHK / PNGOs need to start dealing with
community level groups directly. Plan and execute interventions along with them.
That will set the ideas of organization, learning, capability, resilience, result
orientation in motion. Moreover it will instill belief in the haor poor people to assert
and achieve.
A revision of the livelihood framework prepared by OHK is needed for functional
reasons. Political capital needs to be seen as pervasive and as manifested in power
relations and negotiation processes of every other five capitals.
Concluding words for this report
In conclusion it can be said that only awareness raising or social security will not elevate
the standard of living of general people of haor region and especially the position of
women in the community over night or change the perception of life of the haor people
within a short time. But it is a generational investment that will have to be made. Basic
infrastructure and communication is the key to the overall and sustainable development
of the people in the region. Investing in women in concrete terms, as well as transferring
asset or income, requires high priority to make them self reliant. If women are
empowered and developed a whole new healthy able generation will come up. Ultimately
that will develop people‟s self esteem and make them responsible for their as well as
their community‟s development.
53
NOTE:
54
Annex 1
Field Findings
55
Livelihood Matrix
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Daily Lab
or
Fish
er M
an
Farm
er
Shar
e Cr
oper
s
Smal
l Ent
erpr
enou
r
Oth
ers
Daily Labor
Fisher Man
Farmer
Share Cropers
Small Enterprenour
Others
Present Livelihood Scenario at Haor
Kishoreganj scenario
Tahirpur scenario
Sulla scenario
56
Work – Mobility – Seasonal Migration Calendar
µwgK
bs
Avc‡`i
weeiY
‰ekvL ‰Rô Avlvp kªveY fv ª Avwk¦b KwZ©K AMÖnvqb ‡cŠl gvN dvêyY ‰PÎ
1. K…wlKvR
2. gvQ aiv ‡ekx Kg
3. w`bgRyi
4. ¶z ª e¨emv Kg
µwgK
bs
Kv‡Ri
weeiY
‰ekvL ‰Rô Avlvp kªveY fv ª Avwk¦b KwZ©K AMÖnvqb ‡cŠl gvN dvêyY ‰PÎ
1. K…wlKvR
2. gvQ aiv
3. w`bgRyi
4. Kqjv cwienb ïaygvÎ `t kªxcyi
µwgK bs Kv‡Ri
weeiY
‰ekvL ‰Rô Avlvp kªveY fv`ª Avwk¦b KwZ©K AMÖnvqb ‡cŠl gvN dvêyY ‰PÎ
1. K…wlKvR
2. gvQ aiv
3. w`bgRyi nweecyi BDwbqb
4. Kqjv
cwienb
evnvov BDwbqb
5. gvwUKvUv evnvov BDwbqb
6. evk I †e‡Zi
KvR
7. ¶z`ª e¨emv
8. nuv‡mi Lvgvi nweecyi BDwbqb
Kishoreganj scenario
Tahirpur scenario
Sulla scenario
57
Crop and Food grain
µwgK
bs
dm‡ji weeiY ‰ekvL ‰Rô Avlvp kªveY fv`ª Avwk¦b KwZ©K AMÖnvqb ‡cŠl gvN dvêyY ‰PÎ
1.
‡ev‡iv avb
2.
‡Mvj Avjy, wgwó
Kzgov, gwiP,
ev`vg, †cqvR,
imyb
3.
gyjv, mwilv,
dzjKwc, evavKwc,
U‡g‡Uv, †e¸b
µwgK bs dm‡ji
weeiY
‰ekvL ‰Rô Avlvp kªveY fv`ª Avwk¦b KwZ©K AMÖnvqb ‡cŠl gvN dvêyY ‰PÎ
1. ‡ev‡iv avb
2. wZj, awbqv, Avjy,
Mg, fyÆv,
wcqvR, imyb,
gwiP, mewR
3. Kv›`vq mewR Pvl `t kªxcyi
µwgK
bs
dm‡ji
weeiY
‰ekvL ‰Rô Avlvp kªveY fv`ª Avwk¦b KwZ©K AMÖnvqb ‡cŠl gvN dvêyY ‰PÎ
1. ‡ev‡iv avb
2. iwe km¨
3. Kv›`vq mewR
Pvl
evnvov BDwbqb
Kishoreganj scenario
Tahirpur scenario
Sulla scenario
58
Disaster Calendar
µwgK
bs
Avc‡`i
weeiY
‰ekvL ‰Rô Avlvp kªveY fv`ª Avwk¦b KwZ©K AMÖnvqb ‡cŠl gvN dvêyY ‰PÎ
1. AvMvg eb¨v/
cvnvox Xj
2. eb¨v
3. ‣kZ¨ cÖevn/
Nb Kzqvkv
4. Liv
5. Avdvj/
†XD (evox
fv½v)
6. Kvj •ekvLx/
U‡b©‡Wv
7. AwZ e„wó/
wkjv e„wó
µwgK
bs
Avc‡`i
weeiY
‰ekvL ‰Rô Avlvp kªveY fv`ª Avwk¦b KwZ©K AMÖnvqb ‡cŠl gvN dvêyY ‰PÎ
1. AvMvg eb¨v/
cvnvox Xj
2. eb¨v
3. ‣kZ¨ cÖevn/
Nb Kzqvkv
4. Liv
5. Kvj •ekvLx/
U‡b©‡Wv
6. AwZ e„wó/
wkjv e„wó
Kishoreganj scenario
Tahirpur scenario
59
µwgK
bs
Avc‡`i weeiY ‰ekvL ‰Rô Avlvp kªveY fv`ª Avwk¦b KwZ©K AMÖnvqb ‡cŠl gvN dvêyY ‰PÎ
1. AvMvg eb¨v/
cvnvox Xj
2. eb¨v
3. ‣kZ¨ cÖevn/
Nb Kzqvkv
4. Liv
5. NywY©So
6. AwZ e„wó/
wkjv e„wó
7. ‡XD / Avdvj
8. KvKovi Avµgb nweecyi BDwbqb
9. B`y‡ii Avµgb nweecyi BDwbqb
10. ‡cvKvi Avµgb nweecyi BDwbqb
11. eRªcvZ evnvov BDwbqb
Sulla scenario
60
Resource & Social Mapping
cÖ‡qvRb Abymv‡i m¤ú‡`i µgvbymvi
DËi kªxcyi BDwbqb - Tahirpur
µwgK bs m¤ú‡`i weeiY i¨v¼
1. nvIo Gi grm cÖK‡í ¯’vbxq `vwi‡ ªi AwaKvi wbwðZ Kiv
mnR k‡Z© BRviv cÖ_vi e¨e¯’v
01
2. K…wl Drcv`‡b ch©vß exR/ mvi/ KxUbvkK/ †mP myweav wbwðZ
Kiv I mnR k‡Z© FY myweav cÖ`vb
02
3. nvmcvZvj Pvjy Kiv I wPwKrmvi e¨e ’v Kiv 03
4. wUDe I‡qj I m¨vwbUvix †jwUªb mnR k‡Z© weZiY I fZz©Kx
cÖ`vb hv‡Z ¯’vc‡bi wbivc` ¯’vb •Zix Kiv hvq
04
5. cÖv_wgK we`¨vj‡qi wk¶v cÖ`v‡bi cÖ‡qvRbxq (wk¶K mn)
DcKib cÖ`vb, e„wËi UvKv mK‡ji Rb¨, wUwd‡bi e¨e¯’v
Kiv
8+
6. ‡hvMv‡hvM e¨e ’vi Dbœqbt iv¯—vNvU ms¯‥vi I wbgvY©, b`x
ms‡hvM, Lvj Lbb cye©K cÖ‡qvRbxq e¨e ’v MÖnb
05
7. Lvm Rwg, Rj gn‡j `wi ª‡`I AwaKvi wbwðZ KiY (Nym,
ybx©wZ eÜ Kiv)
08
8. AvMvg eb¨vi nvZ †_‡K dmj i¶vi Rb¨ eva wbgv©Y, ms¯‥vi I
DPzKib
05+
9. cvwb mnvqK e„¶ Pviv †ivcb I meyR †eóbx •Zix Kiv 06
10. `vwi ª †kªYx‡Z msMVb wbgvY© I cÖ‡qvRbxq c„ô‡cvlKZv `vb 09
11. wfwU i¶vi Rb¨ †XD cÖ‡U± Iqvj wbgv©Yt Rwic cye©K cvwbi
cÖ‡ek c_ I †g․mygx evZvm Abyhvqx
11
12. BD, wW, Gg, wm Ges Gm, Gg, wm Gi Dbœqb KwgwU‡Z `wi ª
†kªbxi Ask MÖnb I gZ cÖKv‡ki AwaKvi (we‡kl ØvwqZ¡
w`‡q wbwðZ Kiv
07
13. ‡eKvi kªwgK‡`i Rb¨ weKí Kg©ms¯’vb m„wót ¶z`ª e¨emv, n¯—
wkí, †mjvB KvR, mewR Pv‡li e¨e ’v Kiv
08
14. ¯’vbxq msMVb, ¯’vbxq cÖkvmb I †mev cÖ`vb Kvix ms ’v¸‡jvi
mgwšZ D‡`¨v‡M ’vbxq m¤ú‡`i m‡e©v”P e¨e¯’v wbwðZ
Kib
06
61
cÖ‡qvRb Abymv‡i m¤ú‡`i µgvbymvi
`w¶Y kªxcyi BDwbqb - Tahirpur
µwgK bs m¤ú‡`i weeiY i¨v¼
1. nvIo Gi grm cÖK‡í ¯’vbxq `vwi‡ ªi AwaKvi wbwðZ Kiv
mnR k‡Z© BRviv cÖ_vi e¨e¯’v
01
2. K…wl Drcv`‡b ch©vß exR/ mvi/ KxUbvkK/ †mP myweav wbwðZ
Kiv I mnR k‡Z© FY myweav cÖ`vb
02
3. nvmcvZvj Pvjy Kiv I wPwKrmvi e¨e ’v Kiv 05
4. cÖv_wgK we`¨vj‡qi wk¶v cÖ`v‡bi cÖ‡qvRbxq (wk¶K mn)
DcKib cÖ`vb, e„wËi UvKv mK‡ji Rb¨, wUwd‡bi e¨e¯’v
Kiv
04
5. ‡hvMv‡hvM e¨e ’vi Dbœqbt iv¯—vNvU ms¯‥vi I wbgvY©, b`x
ms‡hvM, Lvj Lbb cye©K cÖ‡qvRbxq e¨e ’v MÖnb
11
6. IqvUmb Kvh©µg (¯^v ’¨ m¤§Z) 100% ev¯—evqb Ki‡Z n‡e 03
7. Dbœqb e¨e¯’vcbv welqK KwgwU ¸‡jv‡K †X‡j mvRv‡Z n‡e 12
8. we, Avi, wW, we I GbwRI‡`i FY Kvh©µg ¯”Q Ki‡Z n‡e
Ges F‡Yi cvkvcvwk mswk ó wel‡q `¶Zv Dbœqb welqK
cÖwk¶Y w`‡Z n‡e|
11
9. we y¨r e¨e¯’vi cÖmvi NUv‡Z n‡e Ges †m‡Pi †¶Î, †cvjwUª
dv‡g©i Rb¨ QvÎ/QvÎx‡`i covi Rb¨ we yr Acwinvh©
12
10. wfwU i¶vi Rb¨ †XD cÖ‡U± Iqvj wbgv©Yt Rwic cye©K cvwbi
cÖ‡ek c_ I †g․mygx evZvm Abyhvqx
07
11. eb¨vi ci ¶wZMÖ ’ evoxNi wbgvY© wm, Gd, Wvwe D Gi e¨e¯’v
wbwðZ Kib
06
12. BD, wW, Gg, wm Ges Gm, Gg, wm Gi Dbœqb KwgwU‡Z `wi ª
†kªbxi Ask MÖnb I gZ cÖKv‡ki AwaKvi (we‡kl ØvwqZ¡
w`‡q wbwðZ Kiv)
08
13. emZ wfwU Gi cwicyY© e¨envi wbwðZ Kib 10
14. Lvm Rwg, Rj gn‡j `wi ª‡`I AwaKvi wbwðZ KiY 13
15. ebvqb I e„¶‡ivcb I meyR †eóbx wbg©vb 09
62
Kv ‘j BDwbqb – - Kishoreganj
µwgK bs m¤ú‡`i weeiY i¨v¼
1. nvIo Gi grm cÖK‡í ¯’vbxq `vwi‡ ªi AwaKvi wbwðZ Kiv
mnR k‡Z© BRviv cÖ_vi e¨e¯’v
03++
2. K…wl Drcv`‡b ch©vß exR/ mvi/ KxUbvkK/ †mP myweav wbwðZ
Kiv I mnR k‡Z© FY myweav cÖ`vb
02++
3. cÖvbx m¤ú` wefv‡Mi mn‡hvMxZv wbwðZ Kivt cÖwk¶Y, †fw·b,
wPwKrmv wbwðZ Kiv
04+
4. nvmcvZvj Pvjy Kiv I wPwKrmvi e¨e ’v Kiv 01+
5. wUDe I‡qj I m¨vwbUvix †jwUªb mnR k‡Z© weZiY I fZz©Kx
cÖ`vb hv‡Z ¯’vc‡bi wbivc` ¯’vb •Zix Kiv hvq
01
6. cÖv_wgK we`¨vj‡qi wk¶v cÖ`v‡bi cÖ‡qvRbxq (wk¶K mn)
DcKib cÖ`vb, e„wËi UvKv mK‡ji Rb¨, wUwd‡bi e¨e¯’v
Kiv
02+
7. BDwbqb wfwËK nvB¯‥zj wbg©vY I wk¶vi my‡hvM 08
8. ‡hvMv‡hvM e¨e ’vi Dbœqbt iv¯—vNvU ms¯‥vi I wbgvY©, b`x
ms‡hvM, Lvj Lbb cye©K cÖ‡qvRbxq e¨e ’v MÖnb
05
9. Lvm Rwg, Rj gn‡j `wi ª‡`I AwaKvi wbwðZ KiY (Nym,
ybx©wZ eÜ Kiv)
08
10. b`x Lbb cye©K grm Pvl I mviv eQi ‡b․PjvPj wbwðZ Kiv 06
11. AvMvg eb¨vi nvZ †_‡K dmj i¶vi Rb¨ eva wbgv©Y, ms¯‥vi I
DPzKib
03
12. cvwb mnvqK e„¶ Pviv †ivcb I meyR †eóbx •Zix Kiv 09
13. `vwi ª †kªYx‡Z msMVb wbgvY© I cÖ‡qvRbxq c„ô‡cvlKZv `vb 10
14. wfwU i¶vi Rb¨ †XD cÖ‡U± Iqvj wbgv©Yt Rwic cye©K cvwbi
cÖ‡ek c_ I †g․mygx evZvm Abyhvqx
11
15. eb¨vi ci ¶wZMÖ ’ evoxNi wbgvY© wm, Gd, Wvwe D Gi e¨e¯’v
wbwðZ Kib
07
16. BD, wW, Gg, wm Ges Gm, Gg, wm Gi Dbœqb KwgwU‡Z `wi ª
†kªbxi Ask MÖnb I gZ cÖKv‡ki AwaKvi (we‡kl ØvwqZ¡
w`‡q wbwðZ Kiv
04
17. ‡eKvi kªwgK‡`i Rb¨ weKí Kg©ms¯’vb m„wót ¶z`ª e¨emv, n¯—
wkí, †mjvB KvR, mewR Pv‡li e¨e ’v Kiv
03
18. dmj msi¶‡bi Rb¨ †MvjvNi wbgv©Y, dmj cÖ‡m‡mi Rb¨
KwgDwbwU ‡eRW wdì •Zix
02
63
AóMÖvg BDwbqb - Kishoreganj
µwgK bs m¤ú‡`i weeiY i¨v¼
1. K…wl Drcv`‡b ch©vß exR/ mvi/ KxUbvkK/ †mP myweav wbwðZ
Kiv I mnR k‡Z© FY myweav cÖ`vb
08
2. nvmcvZvj Pvjy Kiv I wPwKrmvi e¨e ’v Kiv 08
3. cÖv_wgK we`¨vj‡qi wk¶v cÖ`v‡bi cÖ‡qvRbxq (wk¶K mn)
DcKib cÖ`vb, e„wËi UvKv mK‡ji Rb¨, wUwd‡bi e¨e¯’v
Kiv
01
4. ‡hvMv‡hvM e¨e ’vi Dbœqbt iv¯—vNvU ms¯‥vi I wbgvY©, b`x
ms‡hvM, Lvj Lbb cye©K cÖ‡qvRbxq e¨e ’v MÖnb
05
5. IqvUmb Kvh©µg (¯^v ’¨ m¤§Z) 100% ev¯—evqb Ki‡Z n‡e 03
6. Dbœqb e¨e¯’vcbv welqK KwgwU ¸‡jv‡K †X‡j mvRv‡Z n‡e 10
7. we, Avi, wW, we I GbwRI‡`i FY Kvh©µg ¯”Q Ki‡Z n‡e
Ges F‡Yi cvkvcvwk mswk ó wel‡q `¶Zv Dbœqb welqK
cÖwk¶Y w`‡Z n‡e|
11
8. we y¨r e¨e¯’vi cÖmvi NUv‡Z n‡e Ges †m‡Pi †¶Î, †cvjwUª
dv‡g©i Rb¨ QvÎ/QvÎx‡`i covi Rb¨ we yr Acwinvh©
12
9. wfwU i¶vi Rb¨ †XD cÖ‡U± Iqvj wbgv©Yt Rwic cye©K cvwbi
cÖ‡ek c_ I †g․mygx evZvm Abyhvqx
03
10. eb¨vi ci ¶wZMÖ ’ evoxNi wbgvY© wm, Gd, Wvwe D Gi e¨e¯’v
wbwðZ Kib
06
11. BD, wW, Gg, wm Ges Gm, Gg, wm Gi Dbœqb KwgwU‡Z `wi ª
†kªbxi Ask MÖnb I gZ cÖKv‡ki AwaKvi (we‡kl ØvwqZ¡
w`‡q wbwðZ Kiv)
07
12. ‡eKvi kªwgK‡`i Rb¨ weKí Kg©ms¯’vb m„wót ¶z`ª e¨emv, n¯—
wkí, †mjvB KvR, mewR Pv‡li e¨e ’v Kiv
02
64
nweecyi BDwbqb - Sulla
µwgK bs m¤ú‡`i weeiY i¨v¼
1. ¯v¯’ †K› ª mPj I †mev cÖ`vb 01
2. cÖYx m¤ú` wefvM I †mev 04
3. K…wl wefv‡Mi †mev wbwðZ Kib 02
4. m¨vbx‡Ukb e¨e ’vcbvi Dbœqb 05
5. ‡hvMv‡hvM e¨e ’v, iv¯—v-NvU •Zix/ ms¯‥vi 07
6. eva wbg©vb 03
7. BD, wW, Gg, wm ¯Pj Kvh©¨ KiY 09
8. Lvm Rwg `vwi‡ ªi g‡a¨ e›Ub, e¨e¯’vcbvq Zv‡`i ¶gZv`vb 08
9. ebvqb I e„¶Pviv †ivcb 10
10. msMVb wbgv©Y I cyuwR MVb 11
11. wUDe I‡qj ’vcb 06
12. cÖv_wgK we`¨vjq e¨e ’vcbvi Dbœqb 04+
13. nvB¯‥zj wbgvY© 05
14. Rjve×Zv yixKib 04
15. nvIo Gi grm cÖK‡í mvavib gvby‡li AvBbMZfv‡e AwaKvi
wbwðZ Kib
03+
16. mswk ó BDwbqb GjvKv cwil‡`I Awdm ¯’vcb I Kvh©µg
wbwðZ Kiv
05+
65
evnvov BDwbqb - Sulla
µwgK bs m¤ú‡`i weeiY i¨v¼
1. nvmcvZvj Pvjy Kiv I wPwKrmvi e¨e ’v Kiv 01
2. m¨vbx‡Ukb e¨e ’vcbvi Dbœqb 05
3. GjvKvi wk¶v e¨e¯’vcbvi Awbqg ~iKiv, mK‡ji Rb¨ e„wËi
e¨e¯’v Kiv, cÖ‡qvRbxq DcKib I GmGgwm Gi
Kvh©KvixZv wbwðZ Kiv
03
4. dmj cÖ‡mwms, msi¶‡Yi †MvjvNi, AvaywbK cÖhyw³ wbwðZ
Kivi cvkvcvwk mvi, exR, KxUbvkK cvIqv wbwðZ Kiv
04
5. cÖvYx m¤ú` wefv‡Mi chv©ß †jvK e‡ji gva¨‡g G m¤ú‡`i
msi¶Y, Dbœqb I cÖmw¯— evov‡bv `iKvi
05
6. nvIo Gi grm cÖK‡í mvavib gvby‡li AvBbMZfv‡e AwaKvi
wbwðZ Kib
06
7. mswk ó BDwbqb GjvKv cwil‡`i Awdm ¯’vcb I Kvh©µg
wbwðZ Kiv| BD, wW, Gg, wm Ges Gm, Gg, wm Gi Dbœqb
KwgwU‡Z `wi ª †kªbxi Ask MÖnb I gZ cÖKv‡ki AwaKvi
07
8. dmj i¶veva, Avkªq‡K› ª wbgv©Y, Lvj I b`x Lbb 08
9. Qq gvm †eKvi kªwgK‡`i Kg©ms¯’vb Kivt wRI/GbwRI Gi
gva¨‡g mnR k‡Z© `xN© †gqv`x wKw¯—‡Z F‡Yi e¨e¯’v Kiv|
09
10. ‡fw·‡bUi, avÎx cÖwk¶Y I DcKib weZib 10
11. eb¨vi ci wmGd Wwe D/†Uó wiwjd Gi gva¨‡g `wi ª gvby‡li
wfwU, mewR evMvb, cï msi¶b Ni ms¯‥vi Kiv
11
12. bvix‡`i eq¯‥ wk¶v, cvwievwiK AvBb, `¶Zv Dbœqb welqK
Kvh©µg MÖnb I cÖwk¶Y cÖ`vb|
12
13. BDwbqb wfwËK (†f․MwjK Ae ’v‡f‡`) nvB¯‥zj wbgvY© 13
14. e„¶‡ivcb/mvgvwRK ebvqb wbgv©Y/weKí Drcv`b welqK
cÖwk¶b I DcKib weZib BZ¨vw` wbwðZ Kib
14
66
Annex 2
Checklists used in the research
67
Issue checklist for KII – LGI
Office/Designation: name: Date:
Subject Profile:
age occupation area / locality
gender ethnicity HH head -
Community brief:
educational background in the community – enrollment/drop out issues (sex segregated
and ethnicity / religion based) exposure pattern – domestic & international
mobility (purpose & pattern – sex segregated)
potential new occupations (based on sex /ethnicity / religion / occupational community)
alternatives during the dry season
wage (male/female ratio)
prevalence and pattern of child labour (sex segregated)
practices of dowry / early marriage / domestic violence / divorce (by women)
land ownership Interventions by GoB / other stakeholders:
coverage by group and with amenities – local government‟s role
packages offered by GoB & NGOs
o Social safety net (SSN): short term: VGD, VGF, FFW/ CFW, Old Age Allowance, Widow Allowance,
Disability Allowance, Freedom Fighter Allowance, Maternity Alnc.
long term: FFW (assume one month per worker),
Cash for Work (assuming 1mm/w),
VGF (Three months per beneficiary), Test Relief (one time grant), GR-Food
(one time grant), 100 days employment scheme
process of distribution, coordination & response time management (role of women,
community involvement) needs based on gender / ethnicity / age group – for old / disability
migration (internal & international) as an alternative livelihood strategy (sex/ethnicity)
migration & IGAs by women (e.g., Kanda land cultivation) as a livelihood strategy
capacity building – at what level, for which group (– age/occupation/income bracket) Issues in the communities & DOs for LGI:
Jalmahal (water body) and Kanda land
Food security
Climate change and environment
Disaster risk reduction and human aid
Poverty (socio- economic- political)
Culture & Belief Implementation bottlenecks:
in disaster management (role of UDMC, women, women UP members)
in generating and sustaining general livelihoods
in joining hands by businesses – NGO – GoB to generating work / agro based projects Key to the future: (sex /ethnicity /religion /disability /age /occupational community)
women‟s agency development process (incidents, support, etc.)
inclusion & exclusion issues
wellbeing & welfare issues – focus entitlement & social capital nexus
awareness on rights & entitlements
68
Issue checklist for KII – LA
Office/Designation: name: Date:
Subject profile:
age
gender
occupation
ethnicity
area / locality
HH head -
Community brief:
educational background in the community – enrollment/drop out issues (sex
segregated and ethnicity / religion based) exposure pattern – domestic & international
mobility (purpose & pattern – sex segregated)
potential new occupations (based on sex /ethnicity / religion / occupational community)
alternatives during the dry season
wage (male/female ratio)
prevalence and pattern of child labour (sex segregated)
practices of dowry / early marriage / domestic violence / divorce (by women)
land ownership
Interventions by GoB / other stakeholders:
coverage by group and with amenities – local administration‟s role
packages offered by GoB & NGOs
o Social safety net (SSN): short term: VGD, VGF, FFW/ CFW, Old Age Allowance, Widow Allowance,
Disability Allowance, Freedom Fighter Allowance, Maternity Alnc.
long term: FFW (assume one month per worker),
Cash for Work (assuming 1mm/w),
VGF (Three months per beneficiary), Test Relief (one time grant), GR-
Food (one time grant), 100 days employment scheme
process of distribution, coordination & response time management (role of women,
community involvement) needs based on gender / ethnicity / age group – for old / disability
migration (internal & international) as an alternative livelihood strategy (sex/ethnicity)
migration & IGAs by women (e.g., Kanda land cultivation) as a livelihood strategy
capacity building – at what level, for which group (– age/occupation/income bracket)
Issues in the communities & DOs for LA:
Jalmahal (water body)
Food security
Climate change and environment
Disaster risk reduction and human aid
Poverty (socio- economic- political)
Culture & Belief
Implementation bottlenecks
in disaster management (role of UDMC, women, women UP members)
in generating and sustaining general livelihoods
in joining hands by businesses – NGO – GoB to generating work / agro based projects Key to the future: (sex /ethnicity /religion /disability /age /occupational community)
women‟s agency development process (incidents, support, etc.)
inclusion & exclusion issues
wellbeing & welfare issues – focus entitlement & social capital nexus
awareness on rights & entitlements
Issue checklist for KII – LP
Partner: name: Date:
Subject profile:
age occupation area / locality
gender ethnicity HH head -
Community brief:
educational background in the community – enrollment/drop out issues (sex
segregated and ethnicity / religion based) exposure pattern – domestic & international
mobility (purpose & pattern – sex segregated)
potential new occupations (based on sex /ethnicity / religion / occupational community)
alternatives during the dry season
wage (male/female ratio)
prevalence and pattern of child labour (sex segregated)
practices of dowry / early marriage / domestic violence / divorce (by women)
land ownership
Interventions by GoB / other stakeholders:
coverage by group and with amenities – local partner‟s role
packages offered by GoB & NGOs
o Social safety net (SSN): short term: VGD, VGF, FFW/ CFW, Old Age Allowance, Widow Allowance,
Disability Allowance, Freedom Fighter Allowance, Maternity Alnc.
long term: FFW (assume one month per worker),
Cash for Work (assuming 1mm/w),
VGF (Three months per beneficiary), Test Relief (one time grant), GR-
Food (one time grant), 100 days employment scheme
process of distribution, coordination & response time management (role of women,
community involvement) needs based on gender / ethnicity / age group – for old / disability
migration (internal & international) as an alternative livelihood strategy (sex/ethnicity)
migration & IGAs by women (e.g., Kanda land cultivation) as a livelihood strategy
capacity building – at what level, for which group (– age/occupation/income bracket)
Issues in the communities & DOs for LP:
Jalmahal (water body)
Food security
Climate change and environment
Disaster risk reduction and human aid
Poverty (socio- economic- political)
Culture & Belief
Implementation bottlenecks
in disaster management (role of UDMC, women, women UP members)
in generating and sustaining general livelihoods
in joining hands by businesses – NGO – GoB to generating work / agro based projects Key to the future: (sex /ethnicity /religion /disability /age /occupational community)
women‟s agency development process (incidents, support, etc.)
inclusion & exclusion issues
wellbeing & welfare issues – focus entitlement & social capital nexus
awareness on rights & entitlements
Issue checklist for Consultation meeting (without LPs)
Subject profile:
Venue & Date participants‟ gender rep. ratio
Dept. / Group ethnic rep
Community brief:
educational background in the community – enrollment/drop out issues (sex
segregated and ethnicity / religion based) exposure pattern – domestic & international
mobility (purpose & pattern – sex segregated)
potential new occupations (based on sex /ethnicity / religion / occupational community)
alternatives during the dry season
wage (male/female ratio)
prevalence and pattern of child labour (sex segregated)
practices of dowry / early marriage / domestic violence / divorce (by women)
land ownership
Human Rights situation
Interventions by GoB / other stakeholders:
coverage by group and with amenities – local partner‟s role
packages offered by GoB & NGOs
o Social safety net (SSN): short term: VGD, VGF, FFW/ CFW, Old Age Allowance, Widow Allowance,
Disability Allowance, Freedom Fighter Allowance, Maternity Alnc.
long term: FFW (assume one month per worker),
Cash for Work (assuming 1mm/w),
VGF (Three months per beneficiary), Test Relief (one time grant), GR-
Food (one time grant), 100 days employment scheme
process of distribution, coordination & response time management (role of women,
community involvement) Production and market: what they produce and how they sell. needs based on gender / ethnicity / age group – for old / disability
migration (internal & international) as an alternative livelihood strategy (sex/ethnicity)
migration & IGAs by women (e.g., Kanda land cultivation) as a livelihood strategy
capacity building – at what level, for which group (– age/occupation/income bracket)
Issues in the communities & DOs for stakeholders:
Food security
Health
Disaster risk reduction and human aid
Culture & Belief
Implementation bottlenecks
in disaster management (role of UDMC, women, women UP members)
in generating and sustaining general livelihoods
in joining hands by businesses – NGO – GoB to generating work / agro based projects Key to the future: (sex /ethnicity /religion /disability /age /occupational community)
women‟s agency development process (incidents, support, etc.)
inclusion & exclusion issues
wellbeing & welfare issues – focus entitlement & social capital nexus
awareness on rights & entitlements
(blue marked pages NOT PART OF THE CHECKLIST –
just a guideline for the field team of research)
Checking on general Assumptions of issues
Social Development Indices
a) Environment
Swamp patch forest (Bag)
Siltation and water holding capacity of all reservoir
Water logging and drainage congestion
Forest destruction on the Indian hills and its impact on us
Biodiversity of flora and fauna
GoB/NGO initiative on Arsenic
Natural Resource Management
b) Climate Change
Increase or trend in early flashflood
Rise in temperature
Reduction in rainfall
Deep fog,
Drought
Erosion of all sides of villages
Regular season changes
c) Poverty / Socio-economic in political
Natural calamities & incidence of poverty
Rising and over population
Access to public resources (khas land, jalmahal)
Lack of social security program
Lack of modern technology
Lack of alternative livelihood options
Lag in education
Traditional livelihood options - agriculture, fishing, day labor (seasonal migration)
Grabbing of public resources by political leaders
international migration & remittance
Basic Services
a) Health
Mortality rate
Reproductive health
ENC, ANC – PNC (TBA Development)
Primary Health Care Education
Vaccination
Watsan
Nutrition
b) Education
SMC
ECD
NFPE
Adult education & Adolescent education etc.
Advocacy – by GoB or stakeholders / donors
Sustainable livelihood
a. Agriculture
More Production
Quality of seeds
Horticulture & homestead
Field vegetables
CC Related vulnerability
b. Livestock & fisheries
Cow fattening
Milking cow Rearing
Poultry & Duck
Open water fishery
Fish culture
c. Jalmahal
Professional fishermen are not getting lease
Lease captured the total flood plain
Declining resources vis-à-vis increasing lease value
Fisher- farmer conflict on bill water
Flowing rivers under lease
Destructive fishing practices
d. IGA
Small business
Handicraft
Farm & off farm enterprise
Cultivation of Kanda land by women
e. CCA & DRR in relation to livelihoods
Early variety & short duration crops
Crop Diversity
Re-activate UDMC
Disaster Action plan (Contingency Plan)
Infrastructure Development
Promote volunteerism
a. MARKET AND PRIVATE SECTOR
Approach of production
Market of the product
Potential of engaging private sectors
b. PONTENTIAL LIVEHOODS
New livelihood option in the urban areas
Required skills
Migration with informed choice or perusing the available options
Issue checklist for KII (Experts at Dhaka)
Date:
Subject profile:
age occupation & Designation:
gender GoB Dept. / Org.
Community brief:
educational background in the community – enrollment/drop out issues (sex
segregated and ethnicity / religion based) exposure pattern – domestic & international
mobility (purpose & pattern – sex segregated)
potential new occupations (based on sex /ethnicity / religion / occupational community)
alternatives during the dry season
wage (male/female ratio)
prevalence and pattern of child labour (sex segregated)
practices of dowry / early marriage / domestic violence / divorce (by women)
land ownership
Human rights
Interventions by GoB / other stakeholders:
coverage by group and with amenities – local partner‟s role
packages offered by GoB & NGOs
o Social safety net (SSN): short term: VGD, VGF, FFW/ CFW, Old Age Allowance, Widow Allowance,
Disability Allowance, Freedom Fighter Allowance, Maternity Alnc.
long term: FFW (assume one month per worker),
Cash for Work (assuming 1mm/w),
VGF (Three months per beneficiary), Test Relief (one time grant), GR-
Food (one time grant), 100 days employment scheme
process of distribution, coordination & response time management (role of women,
community involvement) needs based on gender / ethnicity / age group – for old / disability
migration (internal & international) as an alternative livelihood strategy (sex/ethnicity)
migration & IGAs by women (e.g., Kanda land cultivation) as a livelihood strategy
capacity building – at what level, for which group (– age/occupation/income bracket)
Issues in the communities & DOs for LPs/ LAs/ LGIs/ national stakeholders:
Food security
Disaster risk reduction and human aid
Culture & Belief
Implementation bottlenecks
in disaster management
in generating and sustaining general livelihoods
in joining hands by businesses – NGO – GoB to generating work / agro based projects
Key to the future: (sex /ethnicity /religion /disability /age /occupational community)
women‟s agency development process (incidents, support, etc.)
inclusion & exclusion issues
wellbeing & welfare issues – focus entitlement & social capital nexus
awareness on rights & entitlements
Issue checklist for Case Study
Date:
Subject profile:
age occupation area / locality
gender ethnicity HH head -
General Section:
brief on (perception) Community:
educational background in the community – enrollment/drop out issues (gender ratio)
exposure pattern – domestic & international
mobility
potential new areas of occupation
alternatives during the dry season
Interventions by GoB / other stakeholders:
coverage by group and with amenities – local partner‟s role
packages offered by GoB & NGOs
o Social safety net (SSN): short term: VGD, VGF, FFW/ CFW, Old Age Allowance, Widow Allowance,
Disability Allowance, Freedom Fighter Allowance, Maternity Alnc.
long term: FFW (assume one month per worker),
Cash for Work (assuming 1mm/w),
VGF (Three months per beneficiary), Test Relief (one time grant), GR-
Food (one time grant), 100 days employment scheme
process of distribution, coordination & response time management (role of women,
community involvement) needs based on gender / ethnicity / age group – for old / disability
migration (internal & international) as an alternative livelihood strategy (sex/ethnicity)
migration & IGAs by women (e.g., Kanda land cultivation) as a livelihood strategy
capacity building – at what level, for which group (– age/occupation/income bracket)
Issues in the communities & DOs for him/her:
Jalmahal (water body)
Food security
Health
Climate change and environment
Disaster risk reduction and human aid
Poverty (socio- economic- political)
Culture & Belief
Key to the future: (sex /ethnicity /religion /disability /age /occupational community)
women‟s agency development process (incidents, support, etc.)
inclusion & exclusion issues
wellbeing & welfare issues – focus entitlement & social capital nexus
awareness on rights & entitlements
Agency vs. structure – discussion on coping and overcoming barriers
Detailed perception audit for the respondent:
generational changes that s/he has seen in:
household
food – meals / habit /
clothing – season‟s need
numbers of household members
housing pattern
education – enrollment, drop out
economic
land ownership
wage (male/female ratio)
occupation
distance between home and workplace
extra income source
members of earning
financial services
the dadon and mohajoni practices
social safety net (SSN)
social institutions
indigenous knowledge
access to support structures
understanding of and access to justice
benefits of collectivism
social capital & networking
migration and relatives abroad
social trends
child marriage
domestic violence against women
practices of dowry
prevalence of child labour
(blue marked pages NOT PART OF THE CHECKLIST –
just a guideline for the field team of research)
Checking on general Assumptions of issues
Basic Services
a. Health
Reproductive health
Primary Health Care Education
Vaccination
Watsan
Nutrition
b. Education
c. SMC
d. ECD
e. NFPE
f. Adult education & Adolescent education etc.
Social Development Indices
a) Environment
Swamp patch forest
Siltation and water holding capacity of all reservoir
Water logging and drainage congestion
Forest destruction on the Indian hills and its impact on us
Biodiversity of flora and fauna
GoB/NGO initiative on Arsenic
Natural Resource Management
b) Climate Change
Increase or trend in early flashflood
Rise in temperature
Reduction in rainfall
Deep fog
Drought
Erosion of all sides of villages
Regular season changes
c) Poverty / Socio-economic / political
Natural calamities & incidence of poverty
Rising and over population
Access to public resources (khas land, jalmahal)
Lack of social security program
Lack of modern technology
Lack of alternative livelihood options
Lag in education
Traditional livelihood options - agriculture, fishing, day labor (seasonal migration)
Grabbing of public resources by political leaders
international migration & remittance
Sustainable livelihood
c. Agriculture
1. More Production
2. Quality of seeds
3. Horticulture & homestead
4. Field vegetables
5. CC Related vulnerability
d. Livestock & fisheries
Cow fattening
Milking cow Rearing
Poultry & Duck
Open water fishery
Fish culture
e. Jalmahal
Professional fishermen are not getting lease
Lease captured the total flood plain
Declining resources vis-à-vis increasing lease value
Fisher- farmer conflict on bill water
Flowing rivers under lease
Destructive fishing practices
f. IGA
Small business
Handicraft
Farm & off farm enterprise
Cultivation of Kanda land by women
g. MARKET AND PRIVATE SECTOR
Approach of production
Market of the product
Potential of engaging private sectors
h. PONTENTIAL LIVEHOODS
New livelihood option in the urban areas
Required skills
Migration with informed choice or perusing the available options
i. CCA & DRR in relation to livelihoods
Early variety & short duration crops
Crop Diversity
Re-activate UDMC
Disaster Action plan (contingency plan)
Infrastructure Development
Promote volunteerism