Socioeconomic improvement of farmers’ livelihood through practicing agroforestry in northwest region of bangladesh

Abstract

Abstract : Agroforestry has been expanding rapidly in northwest region of Bangladesh because of itsbenefits in income generation and livelihood improvement of the farmers. But the contribution of agroforestry to the socioeconomic conditions has yet not well documented. This study was conducted to assess the socioeconomic benefits of the agroforestry based land use system in northwest region of Bangladesh. Socioeconomic profile of the respondent farmers stated that most of them were middle age having primary to secondary education. Agriculture was the main occupation and farmers were categorized mainly by large and small groups. Across the region, Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), Mahogony and Tal based agroforestry systems are dominantly found in Dinajpur, Bogra and Kustia, respectively. Straight bole and quick return; quality timber and high price; and traditional practice and high return were major reasons for selecting trees in these regions. Rice was the major crop grown under those agroforestry systems. Eucalyptus and Mahogony trees are found mostly along the border of the crop fields, while Tal and Khejur trees are grown inside the fields. The benefit cost ratio (BCR) was more than double in agroforestry systems due to high overall production. The study demonstrated that the income of the farmers was significantly increased by 53.50, 38.76 and 16.72% in Dinajpur, Bogra and Kustia locations, respectively, by practicing agroforestry systems which having positive impact on their overall income and livelihood. Farmers are highly satisfied with the access of food and drinking water due to increased income from agroforestry practices.