New generation reluctant to take up farming
Although agricultural productivity has increased, the new generation is reluctant to take up farming, said an expert yesterday.
There has been a lot changes over the past seven decades since the 1947 partition of India, said Shapan Adnan, a professorial research associate of the Department of Development Studies at SOAS University of London.
But now the participation of youth in farming is decreasing alarmingly, he told a seminar on "Agrarian Transition or Rural Transformation? Factors and Trends of Change in Village Bangladesh" organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
"Those who are a bit corrupt or politically powerful are making rapidly improvments. This situation is affecting others. This is a major source of concern for the next generation," said Adnan.
"Social unrest is being created due to the influence of corruption and political power," he said.
A massive amount of state land is deliberately being allocated to the rich and influential groups, which shows that there is shortage of land, he said, pointing out that those could have been allotted to a proportion of the financially insolvent.
Four factors worked behind the rural transformation in Bangladesh -- industrialisation, urbanisation, migration and development, said Adnan.
Though this was more of a left leaning thinking or World Bank perspective, it is not applicable today, he said.
Kazi Iqbal, senior research fellow of the BIDS, said while rural transformation has taken place, agrarian transformation has not.
"Nowadays, the large farmers are not using their own land as they are leasing it out to the landless farmer for cultivation…The landless farmers are now getting financial support from credit markets," said Iqbal.
BIDS Director General Binayak Sen said though the number of farmers was decreasing, recognition must be given to the contribution technological advancements in agriculture.
"Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, the price of food grain is now comparatively reasonable, apart from bilateral wheat import from India," he said.
"The rice production is also satisfactory amidst the flood. It has been possible for the contribution of complete mechanisation or use of technological advancements like tractors or irrigation support," he added.
"For this reason, we are getting more benefits from the land, as we earlier would get a single harvest and now we are getting at least three," he said.
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