Forty-two percent of rural households cannot move out of poverty  sustainably, while 13 percent households are trapped in extreme poverty,  a BIDS study has found.

The paper was presented at the three-day annual BIDS Conference on Development-2021, which concluded yesterday.

The  study found that 87 percent of the rural households are trapped between  extreme poor and moderately poor, implying their daily income fluctuates between USD 1-2 per day, but cannot move more than USD 2 per  day.

Maria Eugenia Genoni, Mansur Ahmed, Pablo Tillan and Madhur  Gautam, four World Bank economists, conducted the study titled  "Bangladesh Rural Income Diagnostics" by surveying 62 villages and  analysing data from a range of recent surveys and censuses conducted by  the government and the UN organisations.

According to the  researchers, Bangladesh has some remarkable achievements in reducing  rural poverty, but these achievements have neither been uniform nor  sustainable.

Researchers also pointed out the over-dependency on  agriculture, particularly rice cultivation, as the major reason behind  such fragile achievements in poverty reduction.

"Although many  crops offer farmers higher returns than rice, most farmers continue to  grow rice due to lack of a supportive agricultural policy from the  state," commented Maria.

Sixty percent rural women of working age  remain engaged in unpaid agricultural activities. Their earning  potential remain largely untapped because of this very reason, the study  also found.

The researchers recommended three steps to increase  income of rural households, namely diversification and modernisation of  agriculture by focusing more on higher value-added crops, livestock and  fishing products; engagement of women to skilled and paid works; and  development of small cities and towns so that more men and women can  engage in non-agricultural and paid activities.