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‘monga’ in Northern Region of Bangladesh: a Study on People’s Survival Strategies and Coping Capacities

Shitangsu Kumar Paul
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh

Md. Nazir Hossain
Department of Geography and Enviroment, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh;

Shudarshan Kumar Ray
Battalion 5, Armed Police Battalion, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The objective of this paper is to explore people’s survival strategies and coping capacities to combat monga at household level in the northern region of Bangladesh. The agriculture based rural economy, extreme poverty, high percentage of landless, lack of sufficient caloric intake, unemployment of vast agricultural labour force etc. are the root causes of vulnerability to monga in the northern regions specifically few districts of greater Rangpur. Moreover, geographically this region is vulnerable to natural hazards such as floods and droughts. The past records of food shortages and famine reveal that the trend is still continuing in the monga-prone areas. The present study found that the most vulnerable groups in the monga-prone areas were agricultural wage labourers, landless and marginal farmers, female headed households, children, pregnant women and aged people. The present study also found that with a view to cope with the monga, various coping strategies such as selling of labour with advance payment at cheap rate, borrowing of money, selling of assets, looking for work in other areas, dependency on relief, selling of field crops in advance at cheap rate etc. were adopted by the affected households. The present study also found that coping capacity was associated with household head’s socio-economic status e.g. level of education, monthly income, types of occupation, etc. Vulnerability to monga was higher for the illiterate and low income groups than the educated and high income groups. The present study argues that the policy makers of Government and NGOs should emphasize on enhancing of coping capacities of poor and marginalized groups through rural centric development, rural employment generation, maximum utilization of agricultural land, proper credit support and agro-based industrialisation in the northern Bangladesh.

Keywords: Monga, Poverty, Famine, Coping strategy, Coping capacity, Bangladesh.

Location: Madhuram and Kismat Gobdha villages from Lalmonirhat sadar upazila of Lalmonirhat district and Rajarhat upazila of Kurigram district respectively.

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Adoption of technology

Objectives:

To explore the root causes and particular impacts of monga and assesses people’s survival strategies and coping capacities in the study villages.

Methodology:

The Madhuram and Kismat Gobdha villages were purposively selected from Lalmonirhat sadar upazila of Lalmonirhat district and Rajarhat upazila of Kurigram district respectively based on the severity of monga impacts. The primary data for the present study were collected through household questionnaire survey, interview with key informants and field observations. A total 86 households were selected as sample from 634 households assuming 90 per cent confidence level through simple random sampling procedure. Both, descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. Besides, respondents’ perception about survival strategy and coping capacity to combat monga were measured using Likert scale.

Source of Information: Rajshahi University journal of life & earth and agricultural sciences, Vol. 41: 41-56, 2013 ISSN 2309-0960

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The present study also found that with a view to cope with the monga, various coping strategies such as selling of labour with advance payment at cheap rate, borrowing of money, selling of assets, looking for work in other areas, dependency on relief, selling of field crops in advance at cheap rate etc. were adopted by the affected households. The present study also found that coping capacity was associated with household head’s socio-economic status e.g. level of education, monthly income, types of occupation, etc. Vulnerability to monga was higher for the illiterate and low income groups than the educated and high income groups. The present study argues that the policy makers of Government and NGOs should emphasize on enhancing of coping capacities of poor and marginalized groups through rural centric development, rural employment generation, maximum utilization of agricultural land, proper credit support and agro-based industrialisation in the northern Bangladesh.

Knowledge Management: Journal