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Traditional Practice of Palm Husbandry in the Southeastern Region of Rural Bangladesh: Status and Potentials

Parvez Rana
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

Shawkat Sohel
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

Shariful Islam
Masters in Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh;

Sayma Akhter
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

Mohammad Shaheed Chowdhury
Forest Policy Laboratory, Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, Nagano-Ken, Japan

Mohammed Alamgir
Lecturer, Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

Masao Koike*
Forest Policy Laboratory, Department of Forest Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, Nagano-Ken, Japan

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

An exploratory study was conducted in Feni, in southeast Bangladesh, to determine the status and potentials of palm husbandry in the rural economy. A total of 48 households in the study area were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The farmers were categorized into five groups based on their landholdings. Palms comprised the highest percentage (53%) of homegarden species. The most common palm was betel nut (Areca catechu). This species was distributed over five different geographical sites, of which roadsides were most common. Farmers with medium landholdings had the greatest number of palms. Farmers typically received considerably less compensation than distributors higher in the marketing chain who handled their product. Juice or sap from the wild date palm (Phoenix sylvestris) gave the highest net average profit per liter and annual income per tree. Landless farmers gain the highest proportion of their mean annual income from palm husbandry.

Keywords: Palm husbandry; Traditional management; Rural livelihood; Bangladesh

Location: Feni Sadar upazila (sub-district; administrative entity) of Feni district, southeast Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Livelihood

Objectives:

The present study was undertaken to explore the indigenous knowledge of farmers, highlighting their traditional management, utilization patterns and socioeconomic contributions to rural Bangladesh.

Methodology:

Study area: The study was conducted in Farhad Nagar Union (a rural administrative unit consisting of a number of villages) of Feni Sadar upazila (sub-district; administrative entity) of Feni district, southeast Bangladesh. Feni Sadar upazila occupies 197.33 km2 and is bounded by Chauddagram, Tripura (India), Parshuram and Chhagalnaiya upazilas in the north, Sonagazi and Mirsharai upazilas in the south, Chhagalnaiya upazila in the east, and Daganbhuiyan upazila in the west. Total cultivable land is 18122 ha; fallow land is 250 ha; single-crop systems occupy 6.9% of the land area, double crops 83.9% and treble crop 9.1%. The main fruits are date (Phoenix sylvestris), palmyra (Borassus flabellifer), coconut (Cocos nucifera), mango (Mangifera indica) and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) (BBS 1997). Palms are one of the major plantation trees for fruits and sap in southeast Bangladesh (Pasha sine datum), particularly in Feni district. For this reason, the area receives substantial attention from local and regional buyers of palm products. Methods A deliberate sampling method was used to distinguish Feni district from the surrounding five districts in southeast Bangladesh. From a total of six upazilas, Feni Sadar upazila was selected because of the availability and accessibility of palms. A multistage random sampling method was applied to locate the villages and households for the study within the upazila as the primary and ultimate sampling units, respectively. From a total of 16 unions of Feni Sadar upazila, Farhad Nagar union was selected randomly and, from the union (a rural administrative unit consists of a number of villages), one village was selected using the same sampling technique. Then a list of palm tree cultivators was prepared from the village and 48 households (20% sampling frequency) were selected randomly for survey and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. A preliminary socioeconomic survey was carried out to ascertain the important socioeconomic parameters of the study areas and to select the respondents for detailed study. A structured questionnaire pre-tested for intelligibility was used. After this preliminary survey, the socioeconomic parameters of potential value for the study were chosen and cross-checked. These included: landholdings, homegarden palm species diversity, distribution of palms, age class distribution, production system (planting material, traditional planting technique, cultural practices, harvesting age and harvesting techniques) and marketing systems for palm products. As palm husbandry is a function of landholding (including home and agricultural land), the farmers were categorized into five groups: landless, possessing less than 0.25 ha; marginal possessing, 0.26–0.50 ha; small, possessing 0.51–1.00 ha; medium, possessing 1.01–2.00 ha; and large, possessing more than 2.00 ha of land.

Source of Information: International Journal of Biodiversity Science & Management Vol. 5, No. 3, September 2009, 155–161

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

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Achievement/Findings:

Palm husbandry is an important component of seasonal livelihoods in southeastern rural Bangladesh. It plays an active role in the economic contribution of the rural economy, and to the cultural heritage of local people. Other than sap production, palms are also widely used for other purposes, such as mat making, fencing, animal feed, shading and soil amendment. Considering these multipurpose uses, palms can contribute in many ways to the sustainability of integrated farming systems. Farmers apply their own traditional knowledge in the cultivation and management of palms, employing a sustainable manner of utilization. Over the past few decades, the importance of farmers’ traditional knowledge in managing natural resources has gained increasing recognition from the scientific community (Ahmed et al. 2007; Chowdhury et al. 2007). More research documenting, exploring and correlating farmers’ traditional knowledge with scientific technology could easily contribute to improving the husbandry as well as the conservation of these palms. It might be opportune for policy makers in Bangladesh to assess the potential of palms and to extend cooperation to support related research activities in order to contribute to the implementation of the IUCN Palm Specialist Group’s Palm Action Plan.

Knowledge Management: Journal