Population pressure and agricultural productivity in Bangladesh
Chaudhury, R.H.
Social Action 33(1): 15-53
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-7627 PMID: 12339051 DOI: 10.2307/40794325Document Number: 397344
The paper examines the relationship between population pressure/density and agricultural productivity in Bangladesh by comparing the change in the level of land-man ratio (measure of population density) with the change in the level of land yield of a district during the period 1961/64 -- 1974/1977. It is found that the major source of agricultural growth in Bangladesh during the 1960s was increased land yields which, in turn, was associated with a higher ratio of labour to land. This implies that a more intensified pattern of land use, resulting in both higher yields and higher labour inputs per unit of land, is the main source of growth of output and employment in agriculture. However, the adoption of the new food grain technology and bringing more land under HYVs in Bangladesh's predominantly subsistence-type agriculture requires far-reaching institutional and organizational changes and more capital than is easily obtainable. Moreover, expansion of area under HYV based technology, without effective population control, will not help to improve the employment situation in the near future. There is therefore need for an alternative employment-oriented agricultural strategy. This would require a radical transformation of rural society to guarantee that all members of society receive a share of the social product that will at least satisfy their minimum basic needs, irrespective of their type of production. One proposal is that compulsory multi-purpose cooperative societies should be established in every village.