Field action project (Mymensingh sub-project) for small farmers and landless labourers: a review of the distribution of benefits
Raha, S.K.
Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Economics 4(1): 59-68
1981
Document Number: 499247
The landlessness and rural poverty in Bangladesh have been increasing despite the emphasis given to the reduction of poverty in planning documents. It is now generally accepted by development planners that main-stream development programmes are not likely to solve the problems of mass poverty and growing inequality of income in the rural areas. Special programmes are advocated to solve these problems. The major emphasis of these projects is on generation of employment and income. The note analyzes the consequences of a recent pilot project in Mymensingh, particularly as regards distribution of benefit. There are two other similar sub-projects in Comilla and Bogra. Section II describes the background and objectives of the project; sections III and IV analyze the operation and effects of the projects on income and distribution of income. It is concluded that such experimental projects succeed in generating some employment and income to the poorest people, but relatively greater benefit from the projects go to a small number of urban people. Thus such projects contribute more to furthering inequality of income than to reducing it. Basically, the project was designed to develop a model for the development of small farmers and landless labourers without changing the existing socio-political and economic structure. It did not uncover the root causes of the landlessness, but took some measure to mitigate the problems for the time being. The income of the groups concerned therefore increased significantly, but the amount was not sufficient to survive for further economic activity.