Seasonal Hunger and Public Policies : Evidence from Northwest Bangladesh

Mahmud, Wahiduddin; Khandker, Shahidur R.

Seasonal Hunger and Public Policies : Evidence from Northwest Bangladesh

Autores

Mahmud, Wahiduddin

Khandker, Shahidur R.

Editor

Washington, DC: World Bank

Descripción

Seasonal hunger induced by agricultural seasonality is often a characteristic feature of rural poverty. The evidence of seasonal distress in many agrarian societies can be found in the narratives of economic historians. With agricultural diversification made possible through technological breakthroughs in many parts of the developing world, the severity of seasonal stress and adversities has been reduced considerably, if not altogether eliminated. In certain agricultural settings, however, the seasonality of poverty and hunger, along with the associated seasonal shortfalls in income and consumption, is still a policy quagmire. The problem gets more complicated when agricultural seasonality is locked into a cycle of endemic poverty, seasonal hunger, and risk of further impoverishment. Poverty and seasonality may also reinforce each other through various other forces that create and sustain both. The thrust of policy needs to be to break this interlocking cycle of poverty and seasonality. The book has nine chapters. Chapter two looks at the key conceptual issues and presents a global perspective on the challenge of addressing seasonal hunger. Chapter three brings Bangladesh's reality to the fore regarding seasonal poverty and food insecurity and the vulnerability of the northwest region. Chapter four analyzes the vulnerability of households to seasonal hunger, their coping strategies, and the extent to which income seasonality affects seasonal poverty and food deprivation. Chapter five reports some findings for both the Rangpur region and the country as a whole regarding the effects of policies and programs on poverty and food deprivation. The findings reported in the next three chapters are mainly related to the Rangpur region only. Chapter six examines the issue of seasonal migration in the context of mitigating seasonal deprivation. In chapter seven, the impact of the social safety-net programs is tested, whereas the effectiveness of microfinance is assessed in chapter eight. The concluding chapter, chapter nine, looks at the policy implications while also pointing to some emerging challenges.

Palabras clave

ACCESS TO FOOD, AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT, AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION, AGRICULTURAL GROWTH, AGRICULTURAL LABORERS, AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, AGRICULTURAL WAGE, AGRICULTURAL WORKERS, AGRICULTURE, AID AGENCIES, ARID TROPICS, BENEFICIARY HOUSEHOLDS, BUFFER STOCKS, CALORIE INTAKE, CASSAVA, CEREALS, CHILD MALNUTRITION, CHILD MORTALITY, CHILD NUTRITION, CHRONIC POVERTY, CLIMATE CHANGE, COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, CONSUMPTION SMOOTHING, COPING MECHANISMS, COPING STRATEGY, CREDIT MARKET CONSTRAINTS, CREDIT MARKETS, CROP DIVERSIFICATION, CROP TECHNOLOGY, CROP VARIETIES, CROP YIELDS, CROPPING PATTERNS, CURE FOR POVERTY, DEMAND FOR FOOD, DROUGHT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, EMPLOYMENT GENERATION, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, EXTREME POVERTY, FAMILY MEMBERS, FAMINE, FAMINES, FARM EMPLOYMENT, FARMING SYSTEMS, FATS, FEEDING PROGRAMS, FOOD ACCESS, FOOD AVAILABILITY, FOOD CONSUMPTION, FOOD CRISIS, FOOD CROPS, FOOD DEMAND, FOOD DISTRIBUTION, FOOD ENTITLEMENT, FOOD ENTITLEMENT FAILURE, FOOD EXPENDITURE, FOOD FOR WORK, FOOD INSECURITY, FOOD INTAKE, FOOD MARKETS, FOOD NEEDS, FOOD POLICY, FOOD POLICY RESEARCH, FOOD PRICE, FOOD PRICE INFLATION, FOOD PRICE STABILIZATION, FOOD PRICES, FOOD PRODUCTION, FOOD SECURITY, FOOD STOCKS, FOOD STORAGE, FOOD SUPPLIES, FOOD SUPPLY, FRUITS, GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY, GLOBAL HUNGER, GLOBAL MARKETS, GLOBAL POVERTY, GRAIN MARKETS, GRAIN PRICES, GRAIN PRODUCTION, GRAINS, HOUSEHOLD FOOD, HOUSEHOLD FOOD EXPENDITURE, HOUSEHOLD HARDSHIP, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD PARTICIPATION, HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS, HOUSEHOLD VULNERABILITY, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE, HUNGER, IFPRI, INCOME, INCOME INEQUALITY, INCOME POVERTY, INEQUALITY, INSURANCE, INTERFAMILY TRANSFERS, INTERNATIONAL CROPS RESEARCH, INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, LACK OF INFORMATION, LANDHOLDINGS, LIVELIHOOD CHOICES, LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES, LIVELIHOOD SECURITY, LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES, LIVELIHOODS, LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS, MAIZE, MAJOR FOOD CROPS, MALNUTRITION, MEAL, MICROCREDIT PROGRAMS, MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES, MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCY, MULTIPLE CROPPING, NATURAL DISASTERS, NUTRITION, POLITICAL ECONOMY, POOR, POOR FARMERS, POOR HOUSEHOLD, POOR HOUSEHOLDS, POOR PEOPLE, POORER HOUSEHOLDS, POVERTY ALLEVIATION, POVERTY ESTIMATES, POVERTY LINE, POVERTY REDUCTION, PRICE STABILIZATION, PRODUCTION SUPPORT, PUBLIC WORKS, PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMS, RAINY SEASON, REDUCING HUNGER, REDUCTION IN POVERTY, REGIONAL DISPARITY, RICE CULTIVATION, RICE PRODUCTION, RISK MANAGEMENT, ROOT CROPS, RURAL, RURAL AREAS, RURAL COMMUNITIES, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, RURAL ECONOMY, RURAL ELECTRIFICATION, RURAL EMPLOYMENT, RURAL FINANCE, RURAL HOUSEHOLDS, RURAL INCOMES, RURAL POOR, RURAL POOR HOUSEHOLDS, RURAL POVERTY, RURAL SETTINGS, RURAL WORKERS, SAVINGS, SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT, SMALL FARMERS, SMALLHOLDER FARMERS, SMALLHOLDER FARMING, SMALLHOLDER FARMS, SOCIAL PROTECTION, SOCIAL SAFETY NETS, SOCIAL SECURITY, SOCIAL SECURITY PROGRAMS, STARVATION, STORAGE FACILITIES, SUBSISTENCE, SUBSISTENCE FARMERS, SUFFICIENT FOOD, TARGETING, TUBERS, ULTRA POOR, VEGETABLES, VULNERABLE AREAS, VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS, VULNERABLE REGIONS, WAGE RATES, WELFARE INDICATORS, WHEAT