POVERTY, CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES AND COPING STRATEGIES OF SMALL SCALE FARM HOUSEHOLD

Abstract

The main objective of study was to examine poverty level of small scale farmers, climate change challenges they faced and their coping strategies adopting in response to climate change impact. Primary data was collected through interview and group discussion during May 2015 in the Teesta riverine area under Rangpur district of northern Bangladesh. The SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) was used to determine mean, range, percentage and standard deviation. Multiple regression analysis was done to determine influence household characteristics on the household poverty level. To assess the poverty level, world bank commonly used international poverty line was followed and findings indicated that 41.2 percent farm household lived below extreme poverty level of which 20 percent were subjacent poor. Cross tabulation indicates that, all landless and 64.6% marginal farm household lived below extreme poverty line and the majority (65.6%) of small scale farmers lived out of poverty level. Among five demographic characteristics, only two variables namely education of household head and farm size of household showed significant and positive relationship with their daily income based poverty level. The predictor variable farm size of household recorded the highest regression effect on the level of poverty highlights the various effects climate change has on the availability of food for the teeming populace to ensure food security. The current practice of Agriculture in Bangladesh was taken into consideration, the impact it has on the entire population and the effects climate change has on it. Bangladesh, like most other developing countries, is affected in a very important and critical manner by the adverse effects of environmental crises, most of which are direct influences of climate change and this change in the long run has effect on food security. The study recommended that infrastructural facilities, social interventions in the form of food aid, and crop insurance policies which encourage agricultural initiative should be put in place in rural areas to help reduce the incidence of rural-urban migration and to encourage agricultural production so as to ensure that all the citizens of the country are food secured.