In particular, land degradation poses a severe threat to sustainable agriculture, while privatization is eroding the rights of the poor to natural resources. This Institute for Development Studies report summarizes research into the complex livelihood strategies pursued in two distinct areas of Bangladesh, and asks whether the state is doing all it can to promote greater prosperity. Distinct population levels, migration patterns, and family dynamics are just some of the factors which set them apart. By mapping livelihood strategies against livelihood resources, the report examines the different roles played by institutions in determining livelihood outcomes in these areas. Existing institutions are not a significant restraint to agricultural growth.
Evidence supplied by local farmers suggests that land resources are increasingly being degraded.
Livelihood diversification occurs mainly in low productivity sectors, and is distress-driven for a vast majority of the rural population. Improvements in infrastructure and education opportunities have promoted migration and institutions have not constrained migration in any significant way. Common property resources, such as fishing grounds, are under threat, mainly from privatization. The state needs to increase its intervention in markets to ensure that the potential for livelihood diversity is fully realized. Agricultural extension services should broaden their scope to include measures to deal with natural resource degradation.