Rural Infrastructure and Its Impact on Agricultural Production in Bangladesh: A Case Study on Kushtia Sadar Upazila

Agriculture is one of the most important sectors and driving factors of the economy of Bangladesh, which plays a significant role in the prosperity of large rural communities by increasing productivity, income, and creating employment. Presently, this sector has faced a severe challenge in its production, due to the construction of unplanned infrastructure in rural areas. This study investigates the effect of rural infrastructure on agricultural production in Bangladesh. Using the purposive sampling technique, 50 respondents were interviewed through a structured questionnaire to collect primary data from six unions of Sadar Upazila in the Kushtia district. Statistical methods of multiple regression and paired-sample t-test have been utilized to analyze the collected data. The results of the multiple regression model show that the co-efficient of cultivable and infrastructural land size is statistically significant at 1 percent of level, which depicts cultivable land positively affects agricultural production, whereas infrastructural land negatively affects agricultural production in the study area. This means that infrastructure built on cultivable land has reduced agricultural production. Paired-sample t-test result also shows that the mean difference between agricultural production before and after constructing infrastructure is TK.134847.94 per year. The primary reasons for the construction of infrastructure in the study area are unanticipated population expansion, urbanization, unplanned human settlement, and a rise in nuclear families. Lastly, suitable policies have been offered to develop the infrastructure as well as agricultural production in rural areas.