IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v7y2023i10p1607-1618.html

Peasants’ Viewpoint on Bringing the Next Generation into Agriculture: Insights from Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • Md. Shafikuzzaman Joarder

    (Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh)

Abstract

Peasant farming is not merely about producing food, but it embodies a lifestyle, wisdom, and existence for rural communities, reflecting their values, traditions, and relationships with nature, land, family, and society. Therefore, understanding how these communities pass on their farming practices to the next generation is crucial. In Bangladesh, significant changes in socioeconomic sectors have affected the rural social structure and peasant life. A mixed-method study was conducted in 2022 in two northwestern villages, Chanduria and Ratoil. The study aimed to understand the aspirations of peasants about their children’s involvement in agriculture. The results showed that about 87% of the peasants surveyed were hesitant to involve their children in farming. This reluctance can be attributed to three main reasons: low financial returns from farming (85% of respondents), aspirations of the younger generation for higher-paying and prestigious jobs (70% of respondents), and concerns about exposing their children to environmental and market uncertainties (69% of respondents). Focus group discussions with young people revealed similar attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, it’s important for policymakers to consider these attitudes when formulating strategies for sustainable development in Bangladesh.

Suggested Citation

  • Md. Shafikuzzaman Joarder, 2023. "Peasants’ Viewpoint on Bringing the Next Generation into Agriculture: Insights from Bangladesh," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(10), pages 1607-1618, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:7:y:2023:i:10:p:1607-1618
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-7-issue-10/1607-1618.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/peasants-viewpoint-on-bringing-the-next-generation-into-agriculture-insights-from-bangladesh/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anthony Bebbington, 1991. "Indigenous agricultural knowledge systems, human interests, and critical analysis: Reflections on farmer organization in Ecuador," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 8(1), pages 14-24, December.
    2. Jules Pretty & Tim G. Benton & Zareen Pervez Bharucha & Lynn V. Dicks & Cornelia Butler Flora & H. Charles J. Godfray & Dave Goulson & Sue Hartley & Nic Lampkin & Carol Morris & Gary Pierzynski & P. V, 2018. "Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 1(8), pages 441-446, August.
    3. Vanhaute, Eric, 2008. "The End of Peasantries? Rethinking the Role of Peasantries in a World-Historical View," MPRA Paper 13291, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. K. Deininger & S. Jin & H. K. Nagarajan, 2009. "Land Reforms, Poverty Reduction, and Economic Growth: Evidence from India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(4), pages 496-521.
    5. Ben White, 2012. "Agriculture and the Generation Problem: Rural Youth, Employment and the Future of Farming," IDS Bulletin, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43(6), pages 9-19, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Leo C. Zulu & Ida N. S. Djenontin & Judith F. Kamoto & Jessica M. Kampanje-Phiri & Gundula Fischer, 2023. "Do youth conceptualizations influence the inclusion of young people in sustainable agriculture intensification? Insights from Ghana and Malawi," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(12), pages 13909-13935, December.
    2. Piers Blaikie, 2000. "Development, Post-, Anti-, and Populist: A Critical Review," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 32(6), pages 1033-1050, June.
    3. Keith B. Matthews & Ansel Renner & Kirsty L. Blackstock & Kerry A. Waylen & Dave G. Miller & Doug H. Wardell-Johnson & Alba Juarez-Bourke & Juan Cadillo-Benalcazar & Joep F. Schyns & Mario Giampietro, 2021. "Old Wine in New Bottles: Exploiting Data from the EU’s Farm Accountancy Data Network for Pan-EU Sustainability Assessments of Agricultural Production Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-26, September.
    4. Foley-Fisher, Nathan & McLaughlin, Eoin, 2016. "Capitalising on the Irish land question: land reform and state banking in Ireland, 1891–1938," Financial History Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(1), pages 71-109, April.
    5. Oswaldo Viteri Salazar & Jesus Ramos-Martin & Pedro L. Lomas, 2016. "Using household types for improving livelihood strategies of smallholders: coffee and cocoa producers in the Northern Amazon of Ecuador," Documentos de Trabajo FLACSO Ecuador 2016_02, Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO).
    6. Wenfeng Chi & Yuanyuan Zhao & Wenhui Kuang & Tao Pan & Tu Ba & Jinshen Zhao & Liang Jin & Sisi Wang, 2021. "Impact of Cropland Evolution on Soil Wind Erosion in Inner Mongolia of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-16, June.
    7. Pradesha, Angga & Pauw, Karl & Siddig, Khalid H. A. & Thurlow, James, 2024. "Reimagining Sustainable Intensification: A Novel Application of Modern Portfolio Theory in a General Equilibrium Framework," 2024 Annual Meeting, July 28-30, New Orleans, LA 343793, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Alexis Zickafoose & Gary Wingenbach & Matt Baker & Edwin Price, 2023. "Developing Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship in Latin America and the Caribbean," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-19, November.
    9. Sushanta K. Mallick, 2014. "Disentangling the Poverty Effects of Sectoral Output, Prices, and Policies in India," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(4), pages 773-801, December.
    10. Meyer, Maximilian & Hulke, Carolin & Kamwi, Jonathan & Kolem, Hannah & Börner, Jan, 2022. "Spatially heterogeneous effects of collective action on environmental dependence in Namibia’s Zambezi region," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    11. Cheye, Stephen & Annan, Kenneth & Wang, Tong, 2026. "Adoption Dynamics of Ecological Agriculture Practices: Understanding the Complementarity and Intensity in the US Midwest," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 0(Preprint), June.
    12. Pirjo Peltonen-Sainio & Lauri Jauhiainen, 2019. "Risk of Low Productivity is Dependent on Farm Characteristics: How to Turn Poor Performance into an Advantage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-17, October.
    13. Joseph I. Uduji & Elda N. Okolo-Obasi, 2021. "Empowerment of Rural Young People in Informal Farm Entrepreneurship: The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria’s Oil Producing Communities," Working Papers 21/033, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    14. Luan Marca & Luis Fernando Tavares Vieira Braga & Adelar Fochezatto & Augusto Mussi Alvim, 2026. "Spatial dynamics of gross domestic product per capita in Brazilian municipalities," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 75(1), pages 1-30, March.
    15. Dinh, Hoang Huu & Wesseler, Justus, 2024. "Decentralization Of Vietnam'S forestlands: The policy process and impact," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    16. Marijn Bolhuis & Swapnika Rachapalli & Diego Restuccia, 2026. "Misallocation in Indian Agriculture," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 18(2), pages 378-408, April.
    17. Joseph I. Uduji & Elda N. Okolo-Obasi, 2021. "Empowerment of Rural Young People in Informal Farm Entrepreneurship: The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria’s Oil Producing Communities," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 21/033, African Governance and Development Institute..
    18. Edwige Fain & Stéphane Lemarié & Aline Fugeray-Scarbel & Adrien Hervouet, 2026. "Towards reduced pesticide use in agriculture: A multiple-case study of agrosupply business models for low pesticide solutions," Post-Print hal-05476198, HAL.
    19. Peter Dwumah & Kofi Osei Akuoko & Eric Henry Yeboah, 2018. "Family Networks’ Support to Employment Paths of Rural Youth in a Ghanaian Community," International Journal of Social Science Studies, Redfame publishing, vol. 6(2), pages 32-46, February.
    20. Naidoo, Dhesigen & Nhamo, Luxon & Mpandeli, Sylvester & Sobratee, Nafisa & Senzanje, Aidan & Liphadzi, Stanley & Slotow, Rob & Jacobson, Michael & Modi, Albert T. & Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe, 2021. "Operationalising the water-energy-food nexus through the theory of change," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:7:y:2023:i:10:p:1607-1618. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.