JBS Vol 06. Num 1-2. 2004 - IMPACT OF RICE-PRAWN GHER FARMING ON AGRICULTURAL AND HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN BANGLADESH: A CASE STUDY OF KHULNA DISTRICT

The present study evaluates the impact of rice prawn gher farming on agricultural income as well as household
income in Bangladesh. The research was conducted in Bilpabla village under Dumuria Thana in Khulna District
using primary and secondary data. The impact of gher farming on agricultural income was examined by the
production cost and total revenue of prawn, fish, paddy and vegetables. The production cost and revenue of local
aman were used as the benchmark for the changes in income of the farmers. Secondary sources of information were
used for the benchmark data. The gher farming system has changed the cropping patterns dramatically with diverse
products like prawn, carp fish, boro paddy, and vegetable in the field where only single crop of paddy was cultivated
before the introduction of gher farming. Gher farming system is a profitable enterprise compared to paddy
production. As a result, gher farming system has increased agricultural income for owning and renting farmers. The
agricultural income of renting farmers from gher farming was about 23 times higher than sharecropper’s agricultural
income from local aman, whereas, the agricultural income for owning gher farmers was about nine times higher than
owning paddy farmer. Therefore, change in agricultural income from gher farming has greater impact on renting
farmers than owning farmers. The study found a positive impact of gher farming on agricultural income as well as
household income in the study area.