Impact of Community-led Action Research on Production Decisions and Food Adjustment Strategies in a Grain-Producing Village in Northwest Bangladesh

• Published in: Asian journal of agriculture and development Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 81 - 94
• Main Authors: Pasa, Md. Kamal, Rahman, Md. Matiur, Diaz, Catalina, Maksurat, Shejuti Nure, Palis, Florencia, Custodio, Pam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 15.12.2015
• ISSN: 1656-4383; 2599-3879
• DOI: 10.37801/ajad2015.12.2.6

The purpose of the paper is to describe the impact of community-led action research on food security and poverty alleviation on the production decisions and food adjustment strategies of farmers in a grain-producing village in northwest Bangladesh. The study used a mixed method approach with 80 respondents for the quantitative part (survey), which are distributed equally between gono-gobeshona participants and non-participant groups, and 30 for the qualitative part (10 in-depth interviews, 4 key informant interviews, 4 focus groups, and 10 case studies). Survey responses were analyzed using SPSS software and content analysis framework was used for qualitative data. The findings show that far more households who participated in the from the gono-gobeshona make joint decisions (by both husband and wife) in various aspects of production than non-participants. Women as authority figures were higher in number among the participants than the non-participants and more households in the non-participant group considered the husband as the authority figure. Finally, the community-led action research process met sustainability features and was inclusive across social positions.