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Bio-economic development of floodplains: farming versus fishing in Bangladesh

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2006

MURSALEENA ISLAM  and
JOHN B. BRADEN
MURSALEENA ISLAM
Affiliation:
Abt Associates Inc., 4800 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814.USA. Email: mursaleena_islam@abtassoc.com.
JOHN B. BRADEN
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois, 1301 W. Gregory Drive, Rm. 431, Urbana, IL 61801. USA. Email: jbb@uiuc.edu.
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Abstract

This paper explores economic development in the floodplain of large rivers, where both economic and ecological factors need to be considered for effective management. Floodplain management policies in Bangladesh emphasize structural changes to enhance agricultural production. However, these structural changes reduce fisheries production, an important natural resource sector and a source of subsistence for the rural poor. We develop a model where net returns to agriculture and fisheries are jointly maximized, taking into account the effect of flooding depth and timing on production, and value of catch in markets and for subsistence nutrition. Results for a region in Bangladesh show that optimal production in a natural floodplain yields higher net returns compared with a floodplain modified by flood control structures. This finding implies that neglecting the bio-economic relationship between fisheries and land use may significantly affect the long-run economic role of a river floodplain, particularly where subsistence consumption is important to social welfare.

Type
Research Article
Information
Environment and Development Economics , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , February 2006 , pp. 95 - 126
Copyright
© 2006 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation through grant number DEB-9613562; the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Illinois, and USDA/CREES through project 05-305 ACE; the Graduate College and the program in Environmental and Resource Economics of the University of Illinois; and the Social Sciences Research Council. In addition, Econ One Research, Inc. and BatesWhite, LLC supported Mursaleena Islam's time at the final stages of this work. The authors are grateful for assistance received from Munir Ahmed, Mustafa Alam, Mahbub Ali, Md. Shawkat Ali, Kingsley Allen, Lee Alston, Peter Bayley, Richard Brazee, Sharifuzzaman Choudhury, Mike Demissie, Ashley Halls, Mujibul Huq, Anisul Islam, Mustafa Kamal, Madhu Khanna, Roger Koenker, Syed Iqbal Khosru, Hayri Önal, Mokhlesur Rahman, Salim Rashid, Salimullah, Quazi Shahabuddin, Bhavani Shankar, Richard Sparks, David White, and two anonymous reviewers. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring agencies or individuals noted above.