Bangladesh project 388-0061 · 1991–1995 · food assistance · Tropical Research and Development, Inc.

This study analyzes the sociodemographic conditions within which CARE's Food For Work (FFW) program operates in Bangladesh and the positive and negative impact of the program on society. The following basic trends in Bangladesh rural society are initially identified. (1) How pressure of population and the cumulative fragmentation of landholdings has weakened the patron-client relationships upon which the landless and near-landless have traditionally depended. (2) How the consequent polarization of rural society and the growing number of landless households has resulted in greater dependence upon wage- and food-earning opportunities, such as those provided by FFW. (3) How with landlessness and fewer possibilities of self-employment as unpaid family workers, a growing number of women are compelled to seek outside wage employment, including work on roads and other rural infrastructure. (4) How authority at the upazila and union levels has become an extension of the patronage system from Dhaka while lacking the revenue-raising capability and the accountability to respond to the needs of the poorer segments of the population. The study then describes the impact of FFW as indicated f

Source: DEC abstract, PN-ABH-501 (1991). The source's own text.