3
Service Delivery Profile of the Agricultural Economics Division
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur
The Agricultural Economics Division of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute conducts applied socio-economic research to support evidence-based agricultural planning, technology dissemination, market development, and policy formulation. The Division generates farm-level and market-level evidence on the profitability, adoption, impact, value chain performance, resource-use efficiency, and livelihood implications of BARI-developed technologies and important agricultural commodities.
The services of the Division are designed to support farmers, extension agencies, researchers, policymakers, agribusiness actors, development partners, and other stakeholders involved in agricultural development in Bangladesh.
Major Services Provided by the Agricultural Economics Division
1. Farm-Level Economic and Profitability Analysis
The Division conducts cost and return analysis of different crops, cropping systems, and production technologies. These studies help identify economically viable technologies and farming practices for different agro-ecological regions of Bangladesh.
Current service focus includes:
- Cost and return analysis of selected spices crops
- Profitability analysis of garlic and watermelon relay cropping in Chalan Beel areas
- Comparative profitability analysis of ginger cultivation in sacks and plain lands
- Profitability and input-use analysis of crops under major cropping patterns
- Economic assessment of high-value summer tomato cultivation
- Profitability assessment of BARI-released oilseed, tuber, and aquatic vegetable varieties
2. Technology Adoption and Impact Assessment
The Division assesses the adoption status, adoption drivers, constraints, and socio-economic impacts of agricultural technologies developed or promoted by BARI. These services help research divisions and policymakers understand why farmers adopt or do not adopt specific technologies.
Current service focus includes:
- Adoption and impact of farm mechanization through local service providers in Haor regions
- Adoption dynamics and barriers to climate-smart agriculture among coastal smallholder farmers
- Adoption and impact of BARI taro varieties
- Adoption of tuber crops in Bangladesh
- Farm-level adoption and market status of BARI-released major oilseed crops
- Adoption and profitability of BARI Panikachu varieties
3. Climate Adaptation, Resource Scarcity, and Livelihood Research
The Division provides socio-economic evidence on climate change adaptation, water scarcity, salinity, and livelihood resilience. These services are particularly relevant for climate-vulnerable areas such as coastal, Haor, drought-prone, and water-scarce regions.
Current service focus includes:
- Climate adaptation in saline coastal ecosystems through enhanced cropping systems
- Adoption of climate-smart agriculture among coastal smallholder farmers
- Impact of water scarcity on agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods
- Socio-economic assessment of farming systems in climate-vulnerable regions
4. Value Chain, Market System, and Agribusiness Research
The Division conducts market and value chain studies to identify marketing constraints, price behaviour, value addition opportunities, and market potential of agricultural commodities. These services support farmers, traders, processors, exporters, and policymakers in improving market efficiency.
Current service focus includes:
- Value chain and market potential of Panikachu in Bangladesh
- Stakeholder mapping and value addition in the mustard supply chain
- Marketing systems and export potentiality of betel leaf
- Market status of BARI-released major oilseed crops
- Market assessment of tuber crops and aquatic vegetables
5. Farming System and Cropping Pattern Analysis
The Division analyses existing farming systems, cropping patterns, and technology suitability across different regions. These services help identify appropriate technologies for specific farmer groups, agro-ecological zones, and production environments.
Current service focus includes:
- Farming system typology for adoption of new technology among coastal potato farmers
- Assessment of existing agroforestry systems in Moulvibazar district
- Input use and profitability of crops under major cropping patterns
- Enhanced cropping systems for saline coastal ecosystems
6. Agricultural Credit, Food Security, and Household Welfare Analysis
The Division conducts research on the relationship between agricultural finance, household food security, income, livelihood, and welfare. These services generate evidence for improving farmers’ access to credit and strengthening rural livelihood systems.
Current service focus includes:
- Impact of agricultural credit on household food security among spice farmers
- Household-level livelihood assessment in climate-affected and water-scarce areas
- Socio-economic analysis of resource-poor and smallholder farmers
7. Policy Support and Evidence-Based Recommendations
The Division provides research-based recommendations for agricultural policy, technology dissemination, market improvement, resource management, and farmer support services. Findings from the Division’s studies are useful for BARI, the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Extension, development agencies, and other relevant institutions.
Key outputs include:
- Policy briefs
- Research reports
- Farm-level economic indicators
- Technology adoption evidence
- Market and value chain recommendations
- Stakeholder-based policy suggestions
- Economic feasibility reports
8. Support to BARI Research Divisions, Centres, and Regional Stations
The Division provides socio-economic research support to different crop research centres, regional stations, and research divisions of BARI. This includes survey design, sampling, questionnaire preparation, field data collection, data analysis, interpretation, and report writing.
Major areas of support include:
- Socio-economic survey design
- Cost-benefit analysis
- Farmer adoption studies
- Market and value chain studies
- Technology impact assessment
- Stakeholder consultation and FGD facilitation
- Preparation of research reports and policy recommendations
Potential Services the Division Can Provide
In addition to its current research activities, the Agricultural Economics Division has the capacity to provide the following services:
- Economic feasibility assessment of new agricultural technologies before large-scale dissemination.
- Socio-economic baseline and endline studies for agricultural research and development projects.
- Market intelligence and price behaviour analysis for major agricultural commodities.
- Value chain upgrading strategy for high-value crops, spices, oilseeds, tubers, vegetables, and export-oriented commodities.
- Assessment of farmers’ willingness to adopt new technologies and their willingness to pay for improved varieties, machinery, and services.
- Gender-sensitive agricultural livelihood analysis, especially in relation to labour use, technology adoption, and household decision-making.
- Evaluation of climate-smart agriculture interventions in coastal, Haor, Barind, char, and hill ecosystems.
- Training support on farm management, enterprise budgeting, and agricultural economics research methods.
- Development of farmer-friendly cost of production guidelines for selected BARI crops and technologies.
- Policy advisory support on agricultural commercialization, market linkage, credit access, mechanization, and climate adaptation.
Future Service Areas
To strengthen evidence-based agricultural development, the Agricultural Economics Division aims to expand its services in the following areas:
- Digital database on cost of production and profitability of major BARI crops
- Regular market and value chain monitoring of selected agricultural commodities
- Farmer-oriented decision-support tools for crop enterprise selection
- Regional technology adoption tracking system
- Climate risk and livelihood vulnerability assessment
- Impact evaluation of BARI technologies using advanced econometric methods
- Export potential assessment for high-value and niche agricultural commodities
- Collaboration with public, private, and development partners for applied agricultural policy research
Service Recipients
The services of the Agricultural Economics Division are intended for:
- Farmers and farmer groups
- BARI research divisions, centres, and regional stations
- Ministry of Agriculture and related government agencies
- Department of Agricultural Extension
- Agricultural entrepreneurs, traders, processors, and exporters
- Universities and research institutions
- Development partners and NGOs
- Policymakers and planners
- Students, researchers, and other knowledge users
Expected Service Outputs
The Division provides the following outputs through its research and service activities:
- Research reports
- Policy briefs
- Scientific articles
- Technology adoption reports
- Cost and return estimates
- Value chain maps
- Market assessment reports
- Stakeholder consultation reports
- Training materials
- Recommendations for technology dissemination and policy planning
Concluding Statement
The Agricultural Economics Division plays a vital role in linking agricultural research with farmers’ realities, market systems, and policy needs. Through farm-level economic analysis, technology adoption studies, value chain research, climate adaptation assessment, and policy-oriented socio-economic research, the Division contributes to making BARI technologies more effective, farmer-oriented, market-responsive, and sustainable.
