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International migration often contributes to an increase in fallow land and a decline in cropping intensity in own land in rural Bangladesh, according to a study by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
The study also suggests that in regions with high levels of international migration, agricultural land should be prioritised for contract farming or renting out to ensure its productive use.
The findings were presented at a session on credit, agricultural productivity and land use at the four-day annual conference on development 2024 organised by BIDS at a city hotel on Tuesday.
The study titled "Impact of International Migration on the Use of Agriculture Land: Evidence from Bangladesh" also released that households with at least one international migrant have a 2.03 percentage point higher share of fallow land compared to households with no international migrants.
The study presented by Md Nadim Uddin, research associate, BIDS, also found that migrant households' cropping intensity of their own land is 12.46 percentage points lower than that of non-migrant households.
Among remittance-receiving households, remittance is positively associated with fallow land, it added.
Another research paper titled "Agricultural Productivity and Technical Efficiency in Bangladesh" was presented by Taznoore Samina Khanam, research fellow, BIDS.
Muhammad Yunus, research director, BIDS, also presented another paper titled "Agricultural Credit, Training, and Farm Household Welfare in Bangladesh".