IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i15p6279-d1440839.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Collective Action and Identity in the Preservation of Irrigation Access in Dacope, Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • Md Ashik Ur Rahman

    (Department of Anthropology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5773, USA
    Environmental Science Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna 9208, Bangladesh)

  • Christine M. Beitl

    (Department of Anthropology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5773, USA)

Abstract

Agriculture is one of the most culturally and economically important livelihood activities of the Ganges River Delta. In recent years, coastal communities have experienced longer dry seasons and salinity intrusion, which is exacerbated by registration errors in land tenure that have led to increasing encroachment by external interests in the Dacope sub-district of Bangladesh. These challenges threaten to undermine the sustainability of smallholder access to canals that are collectively managed as common-pool resources (CPR). This paper explores how identity and collective action may empower farmers to secure irrigation access in the face of external pressures. Drawing primarily on qualitative data collected through focus group discussions with farmers in Dacope, our findings reveal that identity serves as a powerful force driving collective action and the sustainability of the agricultural community. A shared occupational identity fosters a sense of belonging and collective responsibility among farmers to maintain water flow through construction, annual dredging, and temporary dry-season protections. However, despite a strong commitment to maintaining their irrigation system, challenges remain in farmers’ ability to combat the powerful interests of wealthier members of the community that threaten to undermine the viability of the irrigation commons. Thus, formal support through policy and legislative avenues is also necessary to safeguard common property rights against the threat of privatization and illegal occupation of canals. These findings further underscore the need for more research on how collective identity may strengthen collective action, livelihoods, and sustainability in the absence of strong institutional arrangements that uphold community rights and access to common-pool resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Md Ashik Ur Rahman & Christine M. Beitl, 2024. "The Role of Collective Action and Identity in the Preservation of Irrigation Access in Dacope, Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-18, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:15:p:6279-:d:1440839
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/15/6279/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/15/6279/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dasgupta, Susmita & Hossain, Md. Moqbul & Huq, Mainul & Wheeler, David, 2018. "Climate Change, Salinization and High-Yield Rice Production in Coastal Bangladesh," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(1), pages 66-89, April.
    2. Camelia Dewan & Aditi Mukherji & Marie-Charlotte Buisson, 2015. "Evolution of water management in coastal Bangladesh: from temporary earthen embankments to depoliticized community-managed polders," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 401-416, May.
    3. Hare Krisna Kundo, 2018. "Citizen’s Charter for Improved Public Service Delivery and Accountability: The Experience of Land Administration at the Local Government in Bangladesh," International Journal of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(3), pages 226-237, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Md. Zonayet & Alok Kumar Paul & Md. Faisal-E-Alam & Khalid Syfullah & Rui Alexandre Castanho & Daniel Meyer, 2023. "Impact of Biochar as a Soil Conditioner to Improve the Soil Properties of Saline Soil and Productivity of Tomato," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Amornchai Challcharoenwattana & Chanathip Pharino, 2015. "Co-Benefits of Household Waste Recycling for Local Community’s Sustainable Waste Management in Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-21, June.
    3. Prabal Barua & Syed Hafizur Rahman, 2020. "Resilience Of Agriculture Farmers For Crop Production In Responses To Climate Change Impact On South - Eastern Coast Of Bangladesh," Environment & Ecosystem Science (EES), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 4(1), pages 28-37, April.
    4. Khanam, Taznoore & Pede, Valerien O. & Wheatley, W. Parker, 2020. "Climate Change and the Formation of Risk and Time Preferences: A Study of Rice Farmers in Bangladesh," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304414, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Nath, Sanchayan & Shams, Jahin & van Laerhoven, Frank & Driessen, Peter, 2022. "The impact of decision-making on conflict: Rethinking the roles of technocrats and residents during Tidal River Management in coastal Bangladesh," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    6. Wenzhu Zhou & Yiwen Zhang & Yajun Tang, 2023. "Spatiotemporal Evolution and Mechanisms of Polder Land Use in the “Water-Polder-Village” System: A Case Study of Gaochun District in Nanjing, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-21, September.
    7. Sanchayan Nath & Frank van Laerhoven & Peter P. J. Driessen, 2019. "Have Bangladesh’s Polders Decreased Livelihood Vulnerability? A Comparative Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-20, December.
    8. Aravindakshan, Sreejith & Krupnik, Timothy J. & Amjath-Babu, T.S. & Speelman, Stijn & Tur-Cardona, Juan & Tittonell, Pablo & Groot, Jeroen C.J., 2021. "Quantifying farmers' preferences for cropping systems intensification: A choice experiment approach applied in coastal Bangladesh's risk prone farming systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    9. Guimbeau, Amanda & Ji, Xinde James & Long, Zi & Menon, Nidhiya, 2024. "Ocean salinity, early-life health, and adaptation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    10. CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE)., 2018. "Gender-equitable pathways to achieving sustainable agricultural intensification," IWMI Water Policy Briefings 311127, International Water Management Institute.
    11. Walter Leal Filho & Francine Modesto & Gustavo J. Nagy & Mustafa Saroar & Nsani YannickToamukum & Michael Ha’apio, 2018. "Fostering coastal resilience to climate change vulnerability in Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon and Uruguay: a cross-country comparison," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 579-602, April.
    12. Sad Dian Utomo & Irfan Ridwan Maksum & Teguh Kurniawan, 2023. "The Institutional Dynamics of Sub-District in Indonesia," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 43(1), pages 1-36, May.
    13. Md Roushon Jamal & Paul Kristiansen & Md Jahangir Kabir & Lisa Lobry de Bruyn, 2023. "Challenges and Adaptations for Resilient Rice Production under Changing Environments in Bangladesh," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-21, June.
    14. Yukyan Lam & Peter J. Winch & Fosiul Alam Nizame & Elena T. Broaddus-Shea & Md. Golam Dostogir Harun & Pamela J. Surkan, 2022. "Salinity and food security in southwest coastal Bangladesh: impacts on household food production and strategies for adaptation," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(1), pages 229-248, February.
    15. Walter Leal Filho & Franziska Wolf & Stefano Moncada & Amanda Lange Salvia & Abdul-Lateef Babatunde Balogun & Constantina Skanavis & Aristea Kounani & Patrick D. Nunn, 2022. "Transformative adaptation as a sustainable response to climate change: insights from large-scale case studies," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 27(3), pages 1-26, March.
    16. Mizanur Rahman & Jeff Popke & Thomas W. Crawford, 2022. "Resident perceptions of riverbank erosion and shoreline protection: a mixed-methods case study from Bangladesh," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 114(3), pages 2767-2786, December.
    17. Shaikh Mohammad Kais & Md Saidul Islam, 2023. "Climate Change, Ecological Modernization, and Disaster Management: The Coastal Embankment Project in Southwestern Bangladesh," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(12), pages 1-20, June.
    18. Crelis Rammelt, 2018. "Infrastructures as Catalysts: Precipitating Uneven Patterns of Development from Large-Scale Infrastructure Investments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-15, April.
    19. Guimbeau, Amanda & Ji, Xinde & Menon, Nidhiya & Long, Zi, 2022. "An Extra Grain of Salt: The Effect of Salinity Exposure on Early Life Health Outcomes in Coastal Bangladesh," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322076, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    20. Herbert, Sruthi, 2024. "Geography of inequality, geography of development: Water politics in India," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 33(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:15:p:6279-:d:1440839. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.