Non-Financial and Financial Factors Influencing the Mode of Life of the Gher Farmers from the Western Coastal Areas of Bangladesh

Ponds for shrimp culture are also called shrimp gher, and gher farming is a common occupation for the people of the coastal regions. In this study, the researchers aimed to assess the socio-economic condition of the gher farmers at the Paikgachha sub-district under Khulna. Data based on questionnaires were randomly collected from 125 gher farmers from April to September 2018. Most of the respondents belonged to 26 to 40 year- old group, and 38.4% of households had 4 to 5 members. More than 30% gher farmers received no institutional education, but they can at least write their names. On the other hand, 76.8% of respondents sent their children to school. Ninety-two percent of farmers followed traditional culture systems, and most of them were involved in gher farming throughout the year. They practiced different additional income-generating activities besides shrimp farming, such as agricultural work, livestock rearing, business, day laboring and others. Around 44.8% of farmers took technical assistance from family and friends, while 22.4% received it from NGOs. The livelihood status of the respondents does not witness any improvement due to illiteracy, natural disasters and disease outbreaks. Their life should be facilitated with continuous disease control support and other technical support. The government and NGOs can play a significant role to improve their socio-economic status by implementing coastal zone developmental plans based on community so that they can sustain their livelihood in an effective way.