NON-FARM INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES OPPORTUNITIES IN CHAR AREAS OF BANGLADESH

The non-farm IGA activities may be defined as comprising all those activities associated with waged work or self-employment that are not agricultural but which generate income. The study aims to find out the non-farm IGA activities in char areas. The study is based on primary and secondary data and a total of 75 samples have been selected from two char of kajipur upazila under Sirajganj District. The data have been collected through face to face interview and FGD method. Mixed approaches of data analysis were done. It was observed that the most frequently practiced non-farm IGA activities were fishing practiced by 25% of the respondents, 20% were day laborer, 6% were renting agricultural machineries, 15% tailoring and so on. The research also identified some problems of non-farm IGAs. Among which lack of capital, problem in getting loan from government bank, scarcity of labor and high wage of labor and poor road communication and irrigation system are mentionable. Besides this there has a huge scope of IGA activities in removing poverty from char areas ultimately from Bangladesh. Non-farm IGA activities can remove over dependency on agriculture. Therefore, non-farm activities should be accorded recognition and encouraged to flourish.