Economic Consequences of Land Fragmentation on Farm Production: Empirical Evidences from Bangladesh

Abstract

This study examines the impact of land fragmentation on farm productivity in northern Bangladesh. To achieve that objective, primary data were collected from 193 farm households through a direct interview method from Mymensingh and Dinajpur districts. A combination of analytical tools was employed like perception index, fragmentation index, Simpson index and multiple linear regression model. Most of the farm lands in the study area were severely fragmented. The decreasing rate of average farm size was more prevalent for those farmers whose lands were less fragmented. Moreover, farmers, having more fragmented land, incurred more costs in farm production. Regression results revealed that the number of parcels, average plot size and average distance from plots to homestead were found to have significant negative impact on rice production. Policy implications include developing effective land consolidations program by the spread of commercialization of farming by public or private authority and spread of mechanization through machine service providers at the local level and creating employment opportunities to release pressure on the land.