Group presentation of Rural sociology course. Done by '16 batch students of sociology discipline, Khulna University

1. 1

2. 2

3. Poverty
and Vulnerability
in Rural Society
3

4.  In Bangladesh around 76% people live in rural area.
 In Bangladesh the meaning of poverty is rural poverty.
 Meaning of poverty
 In general the meaning of poverty is scarcity of wealth.
 Exploitation is the root of poverty
 Poverty in general scarcity ,dearth, or the state of one who lacks a certain
amount of material possessions or money.
 There are two types of poverty
 1) Absolute poverty
 2)Relative poverty
4

5. Nature of rural poverty
• The nature of rural poverty is-
• Scarcity of affordability:
• The main characteristic of rural poverty is people’s scarcity of affordability.
• Agriculture dependency is the main characteristic of rural economy. That’s
why there is a lack of cash in people hand.
• Most of the peasant are landless or owner of less land for scarcity of cash
they can’t fulfill the agricultural work.
• Famine and starvation
• When poverty reaches its highest place then people have to live in starvation.
• Then start famine. Even now rural society’s people face famine and
starvation. In every year in northern area people face starvation.
5

6. • Short of food:
• In an agriculture based economy if there is around 60% landless people
then food safety is not possible.
• Around 78.45% family faces scarcity of food.
• Day laborer, agriculture laborer are in safe profession, there is lack of
opportunity of earning ready money. So they face scarcity of food.
• Lack of opportunity:
• There is no industries, no good communication and transport system. So
there is lack of employment, modern life, daily life opportunities.
• There is not only lack of material opportunity but also have moral
opportunity
6

7. • Land lessness:
• This is one of the main reasons of rural poverty.
• Around 60% people are landless.
• The land ownership of Bangladesh is not friendly with poverty.
•
• Lack of house/residence:
• In rural society, who lives below the poverty line, most of them have no
place for live.
• And those who have house, they live in a miserable way
7

8. • Scarcity of education, treatment:
• Rural people’s illiteracy, scarcity of treatment, thin baby, maternity death
rate is the clear evidence of rural poverty.
• Where there is lack of food, so education and treatment are luxurious for
them.
• Recently there are some changes but parents believe in earning than
education.
• Exploitation:
• When people are poor, then the rate of exploitation is high.
• Rural people are not conscious of their rights.
• Here land owner, local govt., money lender and people of administration
directly or indirectly exploit people.
• In rural shalish, most of the time people get justice
8

9. • Unemployment:
• In Bangladesh, there is low employment and that is too competitive.
• So for rural people to survive here is not easy.
• Over population:
• In general low rate earning people have many children.
• Rural poverty, culture, unconsciousness discourage people for birth
control.
• Where educated and rich people have 1-2 children and rural peasant,
day laborer has 8-10 children.
So over population also a big reason for rural poverty.
• Rural people have lack of education, training and in recent getting a
job without requirement is hard.
• It is hard to observe rural poverty by external situation, so there is
need deep perception and investigation mentality.
9

10.  Vulnerability refers to the inability of a system or a unit to
withstand the effects of a hostile environment.
 In rural society with permanent poverty there is outbreak of poverty
vulnerability.
 Natural disaster, weak economic base, exploitation are the reasons
for rural vulnerability.
Characteristics of rural vulnerability:
 There is difference between common poverty and
vulnerability. Which characteristics differ vulnerability are:
Effects most of the people:
 Vulnerability not only effect poor people but also effect most
of the poor.
 Most of the time there is no preparation. People face this
dangerous situation suddenly.
10

11. Economic weakness
• :
• The main reasons for economic weakness and uncertainity.
• Rural economy is weak economy so it collapse by little hit.
• So 90% of the people suffer vulnerability and disaster, epidemics, flood,
starvation, damaged people.
• Vulnerability is temporary:
• Natural disaster, flood, excessive rainfalls are the reason for vulnerability.
• After certain time, everything gets normal. So vulnerability consider as a
temporary.
11

12. • Natural disaster are related to unemployment:
• Natural disaster is the main reason for vulnerability. It damage people
and crop also.
• If some people have wealth they cannot use it for vulnerability.
• It damage peasant’s crop very badly. So unemployment is the result and
people suffer vulnerability.
• Not only poverty epidemics is its partner:
• Without poverty, there is also catching disease are epidemic.
• After flood, diarrhea, skin diseases, fever, dysentery spread
epidemically
12

13. • Much more damage in short time:
• Vulnerability occurs in a short time but it has long term effects.
• Communication problem, lack of disease prevention, lack of affordability
for these reasons life of people stored.
• They sell their land in low price.
13

14.  There are many changes in type and nature of rural
poverty. Today the definition of poverty not only
confined with food and cloth.
 Today the measurement of poverty is concerned with
education, treatment, housing ,income, modern life
facilities etc.
 Absolute poverty is decreasing but relative poverty is
increasing.
 For housing agricultural land is decreasing .
 And the migration of rural people is also changing the
pattern of poverty.
14

15.  For Expand non-farm activities the socio-
economic condition and life style of rural people
is developing.
 Rural people are earning more and they are
educating their children.
 So the rate of rural poverty is getting low by non-
farm activities.
15

16.  MD. Iqbal Hossain, Rural Sociology, Chapter 9
poverty in rural society.
 definition and meaning of poverty/google.com
 Picture of recent rural flood/image/google.com
 Big family in rural area/image/google.com
 Residence problem in rural area
bd/image/google.com
 Food problem in rural bd/image/google.com
16

17. Do you have any
questions???
17