The study is conducted under Comprehensive Poverty Reduction Bangladesh, Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB)

 

The livelihood of the ethnic minorities living in the Bandarban district depends mostly on agricultural production and their selling in the local market. Improved agricultural production system, proper market access and right price of produces could enhance the economic activity and livelihood of vulnerable people living in those area. The CCDB’s Comprehensive Poverty Reduction Programme (CPRP) has been implementing in many areas of the country particularly Bandarban Sadar, Ruma, and Rowangchari upazilas in Bandarban District with the ethnic minority. The project plans to introduce adaptive measures like horticulture gardening instead of Jhum cultivation for diverse livelihood options so that the reference people can cope with the adverse impact of climate change. In order to ensure fair product prices, CPRP wants to improve the livelihood of reference persons as well as the marketing mechanism for their products. Accordingly, the CCDB intends to perform a livelihood and market assessment in order to gain a holistic awareness of the local market, as well as involve traders and the private sector in the marketing process. They also aim to have sufficient understanding of the local economy and vulnerable ethnic minorities' livelihood possibilities in order to determine the most economically viable options in light of the geographical location. Hence, this study is conducted to comprehend the obstacles to marketing local vegetables and fruits by ethnic minorities; to identify the external or internal factors that prevent ethnic minorities from engaging in business, and to explore the current system or mechanism regarding land ownership and its impact on livelihood options. The study is designed to give evidence for the future selection of livelihood intervention sectors and market-based solutions.