Embedded Files
Collecting Data on Coping strategy and Future Suggestions to Tackle the Flash Flood Impacts on Sustainable Livelihood in BangladeshLocation: Kishorganj
Collecting Data on Crop InsuranceLocation: Sylhet
Research Interest
Research Interest
Remote Sensing, Water Resource, Development Economics, Impact AssesmentÂ
Fellowship
Fellowship
Bringing Idaho's Water History into Digital Age
Bringing Idaho's Water History into Digital Age
Funding: Julie and David Levine Data Hub Fellowship 2026, University of Idaho
This project focuses on digitizing and standardizing Idaho’s historical water records from archival sources and integrating them with modern hydrological datasets. The objective is to transform fragmented, non-digital information into structured, machine-readable data that can support long-term analysis. Key deliverables include a curated open-access database and interactive visualization tools that enable users to explore changes in water systems over time. By making previously inaccessible data usable, the project contributes to improved research, education, and evidence-based water resource management.Â
The Interactive Water Dashboard is currently under development. A beta version is available at:
Master of Science Thesis
Master of Science Thesis
A Geospatial Impact Evaluation of Stress-Tolerant Rice Variety (STRV) Adoption in Flood Prone Bangladesh
A Geospatial Impact Evaluation of Stress-Tolerant Rice Variety (STRV) Adoption in Flood Prone Bangladesh
My master's thesis was supported entirely by the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA), through a collaboration between The University of Arizona-AIDE Lab and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)Â
In an effort to promote ethical and reproducible research, I filled a pre-analysis plan in Open Science Foundation (OSF). Codes will be available soon through Github.
I presented my initial research findings at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting 2022, Anaheim California. The poster is available here. Also, the thesis is also available through the UA Thesis Repository.
Rice area data come from MODIS composite products such as the 8-day 500m resolution while flood data comes from Dartmouth Observatory analysis of daily MODIS 250m imagery
Background:
Each year, all divisions (largest administrative unit) within Bangladesh encountered varying degrees of flooding, which causes substantial crop damage and poses a significant threat to food security in the country. To cope with this problem IRRI and Govt. of Bangladesh had introduced STRVs.
Research Question:
Does increased adoption of STRVs result in an increase in household welfare measured in terms of rice yield?
Take away 1:
The average yields for non-adopters who experience a flood are significantly less than adopters who experience a flood. This result is based on the household level two-way fixed effect estimation where the standard errors are clustered at HH level.
Take away 2:
Using the TWFE-Instrumental Variable method, we could not find any significant difference of yield between STRV adopter and Non-adopter.Â
To resolve this contradiction between TWFE and TWFE-IV results, I need to dig deeper with different IVs and measurement precision.
Impact of Survey Mode on Measuring Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) Outcomes: Insights from a Randomized Control Trial in EthiopiaÂ
Impact of Survey Mode on Measuring Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) Outcomes: Insights from a Randomized Control Trial in EthiopiaÂ
In an effort to promote ethical and reproducible research, Codes are available in Github
The thesis is available through the UGA Thesis Repository.
Take away 1:
Our findings indicate that respondents surveyed via phone are significantly more likely to provide socially desirable responses, leading to inflated reports of improved water access, sanitation, and hygiene behaviors.Â
Take away 2:
Phone respondents exhibit a higher tendency to provide socially desirable answers, reinforcing concerns about data validity in phone based surveys.Â
Take away 3:
In the Phone survey group, social desirability scores initially increase with enumerator experience, peak at an intermediate stage, and then decline as enumerators conduct more surveys. On the other hand early-stage In-person interactions may produce more candid responses, potentially due to a lack of established rapport between the enumerator and respondent. However, as enumerators gain experience, they may develop subtle social cuesÂ
Publications (Latest to oldest)
Publications (Latest to oldest)
Impact evaluation in data-scarce environments: The case of stress-tolerant rice varieties in Bangladesh DOI
Abstract: New technologies are sometimes introduced at times or in places that lack the necessary data to conduct a well-identified impact evaluation. We develop a methodology that combines Earth Observation (EO) data and deep learning with administrative and survey data so as to allow researchers to conduct impact evaluations when traditional economic data is missing. To demonstrate our method, we study stress tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) first introduced to Bangladesh 15 years ago. Using EO data on rice production and flooding for the entire country, spanning two decades, we find evidence of STRV effectiveness. We highlight how the nature of the technology, which is only effective under a specific set of circumstances, creates a Goldilocks Problem that EO data is particularly well suited to addressing. Our findings speak to the promises and challenges of using EO data to conduct impact evaluations in data-scarce environments.Â
Highlights
1. Develop a method for conducting impact evaluations in data poor settings.
2. Use deep learning models and novel ground truth data to reconstruct past floods.
3. Demonstrate method by testing impact of submergence tolerant rice varieties.
4. We find positive and significant impacts but only under certain flood conditions.
5. Highlight the challenges of measuring impacts of stochastic agricultural technologies
Highlights
1. Develop a method for conducting impact evaluations in data poor settings.
2. Use deep learning models and novel ground truth data to reconstruct past floods.
3. Demonstrate method by testing impact of submergence tolerant rice varieties.
4. We find positive and significant impacts but only under certain flood conditions.
5. Highlight the challenges of measuring impacts of stochastic agricultural technologies
Factors associated with child and maternal dietary diversity i the urban areas of Bangladesh. DOI
Abstract: Dietary diversity is an indicator of nutrition that has been found positively associated with diet quality, micronutrient adequacy, and improved maternal health and child growth. Due to the cultural responsibility of women in providing food at the household level, their status is very important to perform this role. Hence, this study has been conducted on the status of dietary diversity of the mother and child to understand how it relates to various factors of women in urban settings. Data were obtained from 1978 mother–child pairs living in different cities in Bangladesh. The foods taken by the women and children were categorized into 10 and 7 groups to measure women's dietary diversity (WDD) and children's dietary diversity (CDD), respectively. The study found that more than three-fourths of the mothers and half of the children had low dietary diversity. The household wealth holdings and access to resources by the women were found inadequate, while two-thirds of them had the lowest to medium level of nutritional knowledge. The binomial logistic regression model was used to measure the factors influencing WDD and CDD. The findings also indicated that children's dietary diversity was influenced by the mother's age, education, supportive attitude and behavior of husband, and access to and control over resources. While the household wealth index can enhance both child and mother's dietary variety, nutrition knowledge, dietary counseling, and access to and control over resources can improve maternal dietary diversity. This study recommends improving women's socioeconomic status by increasing their wealth and access to resources and enhancing their nutrition knowledge by providing food and nutrition counseling.Â
Harnessing complexity: integrating remote sensing and fuzzy expert system for evaluating land use land cover changes and identifying mangrove forest vulnerability in Bangladesh. DOI
Abstract: This study analyzes Landsat images to examine the alterations in land cover within the Sundarbans and its surrounding regions in Bangladesh, spanning twenty-one years from 2000 to 2021. Furthermore, we develop a mangrove vulnerability map considering the combined effect of eight socioeconomic, geophysical, and climatic factors. Methods: Land use land cover (LULC) changes in the study area over a 21-year period were assessed using a random forest model, and the vulnerability analysis employed a fuzzy expert-based multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approach. Results: The results show that a significant portion of the mangrove forest has been transformed into aquaculture practices because of the expansion of high-value shrimp cultivation. A decrease in forest areas and the expansion of aquaculture zones suggest a livelihood shift among the local population over time. This transition has adversely affected human activities within the ecosystem and the biodiversity of mangrove forests. Consequently, it is imperative to implement suitable measures to enhance the state of mangrove forests and safeguard their biodiversity.Â
The vulnerability analysis shows that the highly vulnerable, moderately vulnerable, and low vulnerable areas cover 35.66%, 26.86%, and 19.42%, respectively. Conclusion: The vulnerability maps generated in this research could serve as a valuable resource for coastal planners seeking to ensure the sustainable stewardship of these coastal mangrove forests. These results offer a detailed understanding of coastal mangrove LULC patterns and vulnerability status, which will be useful for policymakers and resource managers to urgently incorporate into coastal land use and environmental management practices.
In an effort to promote ethical research, I made all the data and codes publicly available through Github
Women participation in South Asian agriculture: a comprehensive systematic review DOI
Abstract: Agriculture holds significant socioeconomic importance in South Asia, with women playing vital roles in various agricultural activities. Recognising their contributions is essential for food security, poverty reduction, and sustainable development. This research investigates the crucial role of women in agricultural development in South Asia, employing systematic review methods and text-mining techniques. The study utilised a systemic review methodology for thorough review procedures and data analysis, incorporating the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) model and text mining techniques. The initial search on Scopus generated 292 papers, while the Web of Science (WoS) databases provided 324 relevant articles. Following a thorough screening process, 47 articles were ultimately included in the review. The word cloud analysis highlights key terms like “women,” “empowerment,” and “agriculture,” underscoring their significance in women’s involvement in agriculture. The review also identified a research gap in intersectionality, an essential aspect of gender studies. Furthermore, VOSviewer software’s network analysis depicted various parameters’ interconnectedness in women’s agriculture participation. This systematic review extensively examined recommendations, extensions, and policies concerning women’s involvement in South Asian agriculture. Finally, the study emphasises the crucial link between women, agriculture, and South Asia, advocating for policy interventions and further research to empower women.
Drivers of child and women dietary diversity: Empirical evidence from peri- urban area of Bangladesh DOI
Abstract: Dietary diversity (DD) is considered an indicator of micronutrient adequacy for all age groups. An unbalanced diet that contains only one or two nutrient components can be fatal. Given that women make up half of our population and that children are a country's future, it is crucial to maintain the nutritional status of both groups. Thus, the current study was designed to analyze the factors affecting the dietary diversity of both children and women of the residents living in a manufacturing industry-dominated growing peri-urban area of Bangladesh, where an institutional huge vacuum exists, mainly due to administrative transition. We randomly selected 146 mothers who had at least one child between the ages of 6 and 59 months to participate in our data collection. To identify the factors that influence children's and women's dietary diversity, multinomial and binary logistic regression models were used, respectively. Results unearthed that the age of the children, maternal age, and maternal education significantly affect children's dietary diversity, while the mother's education level, as well as their access to and control over resources affect their own dietary diversity. The study concludes that education has multiple effects on women's and children's dietary diversity as it can help mothers to make decisions about how the distribution of time and resources should be prioritized. Again, greater access to and control over resources may enable mothers to take care of any urgent needs for their children. For a sustainable solution, the policy level needs to keep its eyes on the girls' quality education as potential future mothers.
Nutritional status of under-five aged children of ready-made garment workers in
Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study DOI
Abstract: The ready-made garment (RMG) sector is a significant contributor to the economic growth of Bangladesh, accounting for 10% of the country’s GDP and more than 80% of its foreign exchange earnings. The workforce in this sector is predominantly made up of women, with 2.5 million women working in the industry. However, these women face numerous challenges in carrying out their culturally-expected household responsibilities, including childcare, due to severe resource constraints. As a result, the children of these working women have a higher incidence of malnutrition, particularly stunted growth. This study aims to identify the factors that contribute to stunting in children under the age of five whose mothers work in the RMG sector in Bangladesh. The study collected data from 267 female RMG workers in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh using a simple random sampling technique. Chi-square tests were used to determine the associations between the factors influencing child stunting, and Multinomial Logit Models were used to estimate the prevalence of these factors. The study found that the prevalence of moderate and severe stunting among the children of RMG workers living in the Gazipur RMG hub was 19% and 20%, respectively. The study identified several significant predictors of child stunting, including the mother’s education level, nutritional knowledge, control over ........
Revealing the pathway of reluctancy toward agricultural credit repayment: a case study on fish farmers in Bangladesh DOI
Abstract: In this study, we attempted to identify both the direct and indirect influences of different socioeconomic and demographic factors for the reluctance towards agricultural loan repayment of fish farmers in Bangladesh. A field survey was carried out with 250 fish farmers, followed by a purposive sampling technique in this connection. Study findings showed that the respondents’ average age was 45.42 years, with an average loan amount of USD 4673.10 for fish farmers. The binomial logistic model showed that secondary sources of income, number of earning members, farm size, and training on sustainable fish farming and loan management had a direct positive and significant effect. In contrast, the ability to repay was considered a negative and vital factor in the agricultural loan repayment system's reluctance. However, to explore the indirect influencing factors towards loan repayment status, an additional binomial logistic regression was performed, considering ability to repay as a dependent variable, and findings suggested that farm size, the number of earning members, training, and farming experience are increasing, whereas loans taken from other sources are decreasing the ability to repay. Moreover, based on the research findings, the following recommendations can be drawn: (a) training on diversified income-generating activities besides fish farming should be introduced; (b) proper loan management should be followed, and pre- and post-loan disbursement should be monitored timely.Â
Providing Ante-natal Care Facility is the Most Effective Way to improve Nutritional Knowledge of Mothers Working in the Ready-Made Garment Industry of Bangladesh  DOI
Abstract:  Mothers perform the social responsibility of providing food and caring the family members throughout the world and the type of food and care they provide depend to a large extent on their knowledge of basic nutrition and health care. Mothers’ limited knowledge about food choices, feeding, and health care may contribute significantly to adverse nutrition outcomes. More than 2.5 million of the ready-made garment (RMG) workers of Bangladesh face severe time and resource constraints, where socio-cultural beliefs and mothers‟ perceptions also strongly influence food habits. Therefore, this research is an attempt to discover how to enhance their nutritional knowledge. A cross-sectional study design has been used and primary data were collected following a systematic random sampling  technique from  169  ever-married  women  RMG  workers  who accompany at least one biological child aged between 6 to 59 months. To explore the sources of mothers‟ nutrition knowledge, Robust Poisson Regression (RPR) model has been used. The study found that the mothers working in the RMG industry have a low to medium level of nutritional knowledge and their level of knowledge is significantly influenced by their educational qualification, receiving antenatal care, and their movement from different places. As the scope of increasing educational qualification and also their movement is limited due to time constraint, nutritional counseling from doctors and health workers would be the best option for these large number of female labors. Therefore, relevant authorities should give importance on facilitating antenatal care and nutritional counseling to increase their knowledge.
Potential Economic Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on South Asian Economies: A Review. DOI
Abstract:  The present research analyzes the potential economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on South Asian economies using a systematic review approach. The cause-effect relationship framework showed that the outbreak of COVID-19 slowed down the gross domestic product (GDP) along with major economic sectors and indicators in the South Asian economies. The short and longrun predicted scenario showed that, compared to the agriculture sector, the service and manufacturing sectors will be affected more seriously in all South Asian countries. It was found that governments in the region are trying their best to adopt and implement expansionary fiscal strategies to combat this situation. Many countries have included farmers and allied workers in the government’s support system to utilize resources. In order to maintain the balance of international trade, the import and export of essential items must be given special support. To cope with this situation, governments can invest money from different autonomous institutions to expand Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME). The findings of this research will be helpful for policy planners to formulate appropriate programs for short and long-run demands, along with economic and fiscal policies to sustain and revive the economic activity in South Asia.Â
Impact assessment of agricultural modernization on sustainable livelihood among tribal and non-tribal farmers in Bangladesh, DOI.
Abstract: Â The study was accomplished to examine the impact of agricultural modernization on sustainable livelihood among the tribal and non-tribal farmers in Bangladesh. Two districts had been selected purposively as study areas which were Sherpur and Mymensingh districts. A total of 160 households (i.e., 80 samples from each district and 40 from tribal and 40 from non-tribal community) were interviewed from different villages for field survey where the indigenous people were involved with different agricultural practices. The majority (43.7%) of the tribal farmers had no education whereas only 30% of the non-tribal farmers were illiterate. It is also showed that 22.5% tribal farmers were engaged in crop cultivation where it was 26.25% for non-tribal farmers. Most of the tribal and non-tribal farmers opined that training is essential for operating new technology. Majority of the farmers had low extent of using modern agricultural practices in the study areas. The Simpson livelihood diversification index was found higher for crop cultivation as well as small business group. The households in the study areas are likely to have a diversified livelihood when they have better education. The scope for livelihood diversification also gets boosted when there was better irrigation, educational and membership facilities. Five components altogether explained about (74.10%) of total variations and first three components account for about half of the variations of the model results. In spite of all problems and threats, there is a strong and great prospect for the upliftment of living standards of underprivileged people through agricultural innovations.
For More Details about Publications, Visit my Google Scholar profile
Newspaper Article(s)
Newspaper Article(s)
Maternity Leave: Crying Need for RMG Worker [Link]
Newspaper: The Business StandardDate of Publication: April 13th, 2021Projects
Projects
Impact Assessment of Stress-Tolerant Rice Varieties: Evaluating Impact with Remote Sensing and Econometric Methods [Research Assistant]
Linkages between Women’s Empowerment, Children’s Diet and Nutrition under Rapid Urbanization in Bangladesh  [Research Associate]
Coding Style
Coding Style
Stata script initializing sample
Stata code ending sample
R script sample with built-in R data
SAS Studio (online) script for a complex conditional statement for a Big-data project using sql
Conference Presentation
Conference Presentation
Dr. Jeffrey D. Michler Dewan Abdullah Al Rafi
Impact of Stress Tolerant Rice Varieties in Flood-Prone Regions of South Asia
Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA)Â Annual Conference 2022, Anaheim, CA
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