What enables agricultural diversification in the Eastern Gangetic Plains? Learning from past success
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Date
2025
Authors
Jannat, A.
Kishore, A.
Jackson, T.
Rahman, M.W.
Haque, M.M.
Rashid, M.M.
Chowdhury, T.
Das, K.K.
Joshi, I.R.
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Journal article
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Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems, 2025; 10(1):e70019-1-e70019-21
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Arifa Jannat, Avinash Kishore, Tamara Jackson, M. Wakilur Rahman, Md. Mojammel Haque, Md. Mamunur Rashid, Tapan Chowdhury, Kalyan Kanti Das, Indu Raj Joshi
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Abstract
The increasing significance of agricultural diversification lies in its ability to improve the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of farming systems. This research investigated how diversification occurs and what enables farmers to shift from one system to another. A thematic analysis was employed for 13 case studies from Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. Our analysis revealed that agricultural diversification was predominantly practiced by marginal and small-scale farmers, and driven by location, growing market demand, and utilization of improved crop varieties. Motivation for diversification included potential increased returns and more consistent income streams. Technical advances (improved crop varieties, seeds, and techniques) and institutional involvement (new market arrangements) have resulted in increased incomes, diverse livelihoods, women’s empowerment, and new market opportunities. Through the utilization of case studies, we offer valuable perspectives that can improve the effectiveness of suitable policies and collaborations that can enhance the welfare of farmers and contribute to regional food security.
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© 2025 The Author(s). Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.