Impact of Homestead Kitchen Garden on Rations Cut and Economic Depression in the Rohingya Refugee Camps
Taslima Arzu *
Rohingya Response, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Md. Ariful Kabir Sujan
Gonoshasthaya Kendra, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
S.M. Symon Bappy
Gonoshasthaya Kendra, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Vulon Prosad
Gonoshasthaya Kendra, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Suparna Das Toma
Nutrition Sector, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: The overall objective is to assess the impact of ration cuts on Rohingya refugees who have a homestead kitchen garden compared to those who do not, in the camps in Cox Bazar. This formative assessment documents how beneficiaries in the different intervention areas have adapted to the ration cuts. The results will inform our understanding regarding the contribution of nutrition-sensitive programs such as kitchen gardens and provide lessons that can be widely disseminated for informed decision-making concerning program design and investments in the future.
Study Design: The assessment adopted both quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches, data collection through focus group discussions (FGDs), and data validation through a quantitative survey.
Place and Duration of Study: Data was collected in the Rohingya refugee camps (13, 15, 21, & 24) located in Ukhiya and Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh. Qualitative data was collected from 10–14 July 2023, and quantitative data from 1–6 August 2023.
Methodology: Quantitative data were collected from the beneficiaries by a household survey, including 175 pregnant and lactating women (PLW) & Caregivers of children aged 0- 59 months from both groups. Qualitative data were obtained through six (6) Focus Group Discussions (8-10 PLW & caregivers, and male participants per group) and eight (8) Key Informant Interviews with caregivers of nutrition beneficiaries (e.g., SAM, MAM, & BSFP)
Results: As a result of ration cuts, refugees reduced meals and lack of dietary diversity. Refugee people frequently fall ill and become physically weak, which increases malnutrition among children, pregnant and lactating women.
Now the refugee people have low capacity to meet the daily household needs and other needs for family like clothing, shelter or education, as they had to depend on in-kind supplies from other sectors for example for simple repairing of the house, they have looked for support from shelter authorities, they are not able to provide tuition fee of the children for higher education.
As a result of the ration cuts, domestic violence also increases within the family, and the relationship between neighbors is also hampered. Criminal activities such as robbery, hijacking, and kidnapping increased inside the camps and outside the camps. If this situation continues, human trafficking, the female sex trade, and drug smuggling will increase among the refugees.
The relationship between the host community and the refugee is also getting worse as the host people living near the camps can’t buy extra rations at a low price from the refugees, and due to the financial crisis, refugees are not able to buy food and other household commodities from the local market. So the local business was affected by the ration cut.
Though there was a great impact of ration cuts on the Rohingya refugees in different dimensions, there are several coping mechanisms they have adopted to survive and adjust to. On the other hand, those refugees who have home gardening or a kitchen garden in their households faced less impact than others. Though they had to reduce the amount of food for the adults but they still could maintain food diversity through the home-grown vegetables.
When we discussed this with both home gardening beneficiaries and non-home gardening beneficiaries, both FGD and KII, they mentioned that they had the opportunity to have some vegetable supplies for their consumption and to sell for extra money. They could even support their neighbors with their production of vegetables.
Conclusion and Recommendation:
- Increase employment opportunities for both males and females inside the camps
- Support for different small businesses, including shops, groceries, beverage shops, etc, by providing training, input, and financial aid.
- Enhance vegetable gardening and small-scale poultry farming through training, inputs, and funding. Provide skill development training to enable income generation. Implement income-generating activities (e.g., sewing, handicrafts) for both men and women. Permit to work and sell products from skill development activities outside of the camps
- Facilitate repatriation to their home country with dignity.
Keywords: Kitchen gardening, Vegetable production, food security, economic resilience, ration cuts, rohingya response