Challenges And Opportunities Of Alternative Livelihood For The Biri Factory Workers Of Bangladesh-A Mixed Method Study
Bangladesh is one of the highest tobacco burdened countries of the world. Along with cigarettes, a conventional form of non-filtered smoking tobacco, named as Biri, is popular in this country, especially among poor population. Biri industry is one of the major source of employment in the tobacco cultivation areas of the country. However, in recent years, as a consequence of the tobacco control program of the country as well as due to the behavioral shift of the smokers towards modern cigarettes, consumption of biri has been reduced remarkably. This reduction in biri consumption will cause shri
employment as well as identifying the major challenges in this process would guide to adopt appropriate strategy to face the upcoming crisis. In this context, the present study aims to assess the sources of income, willingness to switch to alternative employments, its possibilities, and major challenges for the biri industry workers. The present one will be a mixed method study where a blended approach of both quantitative and qualitative method will be incorporated. The study will be conducted in Rangpur and Kushtia district. Face to face interview of the biri factory workers will be conducted for quantitative data collection while focused group discussion including the factory workers and two will be conducted among the stakeholders including factory owners, labour associations, local NGOs, and members of civil societies. The quantitative part will provide information about the willingness and scopes of alternative livelihood of the biri industry, and the qualitative part will explore the possibilities and major challenges of alternative livelihoods for these workers.