Abstract
Despite the critical role of agricultural value chains in enhancing market competitiveness and smallholder livelihoods, systematic assessments integrating participatory commodity prioritization with market opportunity analysis remain limited in climate-vulnerable coastal regions. This mixed-methods study employed a participatory value chain selection matrix to identify priority commodities and develop intervention strategies for smallholder farmers in Khulna district of Bangladesh. Quantitative survey data (n = 384) were triangulated with 12 focus group discussions and 24 key informant interviews conducted during August-September 2024. Vegetables, goat, and carp fish emerged as the three highest-priority commodities, selected based on women’s participation potential, income generation capacity, climate resilience, and investment feasibility. Value chain mapping revealed that beparis — mobile traders — dominate intermediation across all three commodities, concentrating market power and generating trust deficits that constrain smallholder price outcomes. Economic analysis confirmed viable profitability, with vegetables yielding the highest proportional margin (63–65%) followed by goat (60%) and carp fish (45%). Critical constraints include transportation deficits, price information asymmetries, market syndicate dominance, and climate-induced risks. Proposed interventions encompass union-level product collection points, app-based price dissemination, farmer-intermediary coordination, and strengthened farmer representation in marketing committees. These findings contribute to inclusive value chain development and climate-resilient livelihoods in coastal Bangladesh and comparable systems globally.
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Acknowledgements
The authors sincerely thank all farmers, traders, extension officers, and other stakeholders in Dacope and Koyra upazilas who participated in household surveys, FGDs, and KIIs during August–September 2024. Special thanks are extended to ‘Jagroto Jubo Shongo (JJS)’ and ‘Commitment Consultant’ for their logistical support during field data collection.
Funding
This research was financially supported by Concern Worldwide and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
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The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (revised 2024). The Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) serves as the national authority for ethical oversight of biomedical, behavioral, and social research in Bangladesh through its National Research Ethics Committee (NREC). Under BMRC guidelines, research employing survey techniques and interview procedures with no intervention and no risk of physical or psychological distress to participants is eligible for exemption from formal IRB review (BMRC, 2021). This study involved non-interventional, observational data collection through household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews with consenting adult participants, with no biological samples, clinical interventions, or personal identifiers collected. The study therefore falls within the low-risk exemption category under applicable BMRC guidelines.
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This study involved human participants only. Prior to data collection, all participants were informed of the study objectives, their right to withdraw at any time, and the intended use of their responses solely for research purposes. Verbal informed consent was obtained from all participants, and all data were collected, stored, and reported in aggregate and anonymized form. Participants provided consent for anonymous publication and aggregate reporting of their responses.
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Kabir, M.H., Ahammad, S., Afroz, C.A. et al. Participatory assessment of agricultural value chain dynamics and market opportunities for smallholder farmers in climate-vulnerable coastal Bangladesh.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-71038-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-71038-8
Keywords
- Climate resilience
- Smallholder livelihoods
- Market access
- Market intermediaries
- Commodity prioritization
- Cost-benefit analysis
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