A Social Business Model for Poverty Alleviation through Collecting & Merchandising of Dry Fish: A Case Study from Bangladesh

Ullah, Nazim and Uddin, Md Akther (2015): A Social Business Model for Poverty Alleviation through Collecting & Merchandising of Dry Fish: A Case Study from Bangladesh.

Abstract

Maheshkhali is an Upazila of Cox's Bazar District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh and there are about 300,000 people in this island. About 21.2% of the populations of Maheshkhali are living below lower poverty line and most of them are directly or indirectly employed in collecting, merchandising and exporting of salt, shrimp, sea-fish and dry fish. In the recent past, various development programs have been undertaken to eradicate poverty in this island but failed to reach to the poorest of the poor effectively due to various reasons, especially exploitation by money lenders and NGOs is considered to be the key. Dry fish processing is one of the major industries of Maheshkhali and there exist a growing demand of dry fish in local market and international market. The study is analytical in nature and based on secondary data collected from available published sources. We propose a social business model that will enable the root level dry fish processor to get benefit from their dry fish production by eliminating intermediaries with the help of latest information and communication technology which will ultimately help in reducing hardcore poverty of Maheshkhali Island.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Poverty Alleviation, Dry Fish, Social Business, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
• Subjects: A - General Economics and Teaching > A1 - General Economics; D - Microeconomics > D6 - Welfare Economics; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development

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