An evaluation of the program on enhancing resilience to natural disasters and the effects of climate change in Bangladesh

AN EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM ON ENHANCING RESILIENCE TO NATURAL DISASTERS AND THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN BANGLADESH Ricardo Hernandez, Akhter U. Ahmed, Arifeen Akter, Nusrat Zaitun Hossain, Samira Choudhury, and Mehrab Malek International Food Policy Research Institute AN EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM ON ENHANCING RESILIENCE TO NATURAL DISASTERS AND THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN BANGLADESH Authors: Ricardo Hernandez*, Akhter U. Ahmed, Arifeen Akter, Nusrat Zaitun Hossain, Samira Choudhury, and Mehrab Malek International Food Policy Research Institute Prepared for: Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and UN World Food Programme, Bangladesh Funded by: United States Agency for International Development Grant Number: EEM-G-00-04-00013-00 Submitted by: International Food Policy Research Institute Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program for Food Security and Agricultural Development House 10A, Road 35, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh Date: May 2, 2016 This study has been prepared upon request from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and was commissioned by the World Food Programme (WFP), with financial support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID). This work was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The views and opinions contained in the report are those of the authors and are not necessarily shared by CGIAR, LGED, PIM, USAID, or WFP. *Ricardo Hernandez (r.a.hernandez@cgiar.org) is the corresponding author for comments and queries. i Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................ ii 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................3 1.1 Background .....................................................................................................................3 1.2 Description of the ER+ Program .....................................................................................3 1.3 Description of the Research ............................................................................................5 2. METHODOLOGY AND DATA ...........................................................................................6 2.1 Designing an Impact Evaluation .....................................................................................6 2.2 Data ...............................................................................................................................10 3. PROFILE OF SURVEY HOUSEHOLDS...........................................................................16 3.1 Poverty ...........................................................................................................................16 3.2 Food consumption .........................................................................................................17 3.3 Income ...........................................................................................................................19 3.4 Assets .............................................................................................................................19 3.5 Coping strategy ..............................................................................................................21 3.6 Women’s participation in key family decisions ............................................................21 3.7 Household Characteristics .............................................................................................23 3.8 Employment ..................................................................................................................23 3.9 Land Tenancy and Farm Size ........................................................................................24 3.10 Savings ........................................................................................................................25 3.11 Access to Facilities ......................................................................................................26 3.12 Participation in Social Safety Net Programs ...............................................................27 4. IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF THE ER+ PROGRAM ........................................................29 4.1 Estimation Procedu